The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) reported that it does not process complaints or carries out statistical studies related to the services of Airbnb, a collaborative platform to rent rooms and homes.
The consultation was made after the murder of 36-year-old Venezuelan-American tourist Carla Stefaniak.
The ICT does not process complaints related to Airbnb establishments and we do not have statistics on this type of complaints,”
explained Alberto López, manager of the Institute.
The death of several tourists after sexual attacks, accidents as a consequence of some type of negligence, and assaults on tourist excursion vehicles have filled the news headlines of the country in recent months.
In this context, the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT) regretted recent events and indicated that it has begun to take action on the matter. On November 21st it signed an agreement with the Ministry of Public Security to strengthen the Tourist Police and try to avoid more violent acts against visitors.
According to López, the security task should be led by the Ministry of Security, but it requires the support of other government institutions through strategic alliances, as well as key actors in the tourism sector such as businessmen, tourism chambers and local authorities.
The agreement with Public Security will make it possible to build and improve the infrastructure of the Tourist Police delegations, as well as the purchase of communication equipment. In addition, it will encourage the placement of surveillance cameras in areas of tourist interest and greater training for the officers of this police force,”
added López.