This Tuesday the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) announced that Costa Rica will have more flights to two locations in the United States: Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois.
The Alaska airline increased the frequency of its flights from three weekly flights to one daily flight in the Los Angeles-San José route during peak season. This itinerary will operate from November 15th to 26th this year and from December 16th to January 6th, 2019. They will be carried out at the two international airports in Costa Rica: the Daniel Oduber Quirós airport in Liberia and the Juan Santamaría airport in Alajuela.
In addition, United Airlines announced the increase in frequency of the Chicago-San Joé flight, which will be daily during January and February next year. The airline will keep its flights from the Daniel Oduber International Airport to the United States, and the Houston-Liberia route in January 2019, leaving twice a week on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the ICT.
President Carlos Alvarado highlighted the strategy implemented by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) to increase the presence of airlines and increase the frequency of flights.
The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amaria Revelo, said that their work is focused in areas where there is a greater possibility of growth: in California with Alaska Arlines and with United Airlines in Houston and Chicago.
According to the ICT the increase in the frequency of Alaska Airlines flights represents 2,067 more seats, which together with the 12,771 seats that are projected with the increase of flights of United Airlines (Houston and Chicago) would generate an increase of 14,838 seats from the United States.
The authorities also seek to increase ties with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, New York, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Washington DC, and Dallas.
The United States is the main source of tourists to Costa Rica with 1.2 million visitors in 2017, a figure that represents 40% of international arrivals in this period.