Until 2016, the national tourism industry contributed with the creation of 211 thousand jobs in the country. The figure was released by the Central Bank of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) as part of the results of the Tourism Satellite Account study. At the same time, the study showed that this sector of the economy brought the country an increase in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), going from 4.4% in 2012 to 6.3% in 2016.
According to the BCCR, the contribution of tourism to the GDP for 2016 was higher than that of other sectors. The one for computer services was 2.2%; the production of electrical energy contributed 2.1%; the manufacture of medical instruments and supplies contributed 1.8%, and a traditional activity such as banana crops account for 1.1% of GDP.
By participation, the economic activities the most important economic activities in tourism in 2016 were accommodation services (20.9%), food and beverages (20.9%), road transport (12%) and medical services (10.4%).
The total tourist consumption, determined by the expenses of vacationers, shows that 59% corresponds to receiving tourism (tourists from other countries that visit us), 17% is outbound tourism (nationals who visit other countries) and 24% are nationals who vacation in the country.