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Canada is now the fastest growing source of tourists to Costa Rica

More Canadians are flying to Costa Rica this year than at any point on record, and the gap between them and every other market is widening fast. New figures from the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo ( ICT ) show that from January through July arrivals from Canada up 25.1% compared with the same seven months of 2025. No other country came close. The Netherlands ranked second at 16.5%, and Spain third at 13.9%. The North American market as a whole, which includes the United States and Mexico, grew 7%. Across every source country, 1,853,430 travelers arrived by air in those seven months. That is also a 7% increase on last year, which tells you how much of the growth is being carried by a handful of markets rather than spread evenly. The tourism institute credits a targeted advertising push in Canada aimed at filling seats on direct flights. On its own numbers, the campaign is working and that matters more than a marketing win. Where visitors come from decides which airports g...
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Playa Panamá Residents March to Restart Stalled Papagayo Projects

Residents of Playa Panamá marched on Sunday, calling for stalled tourism projects in the Gulf of Papagayo to move forward, saying the delays are costing their community jobs and business opportunities. The peaceful march was organized by the Playa Panamá Integral Development Association(ADI). Participants walked from the roundabout near El Mangroove hotel to Plaza Playa Panamá under the slogan “Walking Together for Sustainable Development.” Organizers said families in the area depend on tourism, construction and the small businesses that serve workers and visitors. They argued that development and environmental protection can happen at the same time if projects follow Costa Rica’s environmental rules. The protest comes more than four months after Constitutional Court Justice Fernando Cruz issued temporary restrictions while the court reviews a challenge to development rules in the Papagayo Tourism Development Area. The April 17 order placed a moratorium on new tree-cutting per...
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Four Seasons Costa Rica Unveils New Papagayo Suites

Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo has unveiled 10 new one-bedroom suites as part of a larger renovation of the luxury resort on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast. Reservations are now open for the Papagayo Suites, with the first stays available beginning December 17, 2026. Each suite covers 112 square meters, or 1,206 square feet, and includes a king bedroom, a separate living room and a large terrace overlooking Papagayo Bay. The layout is intended to feel more like a private vacation home while keeping guests close to the resort’s restaurants, spa and recreational facilities. The suites can accommodate up to three adults or two adults and two children, according to the resort’s booking information. Their design focuses on indoor-outdoor living, with natural wood, stone and colors inspired by the surrounding coastline. Other features include custom furniture, curved soaking tubs, marble bathrooms and large openings that bring in natural light and fresh air. “These...
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Is Costa Rica’s 98% Literacy Rate Really Accurate?

Costa Rica has long promoted itself as the most literate country in Central America, and by the numbers it is. Government statistics put the literacy rate among people 15 and older at roughly 98 percent, a figure repeated in tourism brochures, investment pitches and international rankings for decades. But a closer look at how that number is produced, and who it leaves out, suggests the real picture of who can and cannot read and write in this country is considerably worse than official statistics admit. The core problem is that Costa Rica’s literacy figure comes from self reported survey answers, not from any actual reading test. When a census worker or household survey interviewer asks someone whether they can read and write, the person answers for themselves, and there is no verification. Illiteracy carries deep social stigma, particularly among older adults and in rural communities, so people frequently say yes even when they can do little more than sign their name. Th...
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Watch as Camera Thieves Impact Wildlife Studies in Costa Rica

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Certain things are guaranteed when camera trapping in Costa Rica. Some things are magnificent, for instance, with enough time and even the smallest patch of forest, you’re going to record an ocelot. Other things are downright infuriating, for example, with enough time, working in just about any forest in Costa Rica, your camera trap is going to get stolen. I haven’t kept track, because some statistics are too heartbreaking to tally, but I must have had over thirty cameras stolen over the last eight years or so. Theft is simply something that needs to be factored into any wildlife monitoring project using camera traps and its effects are manyfold. First, and for me most devastating, is the loss of data. If I sit and think about the content of the SD cards on all my stolen cameras, a single tear begins to form in the corner of my eye. Then there’s the loss of the equipment, the associated cost, and the difficulty in acquiring replacement gear. Each of my cameras, with the suppor...
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Rincón de la Vieja Erupts Twice Ahead of Free National Parks Day

The Rincón de la Vieja volcano erupted twice today and the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica ( Ovsicori-UNA ) reported no ashfall and no lahars from either event. The larger of the two came at 7:38 a.m. and lasted under a minute. Ovsicori classified it as moderate. A smaller eruption had already occurred at 12:30 a.m. Neither eruption was visible on the observatory’s webcams. Cloud cover sat over the summit all morning, so nobody got a look at the column. That happens often during the rainy season, and it is one reason the seismic and infrasound networks matter more than the cameras this time of year. The volcano stays at caution, which is level 3 on Ovsicori’s four-step scale. Ovsicori moved it up from level 2 in early August after counting 48 eruptions in roughly a month, including 23 in a single week. Volcanologist Cyrill Müller said at the time that a volcano at level 3 can produce eruptions, lahars and ashfall — a plain description of the r...
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Costa Rica Community Struggles With Water Shortages and Contamination Concerns

Residents of Aserrí are facing prolonged water shortages that have disrupted homes, schools and businesses, while the local government considers handing control of its struggling water system to Costa Rica’s national water utility. The municipality has acknowledged that the problem has existed for years but says it has become worse during the current dry period. Water rationing has been in place in different parts of the canton since April, with some residents receiving water for only a few hours, often early in the morning. Families have responded by filling bottles, barrels and storage tanks whenever water becomes available. Residents who cannot afford storage equipment are more exposed to the outages and depend heavily on municipal water trucks. Schools and local businesses are also feeling the effects. At least one public school has asked children to bring drinking water from home and has occasionally suspended lessons when its stored supply runs out. Hair salons, barber s...
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