The grade of U.S. tourists in Costa Rica are not dissuaded by an economic crisis.

When the U.S. economy began showing signs of weakness, many speculated as to whether American tourism to Costa Rica would also begin to decline. However, in news that reassures as much as it delights all that are involved in Costa Rican tourism, statistics show that not only have visits to the country not decreased, but they have actually increased in the past year.

Americans have less discretionary income, meaning fewer dollars to spend on vacations both domestic and international. In addition to this large hurdle, rising fuel costs have caused airlines to greatly increase their ticket prices, making international travel even more difficult. However, despite these woes, Costa Rica has seen almost 1,000,000 visitors in the first five months of 2008, an increase of 133,000 visitors (16%) when compared to the same time period in 2007.

Of course, the United States is not the only country sending its citizens to Costa Rica. Though approximately 54% of Costa Rica’s tourists are American, another 17% hail from Europe, the second largest geographic area responsible for the country’s tourists. Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Minister of Tourism, explains that the economic crisis has not reduced Costa Rica Tourism because the majority of the country’s visitors maintain a high-income lifestyle, and therefore, are not severely affected.

In addition to attracting those with high incomes, Costa Rica maintains a geographical advantage: its proximity to the United States affords it relatively low airfares and brief travel times. In addition to its reputation for trendy, eco-friendly tourism — an attraction for both Americans and Europeans alike — these low fares are the perfect hook to lure tourists into a green, sunny vacation in nearby Costa Rica.

Even though it has external factors in its favor, Costa Rica has not been lazy about self-promotion. Indeed, another very important factor that has helped increase tourism is the marketing plan put in place by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), which spent $14 million, mostly in the United States, to promote Costa Rican tourism. In 2007, the plan certainly paid off, as 1.9 million tourists came to the country, bringing with them $1.921 billion. In 2008, ICT expects a 6% increase in foreign visitors, and by 2012, a yearly tally of 2.3 million visitors.

Partly in response to increased tourism, and partly fueling it, Costa Rica been has granted an increasing number of airline seats. Currently, the number hovers around 2.7 million, and as more carriers choose to fly into the country, this number only promises to rise. In addition to numerous Costa Rica Flights from the United States, new flights, like Avianca’s San José-Bogotá route and Air Caraibes’s European service, have cropped up, improving San José’s accessibility.

This accessibility, in addition to low airfares, affordable travel, and myriad activities once in Costa Rica, has helped the nation to weather the tough economic storm, remaining competitive in the tourism market. With help from new marketing campaigns, the country hopes to continue increasing its tourist numbers, and continue providing quality vacation experiences for its visitors.