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Wildlife
Hopes Not Too High for Holy Week Tourism
Southern Guanacaste Receives Fewer Tourists Than Other Regions of Costa Rica

By Arianna McKinney

 

Traditionally each year the beaches fill with people during Holy Week, which this year begins April 17th. However, local hotel owners seem cautious in their expectations for any boost in tourism and very little is being done to market or promote local tourism along the coast of southern Guanacaste, which includes Nosara, Samara and Carrillo.

While Costa Rica as a whole saw a 9.2% increase in international arrivals in 2010, according to Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), southern Guanacaste is one of the least visited areas in Costa Rica. In 2009, the area received only 7.3% of international tourists.

Daniel Retana Carmiol, who works in the Guanacaste Sur regional ICT office in Nicoya, believes one reason the area receives less tourism is because of its limited access due to road conditions and seasonal flooding. "We'd very much like to promote tourism activities in the zone but ICT only has a direct link with 17 businesses with declaration," he explained. Of the 17, six are hotels in Nosara area, one in Ostional, six in Samara, three in Carrillo and one in Punta Islita.

VON contacted members of the Chamber of Tourism in Nosara, Samara and Carrillo to ask about any special promotions in the area but no one was aware of any.

Of course, hotels may be willing to give deals on an individual basis. For example, the owner of El Ramal, Maria Elena Paniagua, who is also the president of the Nosara Chamber of Tourism, said she has received some reservations for Holy Week and she offers a good price to those who call. However, she thinks the recent tsunami warning will keep some national tourists away this year, noting that Costa Ricans are generally cautious and worry about things like earthquakes. She commented that two other things also hurt local tourism: the distance and the road.

Giancarlo Capponi, Vice President of CASATUR and owner of Hotel Giada in Samara, said they primarily anticipate an increase in visitors for three days of Holy Week: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when many Ticos go to the beach. He explained that every year they focus especially on these three days with more personnel working a little extra. However, he noted that tourism has decreased significantly since the economic crisis of 2009 and there's been no increase

The Samara police are preparing for an influx in people at the beach, requesting four or five police with bicycles to reinforce security during Holy Week. On bicycle, these officers can patrol the beach more easily, looking out for the tourists. Jose Angel Gomez Matarrita, Samara district chief, said they had two police on bicycle focused on the beach during Christmas, resulting in a decreased incidence of thefts.

Tourism may not be as high as in years past, but no doubt many will continue the tradition of celebrating Holy Week at the beach.

 

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