Residents and citizens of all states within the United States will be permitted to enter Costa Rica beginning Nov. 1, a measure that will help the country’s economic reactivation and job creation, announced Gustavo J. Segura, Costa Rica Tourism Minister.
Beginning Oct.15, residents of Florida, Georgia and Texas will be able to enter the country.
According to data from the Ministry of National Planning and
Economic Policy (MIDEPLAN), calculated based on the Input-Output Matrix,
allowing the entry of citizens and residents of all states within the United
States could generate USD $1.5 billion in foreign currency for Costa Rica,
which equals 2.5 points of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and about 80,000
jobs for the year 2021.
“Our conversations with technical teams in the airline
sector allow us to determine that by opening the United States market, airlines
could attract between 35% and 40% of 2019 air traffic, both originating in
North America and connecting in that region. This will allow us to reactivate
tourism so that companies can work, at least, above the equilibrium point
during the high season, which runs from November 2020 to May 2021. A tourist
visiting the country activates a series of productive chains, such as
agriculture, fishing, commerce, transport, tourism guides, hotels, restaurants,
operators, artisans – and in looking that, we must focus to continue with the
reactivation, safeguarding sanitary measures against COVID-19,” explained
Gustavo J. Segura, Costa Rica Tourism Minister.
Since Sept. 1, residents of New York, New Jersey, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and the District of
Columbia have been allowed to enter the country, and Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania and Colorado had previously been announced.
The states of Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, New
Mexico, Michigan and Rhode Island were permitted as of Sept. 15, and residents
of California and Ohio, as of Oct. 1.
Before the pandemic, the North American market brought 1.6
million tourists to Costa Rican soil, with an average stay of 12 days and a
daily expense of US $170 per person.
The size of the potential market for the United States is
23.5 million tourists.
Entry Requirements Residents and citizens of the United
States of America who wish to visit Costa Rica must meet three requirements:
1. Complete the digital form called HEALTH PASS
2. Take the COVID-19 RT-PCR test and obtain a negative
result; the sample for the test must be taken a maximum of 72 hours before the
flight to Costa Rica
3. Obtain travel insurance that covers accommodations in
case of quarantine and medical expenses due to COVID-19 illness. Travel
insurance is mandatory and can be purchased from an international or Costa
Rican insurers.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2020, it will no longer be necessary to
present proof of US residency, as all states will be allowed to enter.
In addition to the United States, 44 additional countries
have been authorized to enter Costa Rica as of Aug. 1, the day that Costa
Rica’s airports reopened.
To date, approximately 6,000 tourists have entered the
country, all complying with strict protocols, and none of whom have been
reported as carriers or infected with COVID 19. “To reactivate employment,
international tourism is a tool with a low epidemiological risk,” said the
Costa Rica Tourism Minister.
