As of mid-March, Southwest Airlines remains the only U.S. airline that has not resumed any service to Costa Rica since suspending flights due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On its website, Southwest Airlines indicates “service will resume at a later date” to Costa Rica, The Bahamas, Belize, Grand Cayman, and Turks and Caicos.
As of this story’s publication, the Southwest Airlines’ so-called “Low Fare Calendar” lists no tickets available for purchase to or from Costa Rica’s airports through at least August.
Many other airlines have retaken routes to Costa Rica, including Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit and United.
Puerto
Vallarta (No. 3) leading the “Top 10 International” list, in a top-three repeat from last year. The flood of Americans can be attributed in part to relatively relaxed entry requirements.
Similarly, the Dominican Republic has eased its visitor entry process, allowing Punta Cana to move from spot No. 10 last year to No. 6 this year on Allianz’s “Top 10 International” list.
Costa
Rica, a destination popular with thrill-seekers and outdoor adventurers, started welcoming American tourists as of September 1 last year, though only from select states, and is new on this year’s list with both
San Jose (No. 9), and
Liberia (No. 10) rounding out the list. In all, each of the top 10 is located either in the
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Austin Adventures this week launched a women-only trip to
Costa Rica in honor of
International Women’s Month. The tour operator, which just appointed new female president (
Kasey Austin) to the executive team, created this trip to celebrate and empower women to travel again when people are more comfortable traveling later this year. Austin Adventure’s inaugural “
Costa Rica Women’s-Only” trip will take place October 2-9, 2021.
The getaway will be led by president Kasey Austin, who will be joined with female Tico guides. The itinerary will exclusively include visits to all female-owned businesses. Austin Adventures will donate $500 from each trip booked to local Costa Rican women’s nonprofit, the
Costa Rica announced Thursday that it will again receive flights from the other Central American countries, in a decision to expand the reopening of its borders since restrictions were first established in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Tourism Minister, Gustavo Segura, indicated that Costa Rica’s two major international airports will be permitted to receive Central American flights as of October 15.
The opening aims to “continue stimulating the reactivation of the tourist industry,” Segura said at a press conference.
The six Central American countries join Mexico, the United States, Canada, Uruguay, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and several Asian nations as countries from which citizens and residents can visit Costa Rica.
A growing number of people have turned to the dream of a “digital nomad” lifestyle answering emails from the beach or the cloud forest as remote working goes mainstream during the pandemic.
Costa Rica hopes to attract more of these workers through a bill that would grant year-long visas for qualifying digital nomads.
If the bill is approved in the Legislative Assembly, remote workers could obtain a permit to stay for one year in Costa Rica, extendable for one additional year. They would also have the possibility of opening local bank accounts and could drive in Costa Rica using their country’s license, among other benefits.