Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26753
COSTA RICA SURPASSES TWO MILLION VISITORS IN 2010 Official data gathered by the Immigration Department of Costa Rica and analyzed by the Costa Rica Tourism Board According to data released by the Immigration Depart- ment of Costa Rica which was analyzed by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), there was a 9.2 percent increase in international tourism to Costa Rica in 2010 compared to 2009. For the second time in history, Costa Rica received more than 2million tourists.According to current statistics analyzed by the ICT, there were 2,099,829 tourists in 2010 (a total gath- ered from all ports of entry) comparing to the 1,922, 579 that visited the country in 2009. nating traveler: horseback riding on a secluded beach; hiking through the lush whispering greenery of a rainforest; having an exhilarating experience on a white-water rafting trip, observing the tropical forests from a canopy tour; surfing the blue waves of either coast; experiencing a quite, close encounter with different species of birds and wildlife; and enjoying the diverse culture and hospitality of theTicos. LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REPORTS 2010 PASSENGER LEVEL UP 4.5 PECENT OVER 2009; AIR CARGO UP 15.8 PERCENT LosAngeles InternationalAirport (LAX) officials reported today that total passenger volume for 2010 was up 4.5 percent with 59,069,409 passengers, compared with 56,520,843 total passengers in 2009. There was a 4.1 percent growth in domes- tic passengers to 43,134,145 from41,419,913 in 2009, and inter- national traffic grew by 5.5 percent to 15,935,264 passengers from15,100,930 in 2009. Total air cargo tonnage also increased 15.8 percent to “We are very optimistic about this 9.2 percent growth in tourism to Costa Rica because travel to Latin America has risen between 5 and 6 percent compared to the lower rate of travel to the rest of theworldwhichwas hovering around 4 and 5 percent,” said Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Tourism Minister, The Costa RicaTourismBoard. Juan Santamaría International Airport, the main port of entry to Costa Rica in San Jose, reported the arrival of 1,189,925 passengers in 2010 representing an increase of 5.5 percent compared to 2009when the airport reported 1,127,599 visitors ABOUT COSTA RICA Costa Rica is located in CentralAmerica, nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, and bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean.This small country represents only .05 percent of the planet’s surface and it shelters almost 5 percent of the existing world’s biodi- versity. It has given priority to the conservation of its natural resources, protecting 26 percent of its national territory through the creation of National Parks and other natural areas. The country also offers world-class eco-tourism and adventure travel.The options are unlimited for any discrimi- 1,926,825 from 1,663,988 in 2009. Air mail tonnage rose 15.5 percent to 74,034 tons from 64,073 tons in 2009. Freight increased 15.8 percent to 1,852,791 tons from1,599,915 tons in 2009. The number of aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs) increased 5.6 percent to 575,835 in 2010 from544,833 in 2009. “LAX is experiencing increased passenger and cargo volumes due to continued improvement in the global econ- omy, further assisted by added service on existing routes from several domestic and international airlines, as well as by new airlines to new destinations, including Alitalia to Rome and All Nippon Airways to Tokyo-Haneda,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports that owns and operates LAX. “Our statis- tics show that upward movement in traffic continues to be the norm.” LosAngeles InternationalAirport (LAX) is the seventh busiest airport in the world, offering more than 565 daily flights to 81 destinations in the U.S. and over 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 66 international destinations on nearly 65 passenger and 20 all-cargo airlines. LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International andVan Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a department of the City of Los Angeles. Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 45