The international magazine Travel W, awarded Costa Rica the prize of best Latin American touristic destination. Costa Rica with this award overcomes countries like Brazil, Panama, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. Central America is the region with the highest tourism growth in the Americas, according to a survey concluded on September 2006 by the World Organization of Tourism. Costa Rica has become the most important destination for second home ownership, retirement and vacation from the region baby boomers are looking at Costa Rica as the best alternative for their dream tropical paradise

By the end of the year 2006, Costa Rica received 1,645,470 tourists and 315,187 excursionists with an estimated increase of 4.65% in income produced by tourism. In other words, 1,663.6 million dollars. The development of hotels like Four Seasons Hotel, Hyatt and Regents in Guanacaste and Hilton, Marriott Los Sueños and Saint Regis in the Central Pacific Coast represents an economic boost for the area. Since, the tourism and real estate activity has become very dynamic, generating a waterfall effect and encouraging other investors to place a bet on this location. The increase of luxurious condominium residential complexes is oriented towards foreigners who are close to retirement, given that they represent the target market towards which developers are aiming their strategies. In fact, the idea of the investors is to own a second home away from their country of origin.

In the year 2006, Guanacaste represented the largest growth in real estate investment. Proof of this is that the amount of construction permits increased 133.5% in comparison to year 2005. Costa Rica continues to be an attractive natural paradise for tourists, and more importantly, the country has a clear goal to keep on growing and attracting more visitors. This has been confirmed by a renowned assessment company in the sector, Future Brand, whose latest publication ranks Costa Rica among the ten most acclaimed countries from “Rising Star”. In other words, Costa Rica is ranked among the places with the most probability and opportunities of growth in the next five years. “I am proud to say that Costa Rica is still recognized as one of the most important destinations in the world with an enormous potential for growth in the coming years. This ranking is an honor and a pride and it also represents a great challenge to improve strategies regarding infrastructure, security and promotion,” stated Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Minister of Tourism.

However, Costa Rica is not only considered one of the countries with the greatest potential for growth, but it has also been categorized as the second country in the world as exotic destination which offers unique excursions leaving behind nations such as Thailand, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, Lebanon, Iceland, and Fiji. Moreover, Costa Rica was also ranked among the top ten countries in the world for its natural beauty and its unique culture. In this category Costa Rica is ranked above Lebanon, Italy, Peru and Morocco. Costa Rica is one of the world leaders in ecotourism, according to international experts, who participated in the 3rd International Conference of Eco Tourism 2006. Country classified among the ten best destinations: exotic, promising and authentic. Direct flights to Costa Rica from England, Spain, Atlanta, Los Angeles.