Costa Rica's tourism is down over 12% this year, however, it is not due to decreasing tourists from Europe. In fact, more tourists from Europe have visited Costa Rica this year than last year, and ICT (Costa Rica's Institute of Tourism) is projecting that the number of European visitors will be up over 10% compared to 2008. Most of the decrease in tourism can be attributed to the hard-hit North American economy - in particular, the United States.
Most Europeans fly directly into Liberia's Daniel Oduber International Airport, which has had extensive upgrades and expansions over the past 24 months. In fact, Jetair Flight Holidays, will begin direct flights between Brussels and Liberia in November 2010. The chartered flights will potentially increase the number of European tourists by 2,655 over a four month period. Maria Amalia Revelo, marketing manager of ICT (Institute of Costa Rican Tourism) states, "This is great news for Costa Rica. Belgium is a market...that generates more visitors each year."