Costa Rica is Hit Hard by the Depression

More than two-thirds of businesses in the Costa Rica tourism industry have been in a steep decline for the past six months.  Costa Rica’s principal visitors are Americans who are suffering greatly from the economic crisis and thus are unable to afford traveling. 

With the number of visitors down by 13% in the first quarter, many business on this eco friendly island are trying to lure visitors back with big discounts. Some luxury vacation spots are even going so far as to offer “layoff, layback” packages, which give one or two nights free to recently laid-off workers.

But, despite promising news headlines and offers such as these, businesses still fear the worst.