Despite the crisis affecting Europe (and in particular Spain and Italy), the European market grew by 2.4%, with 17,879 more visitors than in the same period in 2011. The German and French markets (both up by nearly 4%) experienced the biggest growth, whilst the British market grew by 1.5% with a total of 96,039 visitors.
Central America received a total of 11,133,666 visitors – 747,712 of those from European countries – during the period January to November 2012, according to preliminary data provided by the Ministries of Tourism of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Despite the crisis affecting Europe (and in particular Spain and Italy), the European market grew by 2.4%, with 17,879 more visitors than in the same period in 2011. The German and French markets (both up by nearly 4%) experienced the biggest growth, whilst the British market grew by 1.5% with a total of 96,039 visitors.
Belize received 904,905 visitors between January and November 2012. The largest number of visitors to this former British colony was from the UK, but Germany and France had the biggest increase last year. Belize offers visitors the opportunity to explore the world’s second largest coral reef, discover fascinating Maya ruins and meet indigenous communities such as the garifuna.
Costa Rica remains the most popular destination in Central America with a total of 2,333,237 visitors from January to November 2012, an increase of 3% over the same period in 2011. With regards to European visitors, Costa Rica saw an increase in the number of German and Italian visitors in particular.
El Salvador continues to grow in popularity year on year, with 6% more visitors in 2021 compared to 2011 (January to November). The number of European visitors from January to November 2012 was 22,699, the majority of them from Spain.
Guatemala received a lot of interest in 2012 because of its rich Maya heritage. The number of European visitors increased by 11% in the period January to November 2012 (compared to the previous year). The biggest growth was in the number of British visitors, a total of 27,610, 24% more than in 2011.
Honduras registered a 2% increase in the number of visitors according to the Honduras Tourist Board (IHT), with 1,702,695 visitors from January to November 2012. The number of European visitors increased by 4% compared to the same period in 2011, mainly attracted to the Maya site of Copan and the country’s pristine Caribbean beaches.
Nicaragua received 1,085,038 visitors from January to November 2012, 10% more than in the previous year. The European market grew by 4%, with the biggest increase being in German visitors (up by 9%) and French visitors (up by 7%). Tourist products such as the Water Route or the Coffee Route, an array of natural parks and the Island of Ometepe, recently declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, are the country’s main attractions.
Panama continues to attract an increasing number of visitors as well as investment. In the first 11 months of 2012 the country received 1,862,512 visitors (nearly 4% more than in the same period in 2011). The increase in European visitors was of nearly 9%, with a total of 132,639 in this period. Spain continues to be the main source of European visitors (36,905), whilst the number of British visitors increased by 7% to 11,203 in the analysed period. Investment on major projects such as the expansion of the Panama Canal and new hotels has contributed to the country’s success.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
