You know the Costa Rica we all picture? The sloths hanging in the trees, the zip-lines cutting through the clouds, that whole "pura vida" vibe? Well, in 2025, that picture is getting a little blurry. The country has lost nearly 22,000 tourism jobs during just the last year. And it is hitting hardest in the places that can least afford it, the coastal towns and rural spots that live and die on foreign visitors.
The numbers tell a tough story of Costa Rica’s tourism. Between January and July 2025, about 50,000 fewer international travelers showed up compared to the year before. That is a 1.8% drop, which might sound small until you realize tourist spending plummeted by $71 million. Hotels in Manuel Antonio that used to turn people away are running on skeleton crews now. In places like La Fortuna, tours might sell out, but not because everyone is there. It is because operators slashed capacity. There just aren't enough guides, drivers, or cooks left to run the boats and shuttles.
It is basically a perfect storm of bad luck and hard realities. Travel prices stayed sky-high after the pandemic. Then you have the crime issues, the car break-ins and headlines that make travelers nervous. Add in roads and airports that haven't kept up with the demand, plus other countries in the Caribbean offering cheaper beach vacations, and you see the problem. Plus, with the global economy being shaky, a $4,000 family trip isn't an easy "yes" anymore.
You can see the human cost if you look closely. Waiters who used to make a good living on tips are scraping by with part-time gigs. Experienced nature guides are driving Ubers in the city instead of leading hikes. Even the small family restaurants near the parks are closing down or cutting hours because the tour buses just don't stop there anymore.
Everyone is scrambling to fix this. The government is promising to cut red tape, fix the roads, and get more police in tourist areas. They are also working with airlines to get more flights coming in from North America and Europe. You will see aggressive ads out there trying to remind everyone that Costa Rica is safe, beautiful, and absolutely worth the price tag.
But here is the thing: time is running out. The high season starts in December, and that is what pays the bills for the rest of the year. If the tourists don't come back in force, another wave of layoffs is pretty much guaranteed.
This feels like more than just a bad economic cycle. It is a real test for the whole Costa Rica’s tourism model. They staked their reputation on being a premium, eco-friendly destination. That worked great for decades, but it also made the economy incredibly vulnerable when prices or perceptions shift.
The big question hanging over every empty hammock this November is whether they can win that trust back fast enough. The rainforests and volcanoes are still amazing, and the beaches are still perfect. Now, the country just has to prove that "pura vida" is a promise they can keep, even when the world feels a little less adventurous.
My family visited for many years, but not recently. The priced themselves right out of the market. Prices for stays rocketed. Police are corrupt and local roads remain unfixed - authentic to drive through but pretty unsafe. Where's next?