Morning, line-up.
Today’s set
The wave nobody sees
Saturday isn't the peak
For Saturday the 17th, maximum rental occupancy drops to 44% (vs. 48% on Thursday) and fully booked hotels fall by half: 13% vs. 26%. Right now demand comes in weekday stays, not weekends.
One more thing: searching one night for tomorrow shows 373 free places; searching three shows 781. More than half of what's free doesn't take one-night stays.
Where it breaks
The mid-range brings the volume, luxury brings the percentage
Four in ten places booked for tomorrow cost between US$61 and 150 a night. But almost half of what's booked (48%) is above US$150. For restaurants and shops: dinner by reservation and well-made products have demand; mass-market and cheap is what's hard to move.
What the tide brings in
- Around here
Cóbano won't renew concessions on State Natural Heritage land
On October 13 the district's intendant, Ronny Montero, said he won't push to renew concessions on land declared State Natural Heritage, nor seek to have it reclassified. If your business sits in the maritime-terrestrial zone, check which category your land falls under.
Source: Concejo Municipal Distrito Cóbano
- In Costa Rica
More direct flights to Guanacaste in the green season
Southwest will add flights from Austin (Saturdays and Sundays) and Nashville (Saturdays) to Liberia airport in June and July 2027, on top of its February–April schedule. That's air capacity in the months that are usually slowest.
Source: Diario Extra
- Around the world
Canadians are skipping the US and coming to Costa Rica
From January to August, 232,949 Canadians arrived, 24% more than in 2025, while US arrivals grew just 2.7%. Tension between Canada and the US is pushing them here, and Canadian airlines added flights.
Source: The Tico Times
Play of the week
- Lodging
- Don't cut Thursday and Friday rates any further; cut Saturday, the slow day. If you have a three-night minimum, try opening single nights: there's little competition in that search.
- Restaurants
- Staff up Tuesday to Thursday, not Saturday. The mid-to-upper price menu is the one with buyers.
- Shops and services
- A week to paddle: tight inventory, focus on residents and longer-stay visitors (lessons, weekly gear rental, packages).
See you in the water.
Occupancy = 1 − places free for 3 nights ÷ total inventory. It’s a ceiling: some places block dates without being booked. Sources: the main booking platforms, Open-Meteo and the Central Bank of Costa Rica. Measured October 14 at 6:00.