This week, the colón’s strength kept squeezing dollar-priced businesses, dry-season winds pushed wildfire numbers higher, and a court-ordered pause hit one of Costa Rica’s most visible cultural landmarks. In travel news, Route 32 disruptions eased, Volaris announced route suspensions, and January tourism numbers came in strong.
This Week’s Top Costa Rica News Story
Costa Rica’s strong colón forces Central Bank moves as the dollar hits a 17-year low
Costa Rica’s currency story keeps getting more serious. The dollar fell to a 17-year low against the colón, and a separate report details how the Central Bank has been stepping in through net dollar purchases to manage the pressure. For tourism operators, exporters, and anyone earning in dollars while paying local costs in colones, the squeeze is now a day-to-day business issue, not a headline anomaly
More News From Costa Rica This Week
Tourism starts 2026 up, with January air arrivals rising 10.3%
Costa Rica welcomed 294,087 visitors by air in January, up 10.3% from January 2025, according to ICT figures cited in the report. The early-year bump matters because it sets the pace for high season and helps explain why colón strength is colliding with tourism pricing.
Volaris suspends four Costa Rica routes, blaming high ticket taxes
Volaris announced it will suspend four routes on April 12, and said it stopped selling tickets for the affected flights back on Jan. 21. For travelers, this is the kind of change that shows up late: fewer options and higher prices once the seats disappear.
Read more →
Court orders a pause on Teatro Nacional restoration after claims of damage
Costa Rica’s constitutional court ordered work halted on the National Theatre restoration amid allegations of improper work and potential irreparable harm. It’s an unusually public collision between heritage protection, contracting, and accountability
Read more
Measles response ramps up after an imported case in Pérez Zeledón
Health authorities launched a vaccination drive after an imported measles case detected Feb. 14, with INCIENSA protocols activated. Costa Rica hasn’t had endemic measles since 1999, so every imported case triggers a fast public-health response
Read more
Forest fires surge as dry-season winds intensify
Firefighters reported 33 forest fire incidents, described as an elevenfold increase versus the same date last year in the report. It’s an early warning for Guanacaste and the North Pacific, where a few weeks of wind and heat can turn small burns into something bigger.
Read more →
Other News This Week
Spotlight
Manzanillo is losing beach fast, and locals are watching the sea take the shoreline
A report from Manzanillo lays out how much coastline has been lost over the past 16 years, citing research and linking recent heavy surf to a longer trend of erosion and sea-level rise. It’s the kind of slow-moving story that turns into a fast-moving crisis once roads, homes, and tourism infrastructure get too close to the water
Sponsored Post
Stay in the loop
If this roundup helps you make sense of what’s happening in Costa Rica, you can support our work by:
Reading and sharing the articles that matter to you
Forwarding this email to a friend who follows Costa Rica