Last updated: 09:13 AM ET, Fri August 21 2020
DESTINATION & TOURISM DONALD WOOD AUGUST 21, 2020
Surfing in Costa Rica (Photo via Hans Brunk)
Officials in Costa Rica have announced the country would welcome back citizens from the United States beginning September 1, but there will be restrictions. According to The Tico Times, Costa Rica will only allow travelers from six states—Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Vermont—who are able to provide a driver's license or equivalent government-issued ID to enter the nation. The Central American country is allowing tourists from the approved states due to their relatively low number of confirmed coronavirus cases. Private planes and yachts from the U.S. are also allowed to visit the nation on a “case by case basis.” “In these six states there has been a very positive evolution of the pandemic and their epidemiological indicators are of high quality,” Costa Rica's Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura, told The Tico Times. “We are taking very gradual and carefully analyzed steps in the direction of the revitalization of tourism that is very necessary for the protection of the social progress that Costa Rica has achieved through this industry,” Segura continued. In addition to the approved American travelers, visitors from Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the European Union will be permitted to enter the country. Before entering, all tourists must fill out an online health questionnaire and present a negative coronavirus test result taken within 48 hours of arrival in the country. Costa Rica’s reputation as an eco-friendly travel destination was further cemented last month with its Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) standard for lodging and tour operators achieving the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s GSTC-Recognized Standard status.