Costa Rica Is Quickly Becoming Affordable

“Several years ago, when the Chicago-based Caravan Tours (www.caravantours.com) created a 10-day, $995 tour of Costa Rica (not including airfare there and back), it attracted so many bookings that it is today the largest single source of tourists to that Central American nation. The price of $995 was the key – the catchy, bargain-level figure that distinguished its tours from most others. Caravan, which had always been known for its somewhat pricey tours of Europe, suddenly was launched as an operator of no fewer than 10 quite frugal, eight-to-10-day trips to Central America, Mexico and parts of the American Southwest, each one of them selling for $995.

It’s clear that other big tour operators are frantically scrambling to match Caravan’s success in Costa Rica. In its seven-day “Affordable Costa Rica” tour, which will operate from April through October 2008, Gate 1 Travel (www.gate1travel.com) will be charging exactly $899, which includes round-trip airfare from Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica and fully escorted motorcoach arrangements. From there, vacationers will spend two nights in San Jose, two nights in Arenal and two nights in Monteverde, with daily breakfasts included.”

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