Boris Marchegiani

The Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT in Spanish), an important government agency, has been inflating tourism figures over the last few months -according to the president of an industry association that represents more than 500 small businesses engaged in the hospitality and entertainment sector.

Boris Marchegiani, president of the Association for the Protection of Tourism (PROTUR) is not alone in this claim. According to a news report by Jimena Soto of digital news daily Costa Rica Hoy, Mr. Marchegiani enjoys the support of the Association of Free Consumers and they are ready to file a formal complaint against ICT and the government of Costa Rica.

Mr. Marchegiani states that the fakery by ICT was a concerted effort with commercial banks to extend credit and loans to the small tourism-related businesses PROTUR represents. These loans were granted for the purpose of expanding the number of hotel rooms available, and by doing so the small business owners are no longer able to fill up to their capacities.

“We will sue the ICT for having issued erroneous information, which created a chain reaction of construction and an oversupply of rooms during a shortage of tourists. The 2.1 million visitors statistic cited by ICT is false.”

The group also plans to sue four lending institutions, although they have not been named. Mr. Marchegiani has been calling on the legislature to serve as an investigative body and reveal what really goes on in the tourism sector of the economy. On PROTUR’s Facebook Timeline, the group has posted several annual reports published by the ICT with regard to the number of tourists that arrive in Costa Rica each year. PROTUR has labeled these reports as “numerology.”

As an example of the businesses affected by this alleged web of deceit, PROTUR cited a Bed & Breakfast operated by a woman from Moravia who obtained a startup loan and then a second round of funding for expansion. She is now struggling to make monthly payments, and she further complains that the big resort chains in Costa Rica are absorbing the lucrative tourism market instead.