The popular platform AirBnB continues to grow in Costa Rica, a country that according to Shawn Sullivan, director of Public Policies for AirBnB, is the most import and the biggest in the Central American region.

Every day more and more travelers opt for AirBnB services versus other alternatives, price and convenience are usually the main reason since for families or groups the difference in price is significant from a hotel to an AirBnB property.

In an interview granted by Sullivan to national daily La Republica, he confirms that 80% of the visitors using their service are travelers from the United States, Canada and Australia. “For us Costa Rica is the most important and biggest market in the entire region, is where we have more hosts, properties and the country with more visitation”.

AirBnB has been operating in Costa Rica since 2011, however, controversy regarding tax payments has been a problem; AirBnB is willing to pay taxes and they even presented a proposal to the tax authorities back in August 2016, however, at this point nothing has been resolved. Hoteliers maintain that AirBnB should be also subject to paying income tax, position that is not shared by AirBnB since they consider they are only a digital platform. The company’s proposal consists on collecting the taxes directly for the service offered and paying them to Treasury (Hacienda) at the end of each month. The digital platform would also turn in to the government information regarding the number of visits, nationalities and trends of those using the service so the government can use this information to promote the destinations and design their own strategies.

Currently there are an approximate 8900 properties in Costa Rica available in AirBnB; during 2016 the number of people using the service in the country was of 228 thousand tourists while this number grew to 337 thousand in 2017.

AirBnB hopes to be able to strengthen its relationship with the authorities, and sign an agreement with the upcoming government that allows the company to continue its growth while also contributing with the country’s finances. The company has different arrangements in different countries, in some they pay the same taxes that hotels pay, while in other cases they come to a specific arrangement for their service.

The company recently launched its platform Experiences in Costa Rica, which offers 55 unique experiences designed and directed by local hosts that allow visitors to discover the country and its culture in a more authentic way.