Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste Province is Costa Rica's sun-belt transformation story—a Pacific coastal territory that evolved from cattle ranching backwater into the country's premier luxury tourism destination. The 2024 tourism data tells the acceleration: 12% arrival growth year-over-year through Liberia's Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, which now serves 20+ international destinations from Houston to Mexico City. The transformation crystallized with Four Seasons' 2004 arrival on the Papagayo Peninsula; two decades later, Ritz-Carlton Nekajui and Waldorf Astoria (188 rooms, 41 residences) opened in late 2024, with the Ciudad Nya project bringing Costa Rica's first Crystal Lagoon. Yet growth creates stress fractures: KLM suspended Liberia operations in October 2024 over runway repairs, unpaved roads limit rainy-season access, and Playa Tamarindo faces water shortages from rapid development. The 400,000-acre Área de Conservación Guanacaste UNESCO World Heritage Site acts as a pressure release valve—protecting wildlife while preventing the peninsula from Cancún-style overdevelopment. Guanacaste's dry season coinciding with northern winter makes it Costa Rica's most climate-arbitraged destination.