Why Costa Rica’s “Perpetual Tourists” are Heartbroken

For years Costa Rica has kept our relationship casual, not really acknowledging our mutually beneficial arrangement. They knew that visitors on tourists visas were staying much longer than a vacation, and able to do it by continuously leaving and re-entering every three months. Every once in awhile they acted like they might crack down and tighten their re-entry policies, just to keep us on our toes. But I think they knew deep down that we were good for the economy. Not only do long-term tourists sign long-term leases or buy property, they purchase cars, open businesses (legally), open bank accounts, hire domestic help, volunteer at or start non-profits, spend money at local businesses consistently, and in many ways help to promote more tourism. Why wouldn’t they want this group to stay?

When COVID-19 shut down borders last March, Costa Rica granted everyone on tourist visas an extension, and continued extending them until the current deadline of March 2, 2021. This is probably longer than many of us expected, and we are all very grateful for this time that has allowed us to stay in the country, stay safe, and stay home. We are all just a little panicked, now that we know we have to leave while the virus is still raging, new more contagious variants are popping up, and land borders remain closed. Whether you’re prepping for a visa run flight, or getting ready to fly home for good, knowing you have to get on a plane soon is unsettling.

The way I see it, Costa Rica and perpetual tourists have had a long-term secret love affair that has finally been exposed by the border shut-down, and the pressure is now on to make this mutually beneficial relationship legitimate.

As a “perpetual tourist”, I don’t expect endless extensions. What I do wish though, is that Costa Rica would offer some options for their most loyal tourists in a time when tourism is suffering and there is still a major global health crisis. We don’t want to stay just for our personal benefit but for the locals and the communities that rely on tourists to survive and are already struggling. And more importantly, to prevent catching covid and bringing more dangerous strains back as a product of the new visa run option: a flight to Mexico where cases are at emergency levels and currently no covid tests are required for entry.

The way I see it, Costa Rica and perpetual tourists have had a long-term secret love affair that has finally been exposed by the border shut-down, and the pressure is now on to make this mutually beneficial relationship legitimate. If Costa Rica didn’t want perpetual tourism happening, reentry policies would be stricter. But instead they not only allowed people to renew visas by border hopping, but let us invest and create lives here in all the ways mentioned earlier. If the majority of perpetual tourists were taking jobs from locals, or requiring assistance from the government, they would have ended this border dance long ago. The reality is the exact opposite: That perpetual tourists are creating jobs for locals, and often supporting or even spearheading efforts to help communities in need, save animals, or preserve natural resources while the local government often ignores these issues.

If the majority of perpetual tourists were taking jobs from locals, or requiring assistance from the government, they would have ended this border dance long ago.

Now that the virus has pushed us into the current situation, Costa Rica isn’t sure how to acknowledge their secret love for perpetual tourists or make our affair into an official relationship. I think the visa extensions felt like some kind of validation for us. Costa Rica made us feel safe and welcome in a time of crisis, and it felt like our relationship status was finally public. We were getting to “meet the parents”. We knew there wouldn’t be endless extensions but thought maybe there would be some alternatives or policy changes before we got the boot, after proving our loyalty to Costa Rica throughout the pandemic. Or at least that the extensions would last until it was legitimately safe to travel again.

If they don’t change anything and perpetual tourism in Costa Rica is a thing of the past, there are many other places in the world we can and will go. We’ll just be heartbroken because we love Costa Rica and we feel like we’re getting dumped.

I think the proposed digital nomad visa is the perfect solution and many of us will be applying for that if it passes. Other potential ideas would be temporary residency for small business owners or remote worker/volunteer options like Hawaii just began offering. Many of us were hoping for tourist visas to become 180 days instead of 90, like Mexico and Panama. If they don’t change anything and perpetual tourism in Costa Rica is a thing of the past, there are many other places in the world we can and will go. Places with longer tourist visas (Panama, Mexico, Peru, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Albania), digital nomad visas (Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Croatia, Dubai, Estonia, Georgia, Mauritius, Mexico and more), or easier residency requirements (Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua). We’ll just be heartbroken because we love Costa Rica and we feel like we’re getting dumped.

By Laura Galvin

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