The number of foreign visitors from China increased significantly in 2015, but the Tourism Board of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: ICT) would like to see even greater growth.

According to a news report filed by Diego Perez Damasco of national newspaper La Prensa Libre, the year-over-year increase of Chinese tourists in Costa Rica was nearly 30 percent last year. Still, the overall number of tourists from China is still not significant in comparison to other markets, particularly when compared to the United States.

Less than 9,060 Chinese tourists visited Costa Rica last year, compared to more than one million from the United States, a North American nation that sent 81,112 additional tourists in 2015. Nonetheless, Minister of Tourism Mauricio Ventura explained that attracting more Chinese tourists is an economic priority.

Chinese tourists who visit Costa Rica tend to be more affluent and not as frugal as their North American counterparts, according to research published by the National Chamber of Tourism (Spanish acronym: CANATUR). ICT officials would like to attract the type of Chinese tourists who land on private jet charters and who arrange chauffeured private transportation during their entire stay at luxury resorts.

The effort to attract more Chinese tourism to Costa Rica dates back to the administration of former President Laura Chinchilla, who visited Shanghai in August of 2012. President Luis Guillermo Solis visited the People’s Republic of China in late 2014.

Plans to open Costa Rica consulates in Hong Kong and Shanghai date back to 2013, and tourism has been a major reason for establishing these diplomatic ties, particularly at a time when Cuba is becoming very attractive to Chinese tourists who would like to experience the Caribbean for the first time. As recently reported by The Costa Rica Star, Air China began offering direct flights to Cuba in late December.