Costa Rica puts $15 tax on plane tickets

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Tourists flying into Costa Rica will soon have to pay a new $15 tax.

The new tax replaces a 3 percent tax on hotel rooms. It was approved late Thursday by Congress and is expected to take effect later this year.

The new tax should generate $25 million a year to help the government's Costa Rica Tourism Institute encourage more visitors to try the Central American nation.

The 3 percent hotel tax only generated about $10 million a year and was hard to enforce.

Tourism is a $2 billion a year industry in Costa Rica. Each year, nearly 2 million people visit the country known for its eco-tourism.