Hotel and dive workers demand wage increase as tourist season opens

The Costa Mar Hotel and Dive Workers' Union submitted a formal wage demand to the Regional Chamber of Commerce on October 15, seeking a 12 percent increase in base wages for all hospitality and marine-services staff. The demand affects roughly 2,100 workers across the region's hotels, dive operations, and supporting services. The union has set a November 1 deadline for negotiations and has not ruled out coordinated action during the peak tourist season, which runs from November through April.

The union's statement cited rising housing costs in Puerto Azul (up 8 percent in the past two years), increased food prices (up 6 percent), and fuel costs for dive boats (up 14 percent). A dive captain or hotel housekeeper earning 1,200 florins per month in 2024 now faces substantially higher living expenses, the union argues, while wages have remained flat. "Our members are being squeezed," said union representative Diego Quesada in a statement. "The tourists arrive with full pockets. Our workers arrive with empty ones."

Hotel operators and dive-cooperative owners have responded with caution. The Costa Mar Chamber of Commerce released a statement acknowledging the cost-of-living pressures but warning that the regional tourism economy operates on margins of 8 to 12 percent, with limited ability to absorb sudden wage increases. "We understand the workers' position," the statement read. "But we also must remain competitive with other eco-tourism destinations in the region and beyond."