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What You Were Reading Here in 2021 (Our Most-Read Articles of the Year)

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What articles on this site were you reading most this year? What caught your eye? We take a look at the top ten most popular articles on www.centralamerica.com in 2021.

Well, we’re now in that weird week between Christmas and New Year, where you (well, me at least) judge the days on if there’s Premiership football playing or not and take time out to do nothing. I have no idea what day of the week it is – today is the day after Boxing Day – and that’s perfect.

It’s also the week where any self-respecting magazine, newspaper, or even humble content site about life in Central America begins to self-reflect and go into their listicles about the year. Best of this, who did that, etc. And we’re no exception.

It’s because there’s not much going on during this week, so it’s easy content to create.

So we’ll fill the week with the typical naval-gazing content that only comes between December 26 and December 31. We’ll start by looking at what you were reading on this website in 2021.

Below are our top 10 articles you readers visited most this year. And surprise surprise, they’re not all about Covid.

1. Costa Rica Tourism Industry Wins Injunction Against QR Code Mandate in Court

Our most popular article of the year was about Covid, though. Late at night on November 12th, a Costa Rican court blocked the government’s plans to impose a mandatory system of QR codes in non-essential businesses to segregate those vaccinated against Covid from those unvaccinated. We wrote a short bulletin about it on the morning of the 13th so the English-speaking community in Costa Rica would know what was happening.

2. Is Panama Part Of Central America?

We first wrote this in 2018, after receiving criticism on social media about including Panama and Belize as “Central America”.

Apparently there was some controversy about it. We try to clear up that controversy in this article, and help readers learn a thing or two about Panama. After a few updates, it still stands the test of time.

3. The Ultimate Guide To Costa Rica All-Inclusive Resorts (Where You Can Totally Unwind)

After the no-travel nightmare of 2020, people wanted some hope again, wanted to cast their mind to sunny beaches and vacations. Well, that what we think anyway, especially when our ultimate guide to Costa Rica’s all-inclusive resorts became popular this year.

4. Jaco Nightlife (Or Where Should I Party In Jaco, Costa Rica?)

We were delighted this article took off in 2021, because it meant that people were interested in going out again after enduring months of pandemic, lockdowns, and misery. Justin deBoom, a resident of the beach town of Jacó, Costa Rica, shows us some of his favorite pre-pandemic party spots.

5. Is Guatemala City Safe? (And Which Parts Should I Visit And/Or Avoid?)

Another travel-orientated piece that readers picked up in 2021. Here, our resident Guatemala writer Nestor Quixtan, talks about Guatemala City, where he lives, and addresses some concerns many travelers express about safety and where to avoid.

6. Panama City Nightlife: My Favorite Bars, Clubs, and Lounges

Another pre-pandemic piece about nightlife and going out that became popular this year. This time, we look at some of the best places to have a great evening out in Panama City. Again, what we love about articles like this is that in 2021, people started looking beyond the pandemic.

7. Most Airlines Still Not Flying to Nicaragua and it’s Already February

In this February article, we take a look at the flight situation to Nicaragua, which, because of the Ortega regime’s crazy and restrictive guidelines, still isn’t completely resolved.

8.Is Marijuana Legal In Belize? (Asking For A Friend…)

This 2018 article about the weed situation in Belize is our most-read article ever. We’re not sure what this says about our readers. It’s still standing the test of time in 2021.

9. Our Favorite Central America Surf Towns

Yet another travel-focused article, which sums up what most of our readers seemed to be looking for in 2021, whether they were sitting in lockdown somewhere or starting to make plans. In it, we look at our favorite surf spots in Central America.

10. My First Impressions Of Life In San Jose, Costa Rica

This article was written in 2017, shortly after this website launched. It was written by an intern we had in our offices at the time, and in it, she talks a little about life when settling into San Jose, Costa Rica. 2021 was also a year where many people began looking at the possibilities of working remotely from abroad, so this fits nicely in with that concept.

So that’s our first end-of-year list article wrapped up – what you were reading most on www.centralamerica.com in 2021.

Of our ten most-read articles this year, four are about Costa Rica, two are about Panama, one is about Central America as a region, and Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua also have one article each. Interesting.

Also interesting is how most of these articles are about travel or enjoying yourself to/in this part of the world. People were pulling up pre-pandemic articles about surfing spots, hotels, nightlife, and cities. To us, it shows a desire most people had to just get back to normal asap, something we hope will finally happen in 2022.

Here’s to more talking about travel and lifestyle and less talking about Covid in 2022 – although of course, we’ll continue briefing you on the pandemic news out there around the region.

James Dyde is the editor of www.centralamerica.com. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.

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James Dyde

James Dyde

James Dyde is a British immigrant to Costa Rica and the editor of this website. He has lived in Central America since 2000 and retains a deep love for the region. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.