Costa Rica’s country brand ranked third place in Latin America • costadevelopers.com

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Country brand "Essential Costa Rica" was presented at the beginning of September, as the brand that would be used in promoting tourism and foreign investment.

Essential Costa Rica was rated as the third best mark in a group of 21 countries of Latin America, according to the ranking drawn up by the company Future Brand, responsible for developing it.
The country ranked the first place in accordance with the evaluation of the categories 'Natural Beauty' "Natural beauty", "Friendly with the environment" and "Hotels and Resorts"
The first places were to Brazil and Argentina.
The Country Brand Index Latin America study is based on 2000 interviews carried out frequent travelers, both business and pleasure, that does not reside or are native to the region; also the opinion of analysts was taken into account.
"Costa Rica is one of the Nations to observe from here in the future, both for its consistency in the past around 'Green' and 'sustainable', but also by its impetus for overcoming to be recognized as a country with a value proposition that integrates optimally to tourism, the promotion of exports and the attraction of investments", said Future Brand in the report.
According to the study, the abolition of the army from 1948 impacts positively on the perception that it has on the "quality of life", in terms of "Security" and "Best place to live".
Behind Brazil, Argentina and Costa Rica ranked in ordinal manner: Chile, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, Panama, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Honduras, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Haiti.
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Costa Rica receives more tourists but they spend less money • costadevelopers.com

Costa Rica receives more than two million tourists a year, coming especially from the United States and Canada.

Revealed by the newspaper La Nación studies indicate that Costa Rica receives more tourists however they spend less money during their visits. The entrance of foreign currency accounting feels the effect of the impact of the global financial crisis of 2008 in the tourism industry, recently also is affected by the European crisis.
Visitors entering Cota Rica are more careful about spending money, whether for business or family, tourist visits. Costs that are currently differ from those that were made five years ago.
Previous to the crisis in the United States, foreigners spent $94 more than last year, or 9%. In 2008 the 2.1 million such visitors, they disbursed approximately $1 041 by an average of 11 days stay, leaving the country currency by $2 billion.
During the year 2012, the country received 2.3 million tourists; however the average consumption of a stay of 11 days fell to $947, and generating foreign exchange for $2 billion.
Foreign exchange generated by tourism in Costa Rica, corresponding to 5% of the gross domestic product of Costa Rica; this according to figures from the Central Bank and the Costa Rican Institute of tourism.
According to the data disclosed by the Studio, visitors who arrive in the country through the Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia, Guanacaste are those who spend fewer dollars. Consumption rose from $1,700 in 2008 to $1.078 2012 in an average stay of little more than one week. Liberia arrive, primarily us passengers. UU. and Canada (94% of the total).
On the other hand the average of travelers entering by the Juan Santamaria International Airport spending stays in the range of $1,300.
The Costa Rican Institute of tourism, through surveys applied to travellers, is responsible for determining that graduation average tourists according to their way of entering the country.
According to Isabel Vargas, President of the National Chamber of tourism (CANATUR) considered that as an entrepreneur has felt the impact of the change in expenditure made by the tourists.
"Before deciding on a tour valued its price, also the hotels and even the food. I think that that average of $947 per stay will be maintained. That is why we must continue to attract more foreigners to try to compensate with volume decline in the consumption of services", Vargas told the newspaper La Nación.
While employers have experienced the change in spending on tourism activities, the country still has a solid platform for visitors, the industry employs about 500,000 people and industry still invests to improve its offer.
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PriceSmart supermarket opened its sixth store in Costa Rica • costadevelopers.com

Since PriceSmart supermarket opened in Costa Rica it became one of the most visited warehouses by Costa Ricans to make multiple purchases.

PriceSmart new supermarket will be located in the province of Cartago, specifically in La Union, three rivers, adjacent to the Oficentro Terra corporate Campus, in the East of the country. Its opening is expected for Friday 18 October. The establishment had a $20 million investment and generates employment to 130 people.
Chain PriceSmart supermarkets came to Costa Rica for the first time 14 years ago, coming from the United States and operating under the modality of supermarket per membership, currently has five local located in different parts of the greater Metropolitan Area and which opens this week in Cartago will be the sixth.
This new venue will have a space of 20, 000 square meters and with 130 jobs that already reach a labor force of 1200 people working in different premises of Costa Rica. PriceSmart, Inc. corresponds to the largest clubs of purchase operator membership in Latin America.
The supermarket chain was developed by Sol and Robert Price in San Diego, California in 1976 and today serves more than one million members in 30 clubs throughout twelve countries and a territory not belonging to the United States. It currently operates in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Barbados, El Salvador and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
During the past year, it was announced that the multinational chain of U.S. origin Walmart would bring to the country your company from the competition, Sam's Club, Walmart spokesmen however qualified this information as just a rumor.
Another company to open in Costa Rica is the multinational selling clothes GAP, which will open its first store in the Mall Multiplaza Escazu, where have also opened premises other stores of American origin like Forever21.
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Hotel Park Inn Costa Rica will receive LEED Gold certification • costadevelopers.com

San José is home to large number of hotels of international chains that have been established thanks to the high demand of tourists visiting the country.

The Hotel Park Inn San Jose is the first certified LEED Gold in Costa Rica and the second hotel received this recognition in Central America and the Caribbean, and the third in Latin America.
Park Inn is located in the province of San José, close to the Paseo Colón, one of the most emblematic towns of the Costa Rican capital and a tourist reference point.
This hotel has 125 rooms, swimming pool and a corporate Center. Park Inn required an investment of $15 million. The hotel obtained a certification LEED Gold for new construction, because account with a 54% reduction in the consumption of drinking water, the reduction of 100% of the use of drinking water stop health services, a ceiling see you roof and 22.25% less than non-sustainable buildings energy consumption.
In addition to these features, the hotel has 52 solar panels that generate part of the energy required by the building.
Park Inn authorities point out that for homes Costa Rica, who is responsible for development, the objective is that this project can provide benefits to the community and the environment; similarly considered that this certification is offered as an innovative and fresh product to both national and foreign market.
"The importance is the mitigation of the environmental impact of the business environment and the contribution to the community in general. Certification and guarantee that the products used in the hotel are green products of first quality, that all construction since its inception followed the guidelines and processes required by LEED. And the most important guarantee for our customers that are contributing to choosing a product green, responsible and certified internationally," said Eduardo Carrasco, Manager of quality and service to the guest of the hotel.
Park Inn is the only hotel that has characteristics that are identified with development and sustainable construction. Recently the Hotel Holiday Inn located on the Prospero Fernandez highway in the canton of Escazú has certification for sustainable tourism.
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Costa Rica joins Global Alliance on the ground • costadevelopers.com

The country has been a point of reference the topic of environmental conversation to their counterparts in Latin America and around the world.

Costa Rica is part of the Global Alliance on the ground in conjunction with other countries of Central America and the Caribbean in addition to Mexico. This initiative aims to fight for more fertile soils, prevention and restoration of those soils which have been downgraded.
Some of the priorities of this initiative are to promote the establishment of national legislations enabling the protection of the resource soil and their sustainable management, as well as the relevant regulations for its implementation, as well as develop, share and transfer regional systems of information of soils that are consistent and updated to meet all the needs for your use and with best available techniques, among others.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Costa Rica, Tania Lopez Lee, recently participated in a workshop in the framework of the launch of the Global Alliance on the ground which was held in Havana, Cuba.
The workshop was directed toward the prevention and restoration of soils in Central America and the Caribbean region. It was given in celebration of the first plenary Assembly of the Alliance global soil which was held in Rome, Italy. In this activity an intergovernmental group with expertise in soils approved society of regional partnerships, such as the development and incorporation of action plans for the protection and recovery of soils.
The Deputy Minister Lopez told the national press that "allocate, book and run budgetary resources to programmes for the protection of soil and resume research and technical assistance for the proper handling of the soil as a natural resource, are part of the challenges in the future that we have proposed for the conservation of soils".
Additionally added that "Two years Costa Rica is working on this use and soil conservation project" said the Vice Minister, also added that it is important to note that the Costa Rican, Dr. Carlos Henríquez, who is a member of the scientific group of the section for Latin America.
The United Nations Organization for food and Agriculture (FAO) in its #144 Council of June 2012 set 05 December as the world day of the land.
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Costa Rica seeks to strengthen relations with Qatar • costadevelopers.com

The Chinchilla Miranda administration has increased the country’s international exposure level.

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Ali Bin Fahed the Hajiri and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Gioconda Ubeda met recently in order to strengthen and improve the bilateral relations between the two countries.
At a meeting held with the press, the Vice-Minister Úbeda and the representative of Qatar said that the main objective of this meeting was the promotion and strengthening of diplomatic relations between the two, especially in the field of culture, foreign investment and the stimulation of tourism.
"Have talked about the situation we have in some conventions and can materialize in the next months. I am referring to the conventions of technical cooperation and cultural cooperation agreements and we are also negotiating an agreement for the air theme" Ubeda told the press.
In addition, Ubeda mentioned that there is a relationship that is being built with great intensity and that there is a great interest on the part of both countries to accelerate strengthening and deepening in such issues.
Both Qatar and Costa Rica have an existing agreement on the issue of investment and expected that you for the next year sign-up tax and cultural cooperation agreements. One of the effects of this meeting was the creation of a Costa Rica-Qatar cultural week which will be held annually in way alternately in the two countries and its first edition will be the next year in Costa Rica.
Both countries will explore possibilities to relax formalities for citizens of Qatar on the subject of visas, as well as the possibility of creating a direct flight between Costa Rica and Qatar.
In the tourist aspect is considered to Costa Rica as a gateway to Central America, as well as Qatar corresponds to a port for the countries of the Persian Gulf.
To the Hajiri stressed that Qatar has defined plans for global investment for a lot of $ 100 billion for the next decades, with this amount it expects to benefit entrepreneurs and Costa Rican investors.
Both countries established diplomatic relations in 2004 and strengthened in the year 2010.
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Costa Rica participates in international dance contest • costadevelopers.com

In the country there are a number of academies that taught lessons of dance, ballet, and other disciplines.

Costa Rican dance will be exposed to an audience varied in a contest in Panama where contestants from other countries will be presented in the active dance activity that promotes the exchange of experiences between Panama and the countries present.
Active dance competition will feature the participation of children and Costa Rican adolescents presenting six choreographies in the Panamanian National Theater in the coming days.
This event will include dancers from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and United States. The representatives of Costa Rica are part of the Body Language Academy.
This is the fifth consecutive Edition of dance activated, an event that has the support of the National Institute of culture of Panama.
Julieta García, who is the Director of the Association of Costa Rica, told La Nacion newspaper that his dancers will show six choreography in the competition, which is divided into two categories (junior and teen).
'We are 12 dancers, ages 8 to 17, for the respective modalities. They dance jazz, hip hop, lyrical jazz and tap", said the Director of the group having two years of existence.
The dance active activity will reward the first four places. It will provide a medal (diamond, gold, silver and bronze, depending on the position), as well as scholarships for studying in the Ballet Hispanico of New York, Joffery Ballet School in New York and Ballet from the sea of Venezuela".
Activity will also feature activities taught by talented and recognized professionals in the contemporary dance, ballet and hip hop.
Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy these workshops throughout the days of the event and it will be divided into different categories according to the age of the present.
The activity starts on October second activity and its awards gala will take place on October 6^th.
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