Costa Rican Tourism Institute Awards the national culinary offer

Between the year 2012 and what will 2013 5.Instituto Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) delivered 189 certified culinary excellences in the country.

Approximately 50 new businesses obtained certificates for culinary excellence; a highly tourist country which is also capable of meeting the needs of nationals and foreigners on the issue of food.

The new companies can be described with "forks" symbol that uses ICT to qualify for food companies; the major efforts being made include improvement in the standards of quality, the constant improvement of the gastronomic offer and the attendance of his service.

In this edition is certified to 45 companies with 3 forks (on a scale of 1-5) and 6 companies with 4 forks.

"The quality in gastronomic enterprises of the country makes it possible to differentiate and provide added value to offer a complete travel experience;" "for this reason, the ICT recognizes these new companies added to the certified year earlier completed a total of 189 establishments awarded, which without a doubt are of utmost importance within the tourist development of a destination", said Allan Flores, Tourism Minister.

Costa Rica is a country tourist and in this issue, highly competitive, with more than 2 million visitors per year, companies increasingly are closer to the ICT to find out how to become certified in culinary excellence.

In accordance with flowers after the first awards of the gastronomic establishments that occurred last year, many restaurants have approached the ICT in order to obtain the Declaration of tourist and information about the actions that can be taken to improve the category obtained.

"The list of winning companies is a representation of the great gastronomic variety that exists in the country, from family, up to high gourmet restaurants, with the same common denominator; providing options for all people and tastes, culinary diversity that today is being awarded by the ICT," said Hermes Navarro, Chief of tourism management.

Near the housing complex of Costa Developers, Costa Montaña, is located Los Sueños Resort and Marina where you can try different restaurants, Italian, American and Asian.

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Five volcanoes are active in Costa Rica

National seismological network stays alert now than five volcanoes in Costa Rica despite the fact that the volcanic activity is less than the year previous.

Volcanoes in Costa Rica have been focus of thousands of tourists who come to these every year to observe the magnificence of the craters and the natural beauty. The country has been privileged with the own volcanoes that are still active.

The volcano Arenal, Irazu, Poas, Turrialba and Rincon de la Vieja are those who are targeted by the authorities. Three of them have been erupting in recent months, Mario Fernandez of the national seismological network reported.

Of the Poas, Turrialba and Rincon de la Vieja volcano is due to small phreatic eruptions caused by the interaction of volcanic gases with surface water in bumpers.

In spite of these volcanoes are active, the thousands of tourists continue to visit them, the Poas Volcano National Park has become a unique tourist destination in Latin America for those who visit it. However the authorities restrict the entry in some cases.

The national parks which contain volcanoes also have variety of vegetation typical of their regions, information centres on the volcanic activity in Costa Rica and trails to offer tourists a visit being integrated into each of them. While approaching the crater at times can be prohibited, the tours of the areas within the Park remain available.

"What happens is that being in the dry season, it seems that gaseous emissions have increased, not so, that peak of emission is normal for the time. Now there is less rain that dissolves gases, clear skies that allow you to view the columns to certain distance and clear skies that move away from the common gases. Is the perception that there is more gas due to this and not more activity by these volcanoes", explained Fernandez.

With regarding the volcanic seismicity, Fernandez indicated that it was low with sporadic volcanic tremors. In the Turrialba and Poas have been detected signs of low frequencies on the order of a dozen daily, however described it common in these volcanoes.

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Cirque du Soleil will bring his show to Costa Rican ground

The most famous circus show in the world, the Cirque du Soleil will present in Costa Rica in the coming weeks, details of the presentation will be revealed even in the next few days.

The show will bring the Cirque du Soleil to Costa Rica is called "Varekai" and it has already toured countries like Colombia and Peru, but did not reveal the cost of the tickets in Costa Rica, in countries such as Peru and Colombia. This was 17 thousand to the 123 thousand colones.

Varekai brings a demonstration of color and art, which involves about 130 costume changes and forms a forest with more than 300 "trees". In Peru, it was for example necessary to move around 65 trucks with more than a thousand tons of equipment, 55 artists, 28 of them are Canadians and the rest of multiple nationalities.

Some of the sections of the show include numbers comic, balancers rather, Georgian dance, contortionism dance with crutches, turns on by various artists and a host of surprises for all attendees.

Characters of the work are Icarus, main character, since the work is inspired by the Greek myth of the same (whose wings were melted when flying close to the Sun), the promised, el Vigía and guider.

According to OCESA company will bring to the circus of the Sun, this show will be held in San José, in Santa Ana, where supposedly in a broad field majestic infrastructure will be installed. Even the ticketing, schedules and other details have not revealed yet.

The company's web site remains in your dates the presentation in the country and the organizers they will travel this Sunday, February 27 to finalize the details, the company is currently making his presentation in Peru.

Varekai is directed by Dominic Champagne Canadian and already has performed in 18 countries.

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Costa Rican advertising campaign won six international awards

Achieve to position Costa Rica on an international level is the goal pursued by the advertising campaign awarded.

"Costa Rica Million Dollar Gift of Happiness", which in Spanish would be a gift of happiness of one million dollars in Costa Rica, is the campaign that won with six of the most prestigious awards given by internationally renowned organizations.

The campaign aims you generation of conversations about Costa Rica and contribute to the country's position internationally as a tourist destination, making the recommendation and the re visit of tourists

Ireth Rodríguez, Assistant Manager and Director of marketing of the Institute Costa Rica Tourism, this advertising was 914 million impressions, 629 thousand interactions in social networks. Also on the radio reached a population was more than 7 million people.

Award that was awarded the campaign are the following: WOMMY Gold Award by the innovative way to measure word of mouth impressions. WOMMY awards celebrate individuals, brands and partners behind successful marketing campaigns and effective social media in the last year.

The application for mobile devices Enviromixer won GOLD ADDY in the category for mobile applications, also took the SILVER ADDY. The awards are presented by the American Advertising Federation (AAF, for its acronym in English). The ADDY awards are considered the highest representation in the United States on the subject of advertising.

Enviromixer is one of the elements of the campaign, designed for Apple iPad that won more awards campaign. This application consists of the mixture of sounds of Costa Rica to create melodies and then share them on Facebook, Twitter and email. The application was also awarded the Silver Award in category of apps and entertainment, Honorable mention in the category of integrated campaign of the awards.

Also earned recognition at HOW Interactive Design Awards, sponsored by the magazine of the same name, where there were 800 participants were classified where 172 projects which meet characteristics of ideal strategic, concept and execution. To see more of this campaign go to

  
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Why is Costa Rica one of the favorite destinations for retirement?

After a life of long and hard work, a life of joy is well deserved, this has been perceived by thousands of foreigners who have chosen Costa Rica as retirement destination.

Many are the factors that influence the decision to retire in Costa Rica, and the country has provided appropriate conditions so that thousands of foreigners to move to in search of a life of tranquility, peace and luxury to enjoy their golden years.

Retirement is an important period in the life of people, often lifestyle changes drastically, and corresponds to a period which seeks the possibility of assisted living, and who also have access to a life of comfort, luxury and tranquility.

Costa Rica is a country that has been characterized by gathering all the positive factors necessary to offer one adult over an exceptional life. For example the costs of living are much lower in countries like the United States or even in Europe; in terms of health care, dental, various health services and several surgeries.

However, the fact that Costa Rica has been also appointed the happiest country in the world for two consecutive years by the Happy Planet Index, not only at a lower level of cost of living, but it is also a highly attractive country, which is able to integrate luxury in harmony with nature, with an enviable natural beauty.

The tranquility offered on areas a little away from the city, as the Central Pacific, the northern Central Valley, and the South Pacific are part of what you are looking for retired foreigners in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has used as country marks the slogan "no artificial ingredients" and that is precisely what calls attention to thousands of visitors when they arrive at this Central American oasis.

The lush green landscape, quiet beaches with sand Sun and sea throughout the year provides retired older children and adults adults perfect conditions for a peaceful carefree retirement life.

Coast Developers has the expertise to provide all available information to find out why Costa Rica is the perfect destination for retirement.

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Costa Rica to regulate short term investment from abroad

The Central American country has the right qualities to those foreigners who wish to invest in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is a favorable destination for foreign investment, not only because it is one of the country’s most attractive for foreign investment, the economics conditions and policies allow thousands of Americans and others place their money in the country in search of generating successful and lucrative business.

The Vice-President of the Republic, Luis Liberman said on Tuesday night, officials of the Legislative Assembly to receive a draft law to limit the entrance of capital investments in the short term that have been detected in recent months, since this takes advantage of attractive interest rates on Costa Rica colones.

According to financial authorities in the country, the Central Bank has detected a large amount of dollars entering the country and are aimed at short-term, dollars that are then exchanged colones quickly. Interest rates are much higher than the dollar in their countries of origin.

The bill which is going to be proposed by Liberman, seeks to tax short term investments from abroad to avoid that this situation will continue.

"The increase in short-term capital investments increases the amount of cash in circulation, causing a fall in rates change, increasing requests for loans and the interest of the banks", said Vice-President Liberman, who thinks that it is a measure of stabilization of the country's economy.

Also experts have commented that it is important for people who invest in Costa Rica or applying for loans, to assume this responsibility in colones, since it could affect them the exchange rate.

Costa Rica will remain a destination desired by foreign investors, growth in the real estate market as well as the arrival of franchises in the country in the coming months are emerging.

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Event of electronic commerce will have headquarters in Costa Rica

The next February 21 will be held in Costa Rica the international fair of electronic commerce, known as E - Commerce Day.

The exposure of the largest e-commerce world event will be held at the Real Intercontinental Hotel in the Costa Rican capital and promises to bring together more than 400 people interested in this practice.

E-commerce Day is the most significant activity for the guild of online purchases, in previous years this has taken place in Chile and Mexico where over 1000 people gathered and in Brazil where were a few thousand more.

In Costa Rica, the event will feature more than 50 exhibitors, who will present their experiences, as Esolutions, Expresione, copper, Grupo Britt, VTEX and others, the full list of exhibitors may be on the web site http://www.ecommerceday.cr/?cat=32&paged=4.

E-commerce has become paramount for companies around the world, in Costa Rica East despite being a recent phenomenonthe small and medium-sized companies in the country have sought to achieve position their products overseas through e-commerce.

In the first half of the year 2012, also related to this topic, the National Bank of Costa Rica announced its official partnership with the PayPal electronic payment system which represented a considerable step forward when it comes to shopping online.

According to a study published by VISA and the magazine America Economy, e-commerce grew at an annual 42.8, from 2010 to 2011, with sales that around 43 billion dollars.

The E-Commerce Day event is an initiative of the Latin-American Institute of e-commerce and has the Latin Pacific organization and the support of the Chamber of Costa Rica's information and communication technologies.

If you want to, you can register to this activity by logging onto the website http://www.ecommerceday.cr/ and reviewing the same program. The registration has a cost of $200.

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Costa Rica inaugurates the international tourism fair in Spain

Participation of the country in the international fair of tourism promises to attract thousands of European visitors to Costa Rica.

The Costa Rican Institute of tourism participated this past weekend 30 January and up to February 3, the 33 edition of the international fair of tourism (FIT) which was held in Madrid, Spain.

During the event around 9000 companies that came from some 167 countries in the world; about 25 national companies in the tourism sector led by the Costa Rican Institute of tourism were presented natural and cultural attractions that attempted to delight visitors.

The most important charter of Costa Rica has been the subject of sustainable tourism, which forms part of a strategic plan that was carried out by the Secretariat of Central American integration, which has sought to the achievement of international cooperation projects, for quality and sustainability initiatives.

The Minister of tourism, Allan Flores believes that it is important to promote Costa Rica as a model of responsible and sustainable tourism, which will improve their position in markets such as Europe and Asia.

While the majority of tourists visiting the country come from the United States and Canada, the European market is important for Costa Rica, as Spain for example generated revenue of up to $ 49 million in 2011.

In the same year also recorded an income of approximately 47.782 Spanish tourists, which spent on average $117 daily newspapers.

European tourists show a great interest in the subject of eco-tourism, one of the most innovative of performing factors tourism in Costa Rica, not only the country is has earned a reputation for its arduous environmental conservation, but also a valuable in a tourist population space increasingly demanding and aware.

In last year Costa Rica booth at the fair, received more than 20,000 tourists and it is expected that this year the number of potential visitors has increased, although numbers for this edition have not been revealed yet.

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Fishing licenses can now be obtained online

The fishing Costa Rica Institute opened an online site for the processing and payment of licenses for fishing in the country.

Sport fishing is one of the favorite of thousands of foreign and domestic tourist’s activities taking them into the deep waters of Costa Rica every year.

Currently licenses to practice this sport may be obtained and paid through a web page; you can use this service both, responsible for tourism companies as well as fans themselves.

Prior to this innovation, fishing licenses had to be obtained at the offices of the Costa Rican Institute of fishing, but this process will live a significant change that will improve procedures for those interested in visiting the country on a journey of fishing.

Roger Lopez of INCOPESCA mentioned users who register through of web page may add to other people, which mean that a person in charge, whether to be in Costa Rica and its other users abroad, may process licenses for each of them for their journey.

Fishing licenses have a value of $15 for valid for 8 days, $30 used a whole month and $50 for valid licenses for one year. These rates correspond to foreign as citizens.

Near Costa Developers projects is located the tourist complex Los Sueños Resort and Marina, one of the most ostentatious projects in Central America, where you can enjoy not only lots of amenities for your vacation, but very close to a marina for luxury, where thousands of tourists on board for high seas fishing tours during all the year.

Authorities and angling experts have dubbed the Central Pacific as one of the best areas for fishing, in regions like Quepos, and Herradura; also in the sector of tamarind in the North Pacific. In the country you can fish, Marlin, Mahi, Rooster and other fruits of the sea.

If you cannot access internet website, the documents are still available at the offices of INCOPESCA. To obtain these permissions via online go to http://www.incopesca.go.cr/carnets/tramites/solicitud.aspx

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Take advantage of United Airlines new flight

With such big affluence of tourists, airlines are becoming more interest on increasing flights from the U.S to Costa Rica, being such a close paradise destination, visitors can get easier, cheaper and more frequently flights to the Central American country.

Recently United Airlines, one of the most popular airlines in the region, announced its brand new flights to Costa Rica, which will be direct and weekly between San Jose and its connection centers Chicago and Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C.

These new flights will be available from April 2013, and will be operated by Boeing 737-800 with more than 100 seats with 16 seats on business class.

Currently United Airlines flies to Costa Rica from New York and Houston, two of the main airports in the US.

“United States is the maximum tourist generator to Costa Rica and we know for a fact that approximately 635 000 visitors come from Chicago and close to 407 000 from Washington D.C, so this news represent a great take off point to continue our marketing efforts and the strong policy of this government, focused on increasing frequency, new flights and approaching new airlines” said, Allan Flores, Tourism Ministry.

Tourism continues to be one of the most important incomes of the country, in 2011 visitors from the United States generated $779 000 million dollars, being the country that provided the most income through tourism that year.

“This is a great opportunity to the development of different sectors of the national economy, such as tourism, international trade and foreign direct investment, through these new routes business can expand their opportunities to Costa Rica”, commented Salvador Marreno, Central American United Airlines General Director.

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Costa Rica’s Wildlife Act Banning Sport Hunting .

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The jaguar, tapir, caiman and songbirds are now more protected in Costa Rica, thanks to a new law proposed and driven by its own citizens, banning sport hunting of any species.

Costa Rica, known for its reputation for Eco Tourism, became the first nation on the continent ban sport hunting this week.

The new Wildlife Act is also the first legislation passed by the mechanism of “popular initiative”, it was not submitted to Congress by deputies, but by the citizens themselves.

The rule was brought before the legislature with the initial support of 177,000 signatures collected by the Association for the Preservation of Flora and Fauna (Apreflofas).

According to the National System of Conservation (Sinac), last year 1296 were granted hunting licenses, 81 percent of them to kill or capture songbirds.

In addition, there were 171 hunting licenses and 77 to hunt small mammals.

From 2000 until last year, Costa Rican authorities have extended licenses 28,000 hunting but the new law will only permit hunting for subsistence, scientific research and monitoring of species overpopulation.

Those who hunt animals in Costa Rica will be fined up to $ 3,000 and, depending on the species, may even be sentenced to between two and four months in prison.

The custom of having wild animals as pets such as birds, iguanas, monkeys and raccoons also have to changed with the new legislation, which totally prohibits this practice and sets a fine of between $600 and $1,200.

But the law goes further and also sanctioned the export and trafficking of any species of flora or fauna, while creating a National Registry of Wildlife.

The passage of this law is to Costa Rica a step to preserve its image as environmentally friendly country, the main reason that each year receives more than two million who enjoy Costa Rica’s Eco Tourism.

One issue of concern now is how the 572 Rangers who now watch over 13,286 kilometers of protected land (26% of the national total), can cope with the hunters to enforce the law for Costa Rica that hosts almost 5% of the world’s biodiversity.

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Smashburger opens first Latin American restaurant in Costa Rica

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New restaurant is located at Lincoln Plaza mall in San José.

The U.S.-based fast food chain Smashburger opened its first Latin American restaurant in Costa Rica on Dec. 1.

The restaurant, located at Lincoln Plaza mall northeast of San José, is the first of 18 franchises planned for the region by partner Richard Eisenberg of QSR International. Eisenberg plans to open other locations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

The new restaurant marks the third international market for the brand. It currently operates locations in Kuwait and Canada, and plans to open its next international locations in Saudi Arabia in early 2013, Smashburger CEO David Prokupek said.

“Our expansion into Latin America is an important milestone for Smashburger,“ he said. “We’ve built a brand that has a strong, passionate following well beyond the borders of the United States. Costa Rica is certain to be a great market for us.”

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EU maintains trade benefits for Tico products

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Costa Rica is on a list of countries that will maintain trade benefits in European countries, according to a report released Wednesday by the European Union.

Bananas are one of the most important products that will maintain tariff advantages to enter European nations, but Costa Rica hopes that an Association Agreement with the EU, scheduled to start in January 2013, also will create new opportunities to enter the European market for products such as sugar, meat, yuca and textiles.

The EU is the second-largest trading partner for Costa Rica. In 2011, exports totaled some $1.8 billion, representing 19 percent of total exports. The number of products exported to Europe was 806, from 547 companies, according to the Foreign Trade Ministry.

A total of 12 nations will leave the European system of benefits known as Generalized System of Preferences, after having been cataloged in recent years as economies of upper-middle income by the World Bank.

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Costa Rica seeks to attract more tourists from the Middle East.

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A new agreement will help boost the number of flights from the region.

Costa Rica and Qatar on Today signed the Central American country’s first open-skies agreement with a Middle Eastern country, aimed at boosting tourism from that region.

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) said in a press release that the agreement allows flights and airline operations between the two countries.

Tourism Minister Allan Flores said the agreement also will allow airlines to connect from other countries and transfer passengers between flights.

Air Transport Vice Minister Luis Araya said that in the last two years, Costa Rica has signed more open-skies agreements than in the past 100 years.

“These air transport links are vital in an economy in which tourism is our main economic development engine”.

Qatar, an emirate in the Middle East, has the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world ($102,700), and Costa Rica hopes to become a favorite holiday destination for its nationals.

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$1.4 million in improvements for Manuel Antonio National Park

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Environment Minister René Castro announced that the Costa Rican government will invest $1.4 million in improving the popular tourist destination Manuel Antonio National Park, located in the Pacific province of Puntarenas.

The funds will be used to make improvements to the infrastructure of the park – one of the most visited in Costa Rica – to better serve visitors, starting next year.

In 2011, Manuel Antonio received some 318,000 tourists, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Board.

During the announcement, officials from the Social Protection Council presented a lottery ticket for the Nov. 4 drawing, with a design made to commemorate the park’s 40th anniversary.

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