Costa Rican Tourist Investment Summit

    The 2008 Costa Rican Tourism Investment Summit was held in San Jose on february. It was attended by local and foreign representatives of developers, representatives from hotel chains and financial firms and government representatives.     According to the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Roberto Benavides, Costa Rica experimented an impressive 12% grow in the influx of tourist last year ( the double of the international average). He said that the country welcomes foreign investment but there most be a respect to the regulations and laws. He remembered the cases a hotel in Guanacaste that was shutdown because it didn’t follow environmental guidelines.

    Experts agreed that tourist and buyers must experiment that they truly are in costa Rica and not in Miami. The elements or culture, idiosyncracy and nature most be a fundamental part of a proyect`s design in order to create a diffrent kind of experience.

     “Having a brand gives the consumer confidence over the promise being made, and that promise is a lifestyle,” Gustavo de la Cerna, of the RCI firm said.

    In the summit, Transportation and Public Infrastructure Minister Karla Gonzalez spoke on the status and plans for some airports and road infraestructure:

    1. Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia.

    It is expected by 2010, to receive 520000 visitors annually, so the government is working in     the process of awarding a contract to expand the capacity 1,500 passengers daily both on             arrivals and departures.

    2. Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose.

    Gonzalez expects the legal issues delaying infrastructure improvements to be resolved in the         short term.

    3. Road infraestructure

     To complete work on the so-called “Route of the Sun,” located on the Nicoya Peninsula.
    The design for the Samara-Nosara road and to be working in the lower section to connect with     Montezuma.
    To paving the sector of the Pan American Highway leading to Puerto Jimenez ($30 million i            investment already being executed)
     The San Jose-Caldera (Pacific coast) highway — the first highway project ever given in                 concession.

The information provided by ICE (Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) pointed that the 91 percent of the energy is coming from renewable sources. This allows energy to be cheap. New hydroelectric plants and generation of energy at sugar-processing plants, wind power, solar power, and conversion of biomass (agricultural and other waste) into energy, are part of the plan to meet country`s energy demands until 2021.

Sending video, connecting to the Internet and GPS navigation will be possible by the end of this year when 1.5 million new, third-generation cellular lines will be available ICE is working on providing more coverage through WiMax (wireless) connections in strategic points expanding internet services to all the country.