As a result of the joint patrolling operations with the United States,Costa Rica has managed to seize historic amounts of drugs in the past two years that sum over 81 tons of cocaine and marijuana. The information was released by the Minister of Public Security, Michael Soto, during a visit this week of the US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo to the Joint Operations Center in the Juan Santama...

Teradyne announced that it will invest over $20 million in a new facility in Coyol Free Zone, Alajuela, Costa Rica. The new 11,000 square meter facility brings together over 350 employees who are now located in multiple offices in the area. The project will begin this January and is expected to be completed in 2021. The Minister of Foreign Trade, Dyalá Jiménez, said: “We start this year with ve...

The announcement of the possibility of Central American Ferry between Costa Rica and El Salvador was made since 2018 as an alternative route for exports and imports between the ports of La Union in El Salvador and Caldera in Costa Rica; it was supposed to begin operations in January 2020, however, different difficulties faced by the governments of both countries, specially Costa Rica and negotiat...

The US Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica announced the upcoming Consular event – routine services for U.S. citizens in Golfito. The embassy's Consular staff will be on hand to provide several services in Golfito on January 30th and to answer questions. Those who wish to RSVP for passport renewals, notary services, and federal benefits inquiries, must indicate their preference by writing to ACS...

For reasons that are yet unclear, a Canadian women identified as Nicole Toni Palladino has fallen off a cliff of some 65 feet down while riding her bicycle in the area of Mal País, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Palladino was rescued and transferred via air on a helicopter to hospital with punctured lungs and severe head trauma. She is currently hospitalized at the Clínica Bíblica private hospital in ...

In the ranking of “The Top Best Countries to Invest In” 2019 Costa Rica took the third position in the world only after Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. This study is updated once a year by U.S. News & World Report with the backing of Wharton school of the University of Pennsylvania and BAV Group. It has the specific analysis on investment topics that gathers answers given by 20,300 people from 36 cou...

If you are looking to enjoy some entertainment this week Costa Rica style you are in luck, the city of Palmares in Alajuela will kick off its traditional yearly festival this Thursday, January 16, this year they continue to make efforts to make this activity more family oriented and therefore some changes have taken place. “In reality, by making a change to a more familiar concept the number o...

Costa Rican surfer Brisa Hennessy took the first place at the Women Qualifying Series (WQS) 5,000 Corona Open in China by defeating Vahine Fierro from France. This is the first time in the history of the country that a Costa Rican takes a WQS 5,00. With this win Brisa took the lead of the qualifying tour. The final was very close with a difference of just 0.14, Hennessy earned 12 points (5....

Uber Costa Rica has continued its growth over the years despite the opposition of red taxi drivers and the lack of proper regulation. The company announced that since it began operations in Costa Rica in August 2015 it has accumulated over 971,000 users and 28,000 drivers. “The platform represent an important source of additional income for over 28,000 associates and their families that have f...

Photo Credit: Irina Shayk Instagram Sam Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Martin (Coldplay) and his girlfriend Dakota Johnson, Gina Rodríguez, Christian Bale and Irina Shayk are just some of the celebrities that chose Costa Rica as their vacation destination this December and not only does this mean they spent money in the country benefiting local businesses, but they also help put the name of ...

President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, confirmed his decision of renouncing the right to receiving the ex-Presidents’ pension after he leaves office. By law, in Costa Rica, the Presidents have the right to receive their pension once they leave office, the amount is of an approximate 4 million colones (close to $7,000 USD) a month. “On May 9. 2022, I will present my letter to the Direction...

Representatives of the Costa Rican Surf Federation, Randall Chaves and José Ureña, the Minister of Presidency, Victor Morales, the Minister of Sports, Hernán Solano and deputy Melvin Núñez, met today to discuss the interest of the government in organizing the International Surf Association (ISA) World Surfing Championship 2020. The Government is looking into the options for budget to organize t...

The United States Government elevated the travel alert for Costa Rica from a Level 1: Exercise Normal Caution to a Level 2: Exercise increased caution in Costa Rica due to crime. "While petty crime is the predominant threat for tourists in Costa Rica, violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault, occurs in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government provides additional securit...

The Ocaso Musical Festival comes back to Tamarindo, Guanacaste in its fourth edition this Thursday, January 9 and will extend through Monday, January 13th. The underground electronic music festival gathers, once again, great representatives of techno and house rythms, this year the lineup includes Doc Martin, Maceo Plex, Artbat, Magdalena, Shiba San, Justin Martin, Ame, Maetrix, Seth Troxler, D...

Costa Rica went down one place since 2019 in International Living's Annual Global Retirement Index 2020, which is designed to be a useful tool for potential expats trying to find the place that’s right for them. "The Index is constructed of statistics but also of real-world, practical, on-the-ground intelligence, experience, and opinion provided by International Living’s editors and correspondents...

Applebee’s closed its operations in Costa Rica, confirmed the franchise owner Dine Equity Applebee’s had three restaurants in the country, one in Terrazas shopping center in Lindora, Santa Ana, another one in Plaza Carolina , San Pedro and the third one in Cariari. According to Julio Villegas, operations manager of Applebee’s Costa Rica the reason the decision was made obeyed to profitabili...

The Pentagon confirmed the airstrike perpetrated at Baghdad International Airport this January 2nd and which killed General Qasam Soleimani, key Irani military commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and Abu Mahdi al Mohandis, vicepresident of Kata’ib Hezbollah and other seven people, was an order of President Donald Trump. “At the direction of the President, the US milit...

The Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) confirmed the arrest of two women suspected of stealing $4,000.00 (USD)  between cash and the use of his credit card. Apparently the tourist of last name Atwood and a native of the United States met the two women in a bar in downtown San Jose and invited them to his hotel room. At some point during the night the women gave the man a sleeping pill without...

A Costa Rican pastor was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police in Nevada, USA as a suspect of sexually abusing a child under 14 years of age. Bramwell Bernardo Retana Reyes, age 44, a pastor of the local church Iglesia Cristiana Oasis de Paz, now faces seven counts of lewdness and one count each of sexual assault of a child under 14, luring a child with a computer to engage in a sexual ...

The United States continues to offer its support to Costa Rica in its fight against drug trafficking and transnational crimes. For the first time in history, Costa Rica purchased a Maritime Patrol Aircraft using Air Surveillance Service funds. This aircraft, thanks to the U.S. government, is also equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The King Air 250 is joining the fight against drug tr...

Costa Rica now has a law that dictates how to implement lifeguard units in national beaches and also creates the National Commission for the Prevention and Attention of Drownings, with the purpose of offering safety and protecting the live and integrity of those that vacation and enjoy the coasts. Law 9780 “Implementation of lifeguard units in national beaches” was signed this week by members ...

SKYWAY Costa Rica celebrates its second season of service by adding new destinations and a new plane. Skyway took delivery on a new plane December 1. This plane is a LET 410 aircraft, SKYWAY is the only domestic airline in Costa Rica flying two-engine aircraft. New destinations being served this year include: Tambor, Palmar Sur, Manuel Antonio, Bocas del Toro, Panama. These new routes join exis...

The U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report 2019 gives information on which countries are making improvements in tackling human trafficking, Costa Rica still placed in Tier 2, the same position it held last year. “The Government of Costa Rica does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated i...

Once again, Costa Rica will be represented this year in the annual Rose Parade that takes place every January 1st in Pasadena, California. This year the Municipal Band of Zarcero has the honor or representing the country and Latin America in this renown event. In total, 250 young members directed by Elesban Rodríguez will be traveling to Pasadena California, "In Pasadena we want to showcase to ...

Costa Rica, known and loved for its pristine beaches and lush rainforests as well as its "Pura Vida" lifestyle, has become the third most popular destination for tourists from North America who are seeking top-of-the-line medical and dental services at prices that can be 30 to 50 percent more affordable. Costa Rica welcomes fans and followers of adventure tourism and sustainability and, at the ...

The Costa Rica Ministry of Environment resolved a nullity appeal that was presented by the Costa Rican Federation for the Conservation of the Environment (FECON) and in this way puts a stop to the pineapple plantation project Hacienda Doña Victoria that intended to use close to 500 hectares of land located between Palmar Sur and Olla Cero in Buenos Aires, Puntarenas and that could have potential n...

JH Biotech, a subsidiary of Jianghuai Horticulture seed Co. of Anhui, China, opened its new facilities in Guanacaste, where it will carry out research and development, quality control, marketing, and sales, as well as export and import products logistics. Costa Rica will be the company’s hub to commercialize seeds from China to other markets on the continent. The company established in Nanda...

The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) announced its 2019 performance results. CINDE's work directly contributes to the country's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as set by the United Nations. CINDE particularly contributes to 4 SDGs - Decent Work and Economic Growth, Gender Equity, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Quality Education - and as such reports its Foreign D...

American rock band Guns N’ Roses has confirmed Costa Rica as one of its stops of their Not in This Lifetime tour. The band will be live in Costa Rica on March 18, 2020 at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in Tibas, San Jose. Production company Primo Entertainment is in charge of the show, “ For the fans of the band this will be a unique opportunity to be closer to the band and feel the power of its ...

Hospitality investment and development firm Gencom announced the acquisition of Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection, a high-end resort in the mountains of Pérez Zeledón in the southern region of Costa Rica. The resort was originally conceived and developed as a family retreat and coffee farm in a storied agricultural town and has consistently ranked among the top resorts in Central Ame...

Visional Technology LLC, an American company dedicated to supply dimensional metrology and inspection of manufactured components, has chosen Costa Rica as its first expansion outside Puerto Rico. This new operation will assist its clients in that country as well as the United States, Dominican Republic and Central America. Founded in 2001, Visional Technology LLC provides measurement technology...

President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado and the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, signed this week the "technical norm for the therapeutic interruption of pregnancy" for cases where the health or life of the pregnant women is in danger, as a guideline and in support of what Article 121 of the Criminal Code states. The Ministry of Health elaborated the text of this technical norm which was sent...

The General Directorate of Treasury in San Jose, Costa Rica, shut down the Wyndham Herradura Hotel in Belén, Heredia, this Wednesday as a result of a sanction applied for past due tax payments. The sanction is effective for five days. According to Carlos Vargas, director of the Ministry of Treasury, the process goes back for some years and the hotel was notified that they had a term to make th...

The United States Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica issued an alert for US citizens residing in Costa Rica: "American Citizen Services has received reports from U.S. citizens living in Costa Rica reporting telephone calls from individuals purporting to work for the U.S Embassy in San Jose. The callers state the Embassy is updating profiles of U.S. citizens for the Costa Rica Ministry of Hacienda...

Costa Rican authorities from the Ministry of Public Security seized over a ton of marijuana and packages of cocaine and arrested three people aboard a vessel intercepted in waters of the Pacific. The National Coastguard Service reported the interception of the suspicious fast boat close to Drake Bay in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. Officers found 46 bags which after inspection by the Drug C...

German airline CONDOR will be offering a direct flight connecting Frankfurt, Germany to San Jose, Costa Rica, starting October 2020, reinforcing Costa Rica as a destination and eliminating the stop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The route will operate Thursdays and Sundays in a Boeing 767-300 with capacity for 255 passengers, (18 in Business class, 35 in Premium and 202 in Coach). The pl...

The Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID), recognized by Business Insider as one of the top leading design and innovation schools globally, has chosen Costa Rica for its first permanent expansion outside Europe. CIID will offer courses and programs, such as its renowned Interaction Design Program (IDP), which will be launched in February 2020. Its presence strengthens Costa Rica’s s...

Costa Rican surfer Brisa Hennessy qualified this Sunday for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games , confirmed the National Olympic Committee. Hennessy, from Matapalo in Osa, Puntarenas, managed to qualify after ranking over Paige Hareb from New Zealand in the last WTC Championship Tour 2019 which took place in Maui, Hawaii this past weekend, she took one of the last two places on offer through the WSL. ...

Comic Con will have its first ever edition in Costa Rica in 2020, the event will take place July 4th and 5th at Parque Viva. Comic Convention events began in San Diego, California, and its a non-profit public benefit event organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the public´s appreciation for comics and related popular art forms and their contribution ot art and culture. ...

A head-on collision that took place at 4:28 a.m. this Monday morning in the area of Colorado, Curubande, Liberia, Guanacaste took the lives of two Americans, the victims were identified as Enisha Lashelle Roberson, 38 years of age and her six year old son Cannon Anthony Roberson, a third person also died in the tragic accident, Costa Rican Allan Gerardo Pereira Leiva, age 39 (driver). Anthon...