Foreign direct investment in the region continues downward trend for a total of US$167.043 billion in 2016. In its annual report, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) projects a fresh decline in 2017, of around 5 percent, and calls on countries to create policies to attract flows that support national processes of sustainable development. The flo...

This Thursday, the Costa Rica Government presented their new tax reform proposal to Congress, the project (The Strengthening of Public Finances Law), expects to reduce the existing gap between incoming and outgoing funds, balance the country’s budget by going from a 5% to a 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is the third proposal presented by the Government to Congress to try to get a...

A mega rail and road cargo transportation project that would completely bisect Costa Rica east-west through its northern region seems to have the makings of a future conservationist versus businessman standoff. The details of the project's location have been kept nebulous, while those in the shipping, trade and transport sectors tout the economic benefits of a future rapid interoceanic system t...

How, and why, would a jaguar paint? Staff at the Las Pumas wildlife rescue center in Cañas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica got inspired with the idea when trying different things to ease the stress of captivity on one of their rescued female jaguars, named Curubanda. They spray a canvas with pheromones, which attract the jaguar to roll on it. Add some color - and boom, a unique wildlife painting is ...

A Belgian boy who was on vacation with his family died Tuesday afternoon, August 8, apparently from causes related to having eaten prior to entering his hotel swimming pool in La Fortuna, San Carlos, Costa Rica. The 8-year-old apparently jumped into the pool soon after eating, was rescued alive from the pool and his vital signs were kept going by a doctor on site and emergency rescue workers be...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship has taken the necessary measure to ensure the participation of Costa Ricans living abroad in the 2018 elections. Minister Manuel González explained that all Costa Ricans have to register before October 3rd, 2017 and update their residence information in order to cast their vote next February 2, 2018. The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE in Spanish) the e...

Costa Rican leaders met last week to analyze the country's progress on the situation of refugees in the country, said the Foreign Relations Ministry press office. As of June 30, 2017, there are a total of 4,414 persons recognized and living as refugees in Costa Rica; however, in recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of refugee applications. In 2015, 2,203 applications were...

A recent analysis by the London-based IHS Markit concluded that homicide rates in Costa Rica are likely to continue rising while ongoing fiscal crisis limits government resources for increasing the security forces’ capacity. The report also said a concurring trend of rising violent robberies in Talamanca canton, Limón province, raises the likelihood of declining popularity for Caribbean beach a...

Costa Rica's ambassador to the newly inaugurated embassy in Azerbaijan, Jairo López Bolaños, stepped into his new role this week, reported the Azerbaijan State New Agency, Azertac. Ambassador Jairo López Bolaños met with Parvin Mirzazade, head of the State Protocol Department of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the development of the newly kindled diplomatic relations betwee...

What is better for Costa Rican tourism than an adorable talking sloth? A beautiful neuroscientist, yoga teacher and adventurer named Brittany Fair is better. In the last decade, Costa Rica achieved a 54% increase in tourists. Compare that to an 85% tourist increase for Panama, and a staggering 158% increase for Nicaragua, and you can see that Central American tourism is a highly competitive bus...

  The low-cost airline, Volaris Costa Rica, announced this week the launch of a new route connecting  San José, Costa Rica (SJO) with Mexico City (MEX). "In addition to strengthening its connectivity in the region, the service will encourage social, cultural and economic exchange between both nations," the company said in a statement. Starting September 14, the service will operate three...

Yesterday, some 80 migrants entered Costa Rica through Paso Canoas on the southern border with Panama, reported the Public Security Ministry. The men, women, and some children, who are in transit to the United States by foot, are from a number of African and Asian countries, said officials. According to immigration authorities, the migrants are from Nepal (43), Eritrea (21), Congo (8), Angola (...

This fall, a new kind of yoga retreat will be offered at Vida Asana Eco-Lodge Retreat in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Body, Mind, and Spirit Yoga retreat offers a journey of recovery from compulsive overeating and food addiction. This fall, Fort Lauderdale, FL yoga teacher Helene Kopel is offering a retreat connecting the body, mind, and spirit. But, this isn’t your ordinary yoga and meditation r...

Local Costa Rican media revealed the sorrow in the small rural community of Los Angeles, outside of the tourist town of La Fortuna, San Carlos near Arenal Volcano, unleashed by a fatal accidental shooting of a teen yesterday. According to police testimonies, a 14-year-old was with a childhood friend on his family's farm and was showing his friend his dad's gun. Thinking it was not loaded, he fi...

Crowley Liner Services will begin fixed-day, weekly sailings on Wednesday, Aug. 9, directly between Florida and Costa Rica and Panama. The new service offers fast transits to speed cargo to market at peak times to better connect customers' U.S. and Central American supply chains. Crowley's vessels will sail southbound from Florida on Wednesdays from the Port of Jacksonville, and Fridays from Port...

Costa Rican authorities yesterday reported the discovery at the Pacific port of Caldera of 1.3 tons of cocaine in a container hailing from Buenaventura, Colombia. Costa Rican security minister Gustavo Mata said Monday at a press conference that the seizure occurred on Sunday during a routine container inspection, and that it is the first time that drug has been found at the Caldera port in the ...

The Washington, DC-based Indian photographer, Tarun Sinha, captured the contrasting hues of crocodiles and sand on the banks of the Tárcoles River along Costa Rica's Pacific coast, and took a third prize in the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest. "This image was captured in Costa Rica when I was traveling from Monteverde to Playa Hermosa . As you cross over this rive...

With an eye to improving the experience tourists have in the country, and to help visitors have a safe visit, Costa Rica's tourism authorities sought assistance from the Organization for American States (OAS) in drafting a pilot plan. Leaders from Costa Rica's tourist police branch and the tourism institute (ICT) met last week with international experts to draw up an action plan to improve serv...

At least two men's college basketball teams will be in Costa Rica next week for a tournament. Lamar University's (LU) Cardinals from Beaumont, Texas, and the University of Texas at El Paso's (UTEP) Miners will face off against Costa Rica's national team as well as teams from McGill University and the University of British Columbia. This early preseason tournament has emotions among the Texan...

Southwest Airlines announced yesterday a sale on nonstop flights to and from San José, Costa Rica during their winter season which starts November 5. Grab a low fare to the Miami area (via Ft. Lauderdale), to Houston (Hobby), and/or Baltimore/Washington, DC (BWI), with some new nonstop routes being offered, and some great advance fares. Current daily nonstop Southwest service between both Liberi...

Costa Rica has made significant economic and social progress over the last decades. Real GDP per capita continues to increase at rates which outperform many other Latin American and OECD countries. But while living standards and well-being have increased, tax reforms are essential now to ensure the sustainable development of Costa Rica’s economy, according to a new OECD report. OECD Tax Policy ...

According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), despite the fact that Costa Rica invests more than any of the other 35 countries members of the OECD, which includes countries such as Finland and Germany, the investment is not being reflected in the students’ performance. The findings of the report Education in Costa Rica were presented by Andreas Schl...

The new regulations contained in the Wildlife Conservation Law, signed this Thursday, August 3 by Costa Rica’s President Luis Guillermo Solís and the Minister of Environment Edgar Gutierrez, change some of the aspects regarding wildlife management using scientific and technical criteria taking as a base foreign institutions with vast experience in this topic. The Wildlife Conservation Law now d...

The leading U.S. travel magazine, Travel+Leisure, published their top Central America picks this week, with Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica's Hacienda AltaGracia topping the list. The resort, which received a score of 97.33 by the magazine, is described as follows: "Set on 865 acres of land in southern Costa Rica, this remote spot caters to its travelers from the moment of arrival — via its private ...

The annual Credomatic Music Festival is a great opportunity to beat the rainy season blues in Costa Rica. Concerts by a wide range of world class performers are offered at some of the country's best hotels throughout the month of August. Many venues offer packages that combine a hotel stay with concert entrance and other amenities. If you haven't taken advantage of green -or low - season ...

Teen Costa Rican writer Emily Pérez published her first novel in the United States under the title “Yesterday She Was Tiffany”. The work, written for the 2015 edition of the National Novel Writing Month , a program that challenges writers around the world to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Emily is 16 years old, the same age as the main character of her 288 page novel; “Yesterda...

Results of a poll conducted for the Costa Rica digital news outlet Elmundo has found that 84 percent of Costa Ricans support sex education being taught in schools. The findings from the OPol Consultores poll are similar to results of the Second National Sexual and Reproductive Health Survey carried out by the Ministry of Health in 2015 which found 85 percent supported sex education, said Elmund...

Costa Rica's national park system is about to get a major boost with the inauguration of top notch new facilities in a northern lowland protected area teeming with biodiversity. A visitor's center and a series of accessible walkways spanning parts of the wetlands and seasonal lakes at Costa Rica's spectacular Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge will be inaugurated Friday, August 4, reported the National...

Ad Astra Rocket announced today through social media the arrival of the hydrogen-fueled bus to the Port of Limón. “Attention Costa Rica: #Nyuti has arrived in Costa Rica. The first fuel cell hydrogen electric bus in Central America is located in Puerto Limón. #Nyuti comes from the indigenous Chorotega language of Guanacaste and it means 'Star". The stars are composed mainly of hydrogen. We'r...

Costa Rica established a committee tasked with monitoring governmental commitments on responsible   pineapple production and trade Monday, July 31 at a forum supported by the United Nations Development Program.   The initiative - led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG)- also involves the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and th...

While Costa Rica is quick to tout its lack of military and "culture of peace," the country's growing gap between rich and poor points to gaps that breed injustice, exclusion and poverty. The breaches are often hard to see, but erode poor people's quality of life and often deprive them of basic needs in a country increasingly divided. Costa Rica recently ranked second in Latin America on the wor...

Three tour operators have been ordered to stop offering walks and tours in areas of the Arenal Volcano National Park that are off limits, said the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) this week. Improvised trails that lead to the crater of Cerro Chato, the twin peak of Arenal Volcano, were closed with barbed wire by park rangers, due to informal tour operators using them for touris...

Coriport the current concessionaire of the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia is looking to take complete control of the airport and is offering to cover the repair and work that the airstrip requires. Coriport’s has the concession contract since 2010 and is looking to convince the Technical Council of Civil Aviation (CETAC) to approve the extension of the contract. Under the current contract the...

Residents of the southern Caribbean communities of Puerto Viejo, Cocles, Manzanillo, and others are drumming up support for the creation of a safe, non-motorized trail for use by bicyclists, skateboarders and pedestrians to travel around the region. The online petition can be found at ipetitions.org, and local petition drives have been held in the region. "Bicycles in the South Caribbean of Co...

The Association of Tour Operators (ASOTU) welcomes visitors to the Marino Ballena National Park all year, but especially in September for the height of whale watching season on Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast. Humpback whales can be seen along many parts of Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast from July - October each year when they give birth to their calves in the area's warm waters. Th...

In the small town of Madison, New Jersey, a 50-year-old Costa Rican man last week was turned over to U.S. federal authorities after he was found to be on the run from justice in Costa Rica for the rape of a minor, according to reports on July 28 in the Daily Record of Rockaway, NJ Eugenio Castillo Muñoz, a resident of Waverly Place in Madison - a borough of some 16,000 inhabitants in Morris Cou...

The Central American Electricity Interconnection System (SIEPAC) contracted the Costa Rican Electric Institute (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, better known as ICE) to conduct a feasibility study for the connection of a second circuit in 13 substations located in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, thus improving the region's interconnectivity. SIEPAC co...

Chatwoods S.A. announced the opening of Hooters of Alajuela in Costa Rica's City Mall - Central America's largest mall which opened just two years ago. The 400-square meter location, adjacent to Alajuela's Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), seats 130 guests inside, and accommodates up to 18 guests on its outdoor patio. "City Mall is an exceptional venue for attracting locals and tour...

Courts will be back to normal functioning today, August 1, after an estimated 13 - 16,000 workers from the country's judicial branch were on strike to protest proposed changes to their retirement plans. The historic 12-day-strike organized by the different unions that represent judiciary workers throughout the country was triggered by a legislative move to make changes to the judiciary pension ...

Nonstop flights from London's Gatwick airport to Costa Rica's Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia are available from £299 round-trip. Hurry before they are gone! These dirt cheap fares are for travel from August 29 – September 5, 2017. The flights can be found on SKYSCANNER According to the airline website, "Thomson Airways was set up in 1962 (formally Britannia) and has...