The Costa Rica-North American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and the Chamber of Industries (CICR) analyzed the government’s proposals during the political campaign in areas that have a direct impact in the productive sector and published today their “Compliance Observatory”. The study monitors the compliance of the proposals presented during the political campaign and the institutional work expre...

Thirty public institutions and seven international organisms have worked in a coordinated manner to present a protocol for mixed migratory flows in Costa Rica. The Comprehensive Plan for the Attention of Migratory Flows contemplates a series of actions to offer an efficient response to the migratory flows that enter and/or stay in the country. “Even though in Costa Rica we have precedents of...

The National Tourist Safety Commission (CONSETUR) suggests the creation of a safety committee in each tourism chamber in the country, this with the purpose of building a safer destination for domestic and international travelers and in order to carry out preventative measures in the areas of the country they represent. The project will be led by the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR), which ...

Costa Rica ranked 46 among 86 countries in the Global Illicit Trade Environment Index, and is in seventh place in the America's. “The Global Illicit Trade Environment Index is commissioned by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) and produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)”, explains the Tracit.org website. “The Index evaluates 84 countries on their structural ca...

The Working Group on Nicaragua of the Permanent Council of the OAS (Organization of American States) formed by representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the United States, sent out the following press release: "The OAS' Working Group on Nicaragua reiterates its strong condemnation of the acts of violence, repression, hum...

Limon will receive a total of 110 ships that will arrive at the Hernán Garrón terminal the cruise season 2018-2019 which begins August 23 with the arrival of the Sea Princess. The Atlantic Zone Development and Port Administration Group (JAPDEVA) will receive over 224 thousand passengers throughout the entire season, this will have a positive impact in the economy and development of local touri...

What is considered the most important wellness tourism event in Latin America, directed to the sectors of tourism, health, medical, hotels, Spa, travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, etc. will take place August 31 through September 2 in La Fortuna, San Carlos. “One of the pillars of this Congress is the promotion of a wellness culture in our country that will allow both Costa Ricans and ...

800 people between the ages of 18 and 35 will increase their English language skills to have better job opportunities. They live across 15 communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), such as Puntarenas, San Carlos, and San Ramón. Another 200 beneficiaries from the GAM, specifically from Santa Ana and La Unión will also be part of the program. All the beneficiaries are living in pov...

The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (CIDH) acknowledged the decision of the Constitutional Chamber of the Costa Rican Supreme Court which  declared unconstitutional the article of the Family Code that explicitly prohibits same sex marriage, and the Commission urges the State to advance immediately in the effective implementation of this sentence. The Supreme Court of Costa Rica ordere...

Sylvania, opened the doors of Sylvania LAB, a 350m2 high-tech space that represents an investment of US $ 1 million, created for products’ development of high specification for different industries. "Sylvania LAB will support the Research and Development department, where Costa Rican engineers design luminaires that are exported to South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico; as we...

In the past three months the Ministry of Public Security, Border Police and Migration Police have rejected over one thousand Nicaraguan nationals that have attempted to enter Costa Rica illegally, while they have detected at least 20 cases of people smuggling. “The Government of Costa Rica is working persistently in coordinated actions to guarantee national security in reason of the crisis in ...

The global company Jonson Controls will be holding a job fair this August 10 and 11 (Friday and Satuday) at their offices in Costa Rica, in the building H of Forum I first floor from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The company is looking to fill in 50 positions for its Circuito Sales Support Center in the country, and will be hiring technicians and electric engineers, mechanics, electro-mechanics, and CAD/ BI...

María Nazareth Mata Castillo, Valeria Saborío Barquero, Diego Hernández Montero, Maxwell Jornae Pita Nelson, Josué Ortega Ramírez and Antony Ramírez Montero, became the second generation of Costa Rican students in the public education system to earn scholarships to study in community colleges in the United States, this thanks to the progam “Scholarships for Specialized Technicians Dr. Ana Sittenfe...

The Costa Rican National Commission for Tourist Safety (CONSETUR) held an extraordinary meeting following the murders of two vacationers this weekend, a Spanish woman in Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón and a Mexican woman in Santa Teresa, Cobano, Puntarenas. In this meeting, the Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo, called on business leaders from the private tourism sector to work proactively a...

A joint conservation and protection effort by Grupo Vidriero Centroamericano, VICAL and the Costa Rican Tourism Board seeks to value the country’s beautiful scenery and natural resources through the development of responsible consumption habits and choosing glass packaging that is natural, 100% recyclable and reusable. “For the Costa Rican Tourism Board, it is a pride, but more than anything, a...

Costa Rica will host the fourth edition of the Life Sciences Forum 2018, the event will take place October 15 and 16 in the recently inaugurated Costa Rica Convention Center. This edition’s theme is “Converging technologies lead the future of MedTech” and it will address topics such as: How does artificial intelligence, automation, big data or cyber security affect the medical devices and li...

During this year’s first semester, the exports of the medical devices industry increased its presence in Japan, Netherlands and the United States. This behavior is shown on recent results published by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER). The medical devices exports to Japan increased 82%, followed by Netherlands with 53% and the United States with 4%. The total exports of ...

Recently, the General Directorate of Migration in Costa Rica had to implement a call center service to handle the large number of appointments for refugee applications, the majority of which come from Nicaraguan citizens. Even though, the Director of Migration, Raquel Vargas and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Epsy Campbell have stated in different occasions that the situation is still not con...

The United States strongly condemns the ongoing violence in Nicaragua and human rights abuses committed by the Ortega regime in response to protests. After years of fraudulent elections and the regime’s manipulation of Nicaraguan law – as well as the suppression of civil society, opposition parties, and independent media – the Nicaraguan people have taken to the streets to call for democratic refo...

JetBlue Airways will be operating its Mint ‘premium travel’ service with a seasonal route from New York (John F. Kennedy Airport) to Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (Daniel Oduber International Airport) starting December 15, 2018. JetBlue Mint offers “fully lie-flat seats (16 in business class), artisanal dining options, the most free inflight entertainment, revitalizing amenities and more”, in...

They say that all you need in life is a great friend and a thirst for adventure. Traveling with friends, says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness, is a great way to focus on the "joy of camaraderie and increases a sense of fulfillment, confidence and resiliency." For travelers looking to strengthen their bonds or spend quality time with their pa...

Aerobell Airlines announced its domestic flights to seven destinations in Costa Rica as of this Tuesday, July 24; the company that has 30 years operating in the country under the modality of charter had announced its interest in entering the market of domestic flights after suspension of the operations of Nature Air. “We have identified a lack of options in the offering of domestic itinerary f...

After 50 years of having settled in Costa Rica, the Coca-Cola Company celebrated, with a ground-breaking ceremony, the beginning of the construction of a new and modern plant in Liberia, Guanacaste. The new operation represents an initial investment of US $50 million. The concentrate of Coca-Cola and 89 drinks that are exported to Central America, the Caribbean, Chile, Mexico, Brazil and Argent...

Align Technology, Inc., announced today the grand opening of its newest facilities in Costa Rica at an event attended by Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica, as well as local government officials. “Align Technology’s expansion of its operations demonstrates the quality of the Costa Rican talent and its ability to attract investment from leading companies.” said the President of Co...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board signed this week a cooperation agreement with the Association Wellness Costa Rica, valid for a four year period (extendable ) The agreement encompasses nine objectives, among them the organization of activities that seek the national and international recognition of Costa Rica as a wellness destination, trainings, continuing education and the professional training o...

(Press Release - US Embassy Managua) On Thursday, July 19, the celebration of the Sandinista Revolution will take place in Managua. The event is scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m. at Plaza la Fe, although attendees will likely gather before noon. U.S. Government personnel have been advised to remain in their neighborhoods during the celebration. Road closures and traffic disruptions are expe...

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) presided by Ambassador of Costa Rica Rita Hernandez approved a resolution condemning the acts of violence in Nicaragua and called on all parties to participate “actively and in good faith” in the National Dialogue and urged the Government “to support an electoral calendar”. The resolution approved by the Permanent Council with 2...

Google announced the arrival of its Special Collections to Costa Rica. This option is part of Google Maps, collects 360-degree sights of geographic, touristic, historical or cultural sites throughout the country. In total 76 locations are part of Google’s Special Collections in Costa Rica. “Thanks to the support of the country brand Essential COSTA RICA and different organizations, such as the ...

Following the directives and decrees of the presidency regarding cost containment due to the fiscal crisis in Costa Rica, the Municipal Consulting and Development Institute (IFAM) will have savings estimated to be close to $293 thousand dollars for the remaining of this year. By implementing Directive 003-H, streamlining the use of public resources, the institution will save close to $228 thous...

“The Government of Costa Rica strongly condemns the use of violence in students and citizens on the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAM)”; the Costa Rican government made the statement this Sunday when ten people were killed and dozens more wounded in clashes in Nicaragua. “For decades Costa Rica has dedicated to promoting peace and liberty, democracy and development, for this rea...

For a period of three weeks from May 16 through June 9, 2018, the US 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron conducted their first-ever mission to Costa Rica, a three-week building partnership capacity mission with the air vigilance service, (SVA – Servicio de Vigilancia Aereo). “This was our first mission to Costa Rica and my team executed and established the groundwork to build and strengthe...

Costa Rica and El Salvador officially announced that both countries already have the necessary conditions for the beginning of the operations of the Central American Ferry, establishing a route for exports and imports between the ports of La Union in El Salvador and Caldera in Costa Rica. The initiative would connect the maritime commercial flow between the two nations, with the purpose of cons...

International Living magazine has the mission of helping readers discover places around the world were it is cheaper, healthier and in general better to live, this year for instance Costa Rica was named by the magazine as the Best Place to Retire Abroad in its Annual Global Retirement Index and it was also included in the list of “5 Best Places to Retire on $30,000.00  a Year”. The magazine has li...

Image Credit: Asociación de Cafés Finos de Costa Rica Costa Rican coffee made history by braking the record during the auction “Cup of Excellence 2018” (Taza de la Excelencia) in the category of fine coffee beans. The beans of Don Cayito estate closed the bid at $300.09 per pound. “With a lot of 529.11 pounds of the Geisha variety, and a honey type processing, it broke the world record esta...

Five students of the Pharmacy Faculty of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) created an innovative product as part of their class “Innovation Management”; with the use of nanotechnology that allows the manipulation of molecular structures in very small measure, the students created a mouthwash prototype that whitens teeth while at the same time regenerating dental enamel. “Apati-Dent” is the na...

This Tuesday a team lead by a technical team from the University of Costa Rica's National Laboratory of Structural Materials and Models (Lanamme) with the support of the Coca Cola company, the ALIARSE Foundation and the Municipality of Desamparados, presented their project “Green Asphalt” (Asfalto Verde), a new asphalt mix, unique in Latin America that includes within its components PET plastic f...

The Costa Rican-America Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) presented their position with regards to the fiscal crisis in Costa Rica and the proposed solutions presented by the government. AmCham considers that the legislative procedure should include sufficient space for a political negotiation of the new elements present in the Law to Strengthen the Public Finances bill, and that this process “include...

PRESS RELEASE Reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to crime, civil unrest, and limited healthcare availability. On July 6, 2018, the U.S. government ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel. The U.S. Embassy remains open to provide emergency services for U.S. citizens. Heavily armed, government-controlled parapolice forces in civilian clothing, sometimes numbering i...

Planet Hollywood Beach Resort, announces the debut of PH Experiences, an exclusive way to explore the famous landscapes of Costa Rica. Located in the Pacific Coast just north of Playa Panama, the Papagayo Gulf of Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province, Planet Hollywood is the ultimate destination for a Hollywood-inspired vacation. This resort will feature PH Experience’s adventurous excursions where ...

Roadside fruit stands are a delightful culinary experience not to be missed while traveling through Costa Rica. The country's tropical climate and fertile volcanic soil create excellent conditions for a wide range of fruits to flourish. Although travelers may be familiar with fruits such as mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas, and coconut, Costa Rica offers a wide variety of nutritious and tasty tro...