Weekly review

1.9 million tourists

Minister of Tourism Carlos Benavides announced that the number of tourists visiting Costa Rica in 2007 will be 1.9 million, 175,000 more visitors than last year, who represent a 10.15 percent increase. On the dollar side, this means over $1.9 billion, 18 percent more than in 2006. A majority of the tourists, 54 percent, come from the United States. Minister Castro pointed out that the expected figure for next year is 2.3 million tourists, which means the 6.6 percent growth goal a year established in 2002 will again be surpassed in 2008. The official said that “enjoying the sun” is the number one reason for most visitors, and that Costa Rica has a mighty edge in that section, since it is sunny almost every day of the year.

Economy praised

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) praised the performance of Costa Rican economy. According to that organization, “the solid policies” applied by the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance promoted good growth this year. The IMF appraisal is based on several reasons, including the promotion of both domestic (consumption) and external (exports) demand. The Central America IMF boss Dominique Desruelle said that exports increased, even though the local currency –colon– experience a re-valuation. He pointed out that this is a good indicator of the competitiveness of an economy. Through last October, sales abroad reached $7,811 million, a 14.13 percent increase for the period ending October 2006.

Selection of investment

Costa Rica will grant incentives to new investments of those companies whose production will mean high added value for Costa Rica and who meet desired guidelines in science and technology, Foreign Commerce Minister Marco Ruiz said. He explained that the nation will be selective when granting benefits because the goal will no longer be only generating employment, as was the case in the 1980s.

$20-million donation

The National Emergency Commission (CNE in Spanish) received a $20-million donation from China. These funds are destined to address the needs of families who lost everything during the rains and floods recorded last October. According to CNE sources, besides housing, the funds will also be used in rebuilding bridges and roads damaged by the rains. This was the first installment of an overall $48 million that the President of China Hu Jintao pledged for Costa Rica in October, when a delegation led by President Oscar Arias visited Beijing and met with the highest Chinese officials.

$131 per U.S. visa

As of this January 1st, applications for non-immigrant visas to the U.S. will cost $131, from $100 now. The American Embassy in San Jose said that the hike is in line with the increase of costs related to security measures –obligatory, U.S. Congress ruled–, the purchase of new technology, and inflation. If the visa is not granted, the applicant does not get a refund.

Trade agreement with China

A delegation from China will visit Costa Rica next January 7-11, in the first stage of a process leading to an eventual free trade agreement between the two nations. Delegates from both countries will discuss here information on economy, production features, and the consumption needs in both countries, in order to decide whether the two parties are ready to launch the negotiations as such. On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Trade also announced that Costa Rica was invited to and will analyze the chance of joining the group now called P4, which takes in Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, and Brunei.

Hospital waste

Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR in Spanish) student Carlos Alvarado developed a technology which will make it possible to turn hospital waste –syringes, catheters, clothing, bags, etc.– into sand that can be used in construction. With the help of the Costa Rican space industry Ad Astra Rocket, Alvarado found that by using plasma the new material is obtained, thus changing hard-to-get-rid-of, dangerous waste, into an environment friendly material, at a much cheaper cost than what it now means disposing of such materials. Ad Astra –led by former astronaut Franklin Chang– is developing a plasma engine that will eventually propel NASA spacecraft to Mars and beyond.

Fighting aids

The Arias Administration announced a national policy aimed at educating the population of Costa Rica to fend off the HIV and AIDS. The program is to be effective from 2008 through 2010, and it involves state institutions in the planning of actions in education, health care, promotion of healthy living trends, and the mitigation of the impact of the infection, according to the Ministry of the Presidency. It is estimated that some 12,000 people live with the virus in Costa Rica, and that one third of them are women.