Source: http://www.journalcr.com/
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
(Infocom) — The quality and variety of its tourism products have earned Costa Rica being named the best Latin American tourist destination by readers of the prestigious magazine Travel Weekly for the third year in a row.
The award was presented to Costa Rican Tourism Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides during the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) recently held in Madrid, Spain, where a Costa Rican delegation represented the country. The delegation included members of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUT), and the Costa Rican Tourism Professionals Association (ACOPROT).
Benavides said the award is a recognition of the Costa Rican tourism industry’s efforts to position itself among the best travel destinations worldwide.
“We are very proud to have been recognized in this category, and especially because the winners are chosen by important members of the U.S. tourism industry, which underscores the quality of Costa Rican tourism and commits us to continue improving as a destination,” Benavides said.
Benavides as well as his colleagues from CANATUR and ACOPROT agreed that the award is a challenge to maintain and improve the services the country already offers to tourists, and to incorporate others that are missing.
Patricia Duar, ACOPROT’s executive director, said that the awards the country continues to receive and its presence in tourism events of international importance show that Costa Rica can compete against destinations that have stronger market positioning and deeper pockets to promote themselves.
The Travel Weekly’s Readers Choice Award is decided through a vote among the magazine’s 180,000 readers, most of whom are part of the U.S. tourism industry —including travel agents, hotels, tour operators and supply companies.
Factors that contributed to Costa Rica’s victory included the high quality of its tourism products, the variety of activities travelers can enjoy in a single visit, the country’s exuberant natural attractions, and the warmth of its people. Costa Rica defeated top competitors in the region such as Brazil, Peru, Belize and Argentina.
The award was started five years ago, and Costa Rica previously won the Latin American category in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Almost 2 million visited Costa Rica in 2007
Source: http://www.journalcr.com/
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
(Infocom) — The recently finished year was without a doubt a very good one for Costa Rica’s tourism industry, as almost 2 million visitors came here attracted by the natural wonders that have made this country an internationally recognized travel destination.
According to data unveiled by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) in its annual report, the number of tourists who arrived here via different routes in 2007 closed at a little over 1.9 million, which represents an 11 percent increase over 2006 — surpassing the number expected by the 2006-2010 National Development Plan.
The foreign-currency revenue generated by the tourism industry also grew by $292.3 million compared to 2006, reaching more than $1.9 billion. Also on the increase was the number of seats available in flights to the country — 675,000, or 22 percent more than in 2006.
Tourism Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides said such positive performance was due to several factors, among them the addition of new airlines to the Costa Rican travel market and an increase in the frequency of flights by carriers already established here.
Benavides added that the results challenge the country to continue working hard in 2008 to keep the momentum going.
Other 2007 achievements include the inauguration of a Public Relations Office for the United States and Canada, as well as the effective use of 95 percent of the budget assigned to tourism marketing and promotion — which will increase from $8 million to $14 million in 2008.
In the area of citizen and tourist security, ICT and the Ministry of Public Security continued coordinating efforts, resulting in the deployment of 100 new Tourist Police officers. Crime against tourists decreased by 26 percent during 2007.
Besides providing its yearly report, ICT also updates the objectives of the National Tourism Development Plan for 2008, which include the implementation of policies to achieve tourism sustainability, attracting more investments, and venturing into new tourism markets — among them Asia.
As Minister Benavides pointed out, tourism officials will seek to strengthen ties with municipalities and communities throughout the country to continue working on issues such as planning and organization of tourism-related development.
Another goal is to consolidate the opening of regional tourism offices (one for each tourism planning region), for an investment of $1 million. The current plan calls for opening eight offices, located in Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Limon and the Northern Zone.
Sustainability: The next great challenge
With Costa Rica hosting the 2008 Sustainable Tourism World Summit, organized by the United Nations, the topic of sustainability is poised to become a key driving force for this industry as it attempts to meet the objectives of the 2002-2012 National Tourism Development Plan.
This plan establishes the tourism development model to be followed in the next few years, based on the basic premises of taking advantage of tourism in a sustainable way, managing natural and human resources, and seeking the equitable distribution of profits generated by this economic activity.
According to these premises, Costa Rica seeks to reach an annual target of 6.6 percent growth in the number of foreign visitors by 2012, as well as a 2.2 percent boost in internal tourism — thus strengthening its positioning as a “brand country” and achieving better human development rates.
Tourism officials have indicated there are still several gaps to fill to reach such goals, among them improving airport infrastructure, increasing hotel occupancy to 10,000 rooms, boosting the quality of services, and expanding the network of tourist destinations with the goal of providing more communities with the benefits of this surging industry.
Additionally, officials believe it is important to enhance the Tourism Sustainability Certificate (CST) program, which ICT currently runs in coordination with other public and private entities; strengthen the protection and promotion of national parks; support small and medium tourism businesses; and implement new and innovative marketing strategies that would help reinforce Costa Rica’s brand as an ecological destination.
To reach all of these growth objectives, the plan stipulates that the concept of resource sustainability must be applied to all industry development processes, which implies serious planning work between businesses, regional and national tourism chambers, government institutions, and municipalities that depend on the current tourism boom.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
(Infocom) — The recently finished year was without a doubt a very good one for Costa Rica’s tourism industry, as almost 2 million visitors came here attracted by the natural wonders that have made this country an internationally recognized travel destination.
According to data unveiled by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) in its annual report, the number of tourists who arrived here via different routes in 2007 closed at a little over 1.9 million, which represents an 11 percent increase over 2006 — surpassing the number expected by the 2006-2010 National Development Plan.
The foreign-currency revenue generated by the tourism industry also grew by $292.3 million compared to 2006, reaching more than $1.9 billion. Also on the increase was the number of seats available in flights to the country — 675,000, or 22 percent more than in 2006.
Tourism Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides said such positive performance was due to several factors, among them the addition of new airlines to the Costa Rican travel market and an increase in the frequency of flights by carriers already established here.
Benavides added that the results challenge the country to continue working hard in 2008 to keep the momentum going.
Other 2007 achievements include the inauguration of a Public Relations Office for the United States and Canada, as well as the effective use of 95 percent of the budget assigned to tourism marketing and promotion — which will increase from $8 million to $14 million in 2008.
In the area of citizen and tourist security, ICT and the Ministry of Public Security continued coordinating efforts, resulting in the deployment of 100 new Tourist Police officers. Crime against tourists decreased by 26 percent during 2007.
Besides providing its yearly report, ICT also updates the objectives of the National Tourism Development Plan for 2008, which include the implementation of policies to achieve tourism sustainability, attracting more investments, and venturing into new tourism markets — among them Asia.
As Minister Benavides pointed out, tourism officials will seek to strengthen ties with municipalities and communities throughout the country to continue working on issues such as planning and organization of tourism-related development.
Another goal is to consolidate the opening of regional tourism offices (one for each tourism planning region), for an investment of $1 million. The current plan calls for opening eight offices, located in Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Limon and the Northern Zone.
Sustainability: The next great challenge
With Costa Rica hosting the 2008 Sustainable Tourism World Summit, organized by the United Nations, the topic of sustainability is poised to become a key driving force for this industry as it attempts to meet the objectives of the 2002-2012 National Tourism Development Plan.
This plan establishes the tourism development model to be followed in the next few years, based on the basic premises of taking advantage of tourism in a sustainable way, managing natural and human resources, and seeking the equitable distribution of profits generated by this economic activity.
According to these premises, Costa Rica seeks to reach an annual target of 6.6 percent growth in the number of foreign visitors by 2012, as well as a 2.2 percent boost in internal tourism — thus strengthening its positioning as a “brand country” and achieving better human development rates.
Tourism officials have indicated there are still several gaps to fill to reach such goals, among them improving airport infrastructure, increasing hotel occupancy to 10,000 rooms, boosting the quality of services, and expanding the network of tourist destinations with the goal of providing more communities with the benefits of this surging industry.
Additionally, officials believe it is important to enhance the Tourism Sustainability Certificate (CST) program, which ICT currently runs in coordination with other public and private entities; strengthen the protection and promotion of national parks; support small and medium tourism businesses; and implement new and innovative marketing strategies that would help reinforce Costa Rica’s brand as an ecological destination.
To reach all of these growth objectives, the plan stipulates that the concept of resource sustainability must be applied to all industry development processes, which implies serious planning work between businesses, regional and national tourism chambers, government institutions, and municipalities that depend on the current tourism boom.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Cocos Island nominated for ‘new natural wonders’
Source: http://www.journalcr.com/
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
(Infocom) — Famous worldwide for being one of the places with the biggest marine biodiversity and because of the legends about a pirate treasure hidden there, Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) has been recently nominated as one of the sites vying to be among the world’s seven new natural wonders, according to an announcement made by the Web site http://www.new7wonders.com/
The Costa Rican island is one of 300 natural wonders nominated by the Swiss foundation New 7 Wonders, the same that organized a contest to elect the seven new wonders of the world in 2007. Cocos Island’s candidacy was gladly received by the organizations that work to protect its marine ecosystems.
“The nomination is excellent, as it is a wonderful recognition to a site of great biological importance for the world. We believe there are many possibilities it will be chosen among the seven first places, so we are encouraging everybody to vote for the island on the Web,” said Danny Gonzalez, spokesperson for the organization MarViva, which protects the marine resources of Cocos and the East Pacific Biological Corridor, which comprises the island.
Web surfers from all over the world have until Dec. 31 of this year to cast their votes at the New 7 Wonders site. A total of 21 finalists will be chosen from this initial poll, and in 2009 there will another contest to pick the winners.
Currently, Cocos is 35 on the provisional ranking. Other nominees include the Amazon jungle, the Iguazu waterfalls and Lake Titicaca in South America; the Everglades, Kilauea Volcano and the Grand Canyon in North America; the Kalahari Desert and Victoria Falls in Africa; and Mount Everest and the Sunderbans mangrove forest in Asia.
Gonzalez said the nomination will also help strengthen the awareness efforts carried out by several organizations charged with protecting the island’s marine resources and biodiversity, as it will drive people to know more about the site and its importance for the world.
“The island houses great nature and cultural riches. It’s home to many endemic species and is part of the East Pacific Tropical Marine Corridor, along with the islands of Coiba, Malpelo and the Galapagos, which allows the movement of many migratory marine species from North and South America,” he explained.
“This nomination will also help people learn about serious problems that affect Cocos Island’s marine ecosystems, such as illegal fishing, shark finning and other human activities that put pressure on natural resources. Protecting these resources is a big challenge, and that’s why this year we will do our best to tell people about the importance to know about and contribute to the safeguard of this heritage site,” Gonzalez added.
Cocos Island, a national park under the protection of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1967. It houses some 27 shark species and 235 plant species, 70 of them endemic. Moreover, it has a rich historical and cultural site, containing petroglyphs and graffiti left by buccaneers in the 18th century.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
(Infocom) — Famous worldwide for being one of the places with the biggest marine biodiversity and because of the legends about a pirate treasure hidden there, Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) has been recently nominated as one of the sites vying to be among the world’s seven new natural wonders, according to an announcement made by the Web site http://www.new7wonders.com/
The Costa Rican island is one of 300 natural wonders nominated by the Swiss foundation New 7 Wonders, the same that organized a contest to elect the seven new wonders of the world in 2007. Cocos Island’s candidacy was gladly received by the organizations that work to protect its marine ecosystems.
“The nomination is excellent, as it is a wonderful recognition to a site of great biological importance for the world. We believe there are many possibilities it will be chosen among the seven first places, so we are encouraging everybody to vote for the island on the Web,” said Danny Gonzalez, spokesperson for the organization MarViva, which protects the marine resources of Cocos and the East Pacific Biological Corridor, which comprises the island.
Web surfers from all over the world have until Dec. 31 of this year to cast their votes at the New 7 Wonders site. A total of 21 finalists will be chosen from this initial poll, and in 2009 there will another contest to pick the winners.
Currently, Cocos is 35 on the provisional ranking. Other nominees include the Amazon jungle, the Iguazu waterfalls and Lake Titicaca in South America; the Everglades, Kilauea Volcano and the Grand Canyon in North America; the Kalahari Desert and Victoria Falls in Africa; and Mount Everest and the Sunderbans mangrove forest in Asia.
Gonzalez said the nomination will also help strengthen the awareness efforts carried out by several organizations charged with protecting the island’s marine resources and biodiversity, as it will drive people to know more about the site and its importance for the world.
“The island houses great nature and cultural riches. It’s home to many endemic species and is part of the East Pacific Tropical Marine Corridor, along with the islands of Coiba, Malpelo and the Galapagos, which allows the movement of many migratory marine species from North and South America,” he explained.
“This nomination will also help people learn about serious problems that affect Cocos Island’s marine ecosystems, such as illegal fishing, shark finning and other human activities that put pressure on natural resources. Protecting these resources is a big challenge, and that’s why this year we will do our best to tell people about the importance to know about and contribute to the safeguard of this heritage site,” Gonzalez added.
Cocos Island, a national park under the protection of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1967. It houses some 27 shark species and 235 plant species, 70 of them endemic. Moreover, it has a rich historical and cultural site, containing petroglyphs and graffiti left by buccaneers in the 18th century.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Rosewood Begins With A Sustainable Tone
Source: http://www.thebeachtimes.com/
By Ralph Nicholson
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
The long-awaited Rosewood hotel and spa breaks ground on a 45 hectare (112 acres) property fronting Playa Guachipelín in Guanacaste this month, but the first structures will not be concrete block and mortar but rather mild-steel and reinforced canvas. The developers behind the Rosewood Costa Carmel, as the resort will be known, have begun building a small tent village just a stone’s throw from the ocean, but far from roughing it, the first guests will live in the height of luxury. Eight people will be brought in to set up the three South African-built, luxury tents, each of which will have its own power and air-conditioning and include a chef, a butler and maids. Further, the inside of the tent-suites is designed to replicate a Rosewood hotel room, right down to the linen on the bed and the towels in the bathroom. “My role is to see the tented operation reflects Rosewood standards,” said Gert F. Kopera, Director of Operations for Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, who flew into Guanacaste last week. “That we are able to show the clients what the final product will be like on a service delivery,” he added. “The amenities in the tents will be virtually identical to eventual amenities in the hotel.” It’s the first of many visits Mr Kopera will make to the area as he decides what to serve in the hotel’s three restaurants (which will be open to the public), where to source the produce, who can make furniture locally, and how to solve the countless other logistical problems associated with building a high-end hotel. “That goes for the uniforms, linen, the vase on the table, everything must be sustainable,” says Mr Kopera.
© Ralph Nicholson
“And food and beverages as well. We are looking for restaurant concepts, based on what we can deliver to perfection, even if we have to help local farmers grow to certain specifications.” During his visit, for example, the operations manager discovered a butcher he believes can deliver sufficient meat at the right quality to allow for a meat-based restaurant. A seafood restaurant is a given. “Just watching what the fishermen bring in…the fish and seafood here is nothing short of astounding,” Mr Kopera adds. “I am sure that we will have 90 per cent of our food produced locally.” The hotel complex, which is scheduled to open in April of 2010, will be designed by Three Architecture, a Dallas, Texas-based group that specializes in four and five-star hotels, resorts, country clubs and spas. It was founded 24 years ago, and has designed a Rosewood Hotel before — the Rosewood Mayakoba Resort, in Riviera Maya, in Mexico. The project becomes the third luxury hotel to break ground in Guanacaste in the past 12 months. The 310-room J.W. Marriott, inside the Hacienda Pinilla beach resort community has been under construction for more than a year, while the 214-room Hyatt Azulera Resort formally broke ground in Brasilito at the end of January.
© Photo Courtesy
ARTIST’S IMPRESSION: The Rosewood guestrooms. Developers say the hotel will be finished by April of 2010. Construction on model homes begins this month. But the Rosewood’s tent village, which is expected to be completed in 45 days, is not just about showing off the facilities of the 80-room hotel, rather it is part of an aggressive sales and marketing campaign which also kicks off this month. For in the hills behind the hotel rooms dotted in front of the wide, white-sand beach will be up to 80 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes. Fifteen undeveloped residential ocean-view lots are also for sale. This week representatives of IMI, the South Carolina-based, international real estate company in charge of selling and marketing the project, left on a tour of London, Paris, Moscow, San Francisco and southern California. “Russia, as an emerging nation, brings with it a growing list of millionaires,” says IMI’s Pat Cerjan. "In the World it is among the top three, along with the United States and India.” Mr Cerjan says Europe was always part of IMI’s sales and marketing plan for Rosewood Costa Carmel, but it can’t hurt that the Euro currency is at record highs against a weak US dollar. There’s also been interest from South Korea. “It’s a global world now, and things just don’t come to you,” he says of their strategy. “To have international owners from all over the world, gives the village a good feeling as well.”
© Ralph Nicholson
The single bedroom studios will sell for about $800,000. Other than that IMI still has to decide market price for the houses they will build, just as they have still to decide whether all 80 available lots will be sold with custom-built homes. Depending upon demand, some may be sold as unimproved land. They do know the first major structure to be built after the tent village will be a bridge across one of the water courses that snakes around the property. That will allow heavy machinery onto the property during the wet season, and means they can build four model homes. The 1400 square meter (15,000 square feet) spa will begin at about the same time as the hotel. There will be an environmental learning center in the complex, walking trails and bike paths. The resort has no golf course; instead the developers have negotiated a sharing arrangement with their neighbors. Farther south, the Baltimore, Maryland-based Union Box Company, has agreed a deal for a $100 million, 110-room Ritz Carlton Hotel to be built on 800 hectares (2000 acres) in the Zapotal Valley. That project, which has direct access to Playa Guacamaya, will include a Rees Jones-designed, 18-hole golf course. Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, which is a privately-held luxury hotel management company, has no equity in the Costa Carmel project and will lend its brand in return for a management contract. The backers of the development are Roger Hall, a developer from Boca Raton in Florida and the owner of the land, and Génesis Desarrolladores, which represents a group of investors.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
By Ralph Nicholson
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
The long-awaited Rosewood hotel and spa breaks ground on a 45 hectare (112 acres) property fronting Playa Guachipelín in Guanacaste this month, but the first structures will not be concrete block and mortar but rather mild-steel and reinforced canvas. The developers behind the Rosewood Costa Carmel, as the resort will be known, have begun building a small tent village just a stone’s throw from the ocean, but far from roughing it, the first guests will live in the height of luxury. Eight people will be brought in to set up the three South African-built, luxury tents, each of which will have its own power and air-conditioning and include a chef, a butler and maids. Further, the inside of the tent-suites is designed to replicate a Rosewood hotel room, right down to the linen on the bed and the towels in the bathroom. “My role is to see the tented operation reflects Rosewood standards,” said Gert F. Kopera, Director of Operations for Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, who flew into Guanacaste last week. “That we are able to show the clients what the final product will be like on a service delivery,” he added. “The amenities in the tents will be virtually identical to eventual amenities in the hotel.” It’s the first of many visits Mr Kopera will make to the area as he decides what to serve in the hotel’s three restaurants (which will be open to the public), where to source the produce, who can make furniture locally, and how to solve the countless other logistical problems associated with building a high-end hotel. “That goes for the uniforms, linen, the vase on the table, everything must be sustainable,” says Mr Kopera.
© Ralph Nicholson
“And food and beverages as well. We are looking for restaurant concepts, based on what we can deliver to perfection, even if we have to help local farmers grow to certain specifications.” During his visit, for example, the operations manager discovered a butcher he believes can deliver sufficient meat at the right quality to allow for a meat-based restaurant. A seafood restaurant is a given. “Just watching what the fishermen bring in…the fish and seafood here is nothing short of astounding,” Mr Kopera adds. “I am sure that we will have 90 per cent of our food produced locally.” The hotel complex, which is scheduled to open in April of 2010, will be designed by Three Architecture, a Dallas, Texas-based group that specializes in four and five-star hotels, resorts, country clubs and spas. It was founded 24 years ago, and has designed a Rosewood Hotel before — the Rosewood Mayakoba Resort, in Riviera Maya, in Mexico. The project becomes the third luxury hotel to break ground in Guanacaste in the past 12 months. The 310-room J.W. Marriott, inside the Hacienda Pinilla beach resort community has been under construction for more than a year, while the 214-room Hyatt Azulera Resort formally broke ground in Brasilito at the end of January.
© Photo Courtesy
ARTIST’S IMPRESSION: The Rosewood guestrooms. Developers say the hotel will be finished by April of 2010. Construction on model homes begins this month. But the Rosewood’s tent village, which is expected to be completed in 45 days, is not just about showing off the facilities of the 80-room hotel, rather it is part of an aggressive sales and marketing campaign which also kicks off this month. For in the hills behind the hotel rooms dotted in front of the wide, white-sand beach will be up to 80 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes. Fifteen undeveloped residential ocean-view lots are also for sale. This week representatives of IMI, the South Carolina-based, international real estate company in charge of selling and marketing the project, left on a tour of London, Paris, Moscow, San Francisco and southern California. “Russia, as an emerging nation, brings with it a growing list of millionaires,” says IMI’s Pat Cerjan. "In the World it is among the top three, along with the United States and India.” Mr Cerjan says Europe was always part of IMI’s sales and marketing plan for Rosewood Costa Carmel, but it can’t hurt that the Euro currency is at record highs against a weak US dollar. There’s also been interest from South Korea. “It’s a global world now, and things just don’t come to you,” he says of their strategy. “To have international owners from all over the world, gives the village a good feeling as well.”
© Ralph Nicholson
The single bedroom studios will sell for about $800,000. Other than that IMI still has to decide market price for the houses they will build, just as they have still to decide whether all 80 available lots will be sold with custom-built homes. Depending upon demand, some may be sold as unimproved land. They do know the first major structure to be built after the tent village will be a bridge across one of the water courses that snakes around the property. That will allow heavy machinery onto the property during the wet season, and means they can build four model homes. The 1400 square meter (15,000 square feet) spa will begin at about the same time as the hotel. There will be an environmental learning center in the complex, walking trails and bike paths. The resort has no golf course; instead the developers have negotiated a sharing arrangement with their neighbors. Farther south, the Baltimore, Maryland-based Union Box Company, has agreed a deal for a $100 million, 110-room Ritz Carlton Hotel to be built on 800 hectares (2000 acres) in the Zapotal Valley. That project, which has direct access to Playa Guacamaya, will include a Rees Jones-designed, 18-hole golf course. Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, which is a privately-held luxury hotel management company, has no equity in the Costa Carmel project and will lend its brand in return for a management contract. The backers of the development are Roger Hall, a developer from Boca Raton in Florida and the owner of the land, and Génesis Desarrolladores, which represents a group of investors.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Costa Rica among top countries in tourism competitiveness
Source: http://www.journalcr.com/
- Nation is No. 1 in Central America
I-Com CR. —The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched its 2008 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, in which Costa Rica placed second in Latin America and the Caribbean and first in Central America in tourism competitiveness.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, Costa Rica only trails Barbados, which ranks 29th worldwide. Costa Rica is 44th among all ranked nations.
Costa Rica reached such privileged position thanks to its natural resources (No. 7 ranking), having many sites declared as world heritage, a high percentage of land set aside as protected areas, and enormous biodiversity.
Given the importance of natural ecosystems to the country’s tourism industry, it’s an important accomplishment that Costa Rica placed 32nd in the environmental sustainability indicator. However, security is a concern, and even though the country’s tourism infrastructure is well developed —No. 29 in the ranking, with a strong presence of top car rental firms and abundant hotels — ground transportation infrastructure (No. 113 out of 130) requires more attention, especially when it comes to roads and ports.
Through different reports, WEF is an internationally recognized institution that every year measures competitiveness in countries all over the globe.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report is one of the most recent documents WEF has released. Now in its second year, it was born with the goal of better understanding the factors that promote competitiveness and the challenges facing the tourism industry worldwide today.
This year’s report took into consideration 14 key themes (for a total of 70 indicators) in an effort to measure factors and policies that make the travel and tourism sector attractive in the 130 countries that the report encompasses.
Atop the ranking is Switzerland, which scored high in the three groups of indicators —regulatory framework for the industry; business climate and infrastructure; and presence of unique human, natural and cultural resources. Following Switzerland are Austria, Germany, Australia and Spain.
Puerto Rico, Brazil, Panama (No. 50 overall), Chile and Mexico trail Barbados and Costa Rica in Latin America and the Caribbean. Panama’s strengths are its policies and regulations and its environmental sustainability, in addition to air transportation infrastructure and competitiveness in prices. Panama’s unique natural resources helped the country placed 6th among 130 countries in this category. Weaknesses of Costa Rica’s neighbor to the south include the educational level of its human resource, technological infrastructure and some deficiencies in health and hygiene, all of which affected its overall competitiveness ranking.
Jamaica, Argentina, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala (No. 68) follow in the Latin American ranking. In the case of Guatemala, policies and regulations in the tourism sector are considered a plus, as well as competitive prices and unique natural resources. Things to improve in terms of competitiveness include the educational level of the country’s human resource, land transportation infrastructure and infrastructure in general, environmental sustainability, security, and some aspects of health and hygiene.
Meanwhile, Peru, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras (No. 75) and Ecuador are countries with important challenges in their tourism sectors, according to the report. In Honduras, it’s necessary to improve citizen and judicial security, land transportation infrastructure, technological and tourism infrastructure in general, and better training for human resources. What’s positive about Honduras are its natural resources, the country’s support for the travel and tourism industry, and its competitive prices.
Finally, Surinam and El Salvador (No. 97), Nicaragua (No. 99), Venezuela, Bolivia, Guyana and Paraguay are the countries in the region with the biggest challenges in terms of tourism competitiveness.
In the case of El Salvador, attention to security is a priority, as well as the improvement of overall tourism infrastructure — especially considering that the country lacks, according to the WEF report, natural and cultural attractions that differentiate it in a significant manner. In the case of Nicaragua, the report indicated that its competitiveness would benefit from better training of workers; improvements in land and air transportation infrastructure, as well as in technology; and strengthening of regulations and policies to promote the sector.
According to the report, in both Nicaragua and El Salvador, competitive prices are a factor that gives them advantages.
The Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) — part of Costa Rica-based INCAE Business School — collects data for this report thorough an annual study among business people and executives in eight Latin American countries: Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
Costa Rica’s highest scores were in the fields of human resources and tourism infrastructure, where it placed 1st in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Website: http://www.northpacificproperties.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
- Nation is No. 1 in Central America
I-Com CR. —The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched its 2008 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, in which Costa Rica placed second in Latin America and the Caribbean and first in Central America in tourism competitiveness.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, Costa Rica only trails Barbados, which ranks 29th worldwide. Costa Rica is 44th among all ranked nations.
Costa Rica reached such privileged position thanks to its natural resources (No. 7 ranking), having many sites declared as world heritage, a high percentage of land set aside as protected areas, and enormous biodiversity.
Given the importance of natural ecosystems to the country’s tourism industry, it’s an important accomplishment that Costa Rica placed 32nd in the environmental sustainability indicator. However, security is a concern, and even though the country’s tourism infrastructure is well developed —No. 29 in the ranking, with a strong presence of top car rental firms and abundant hotels — ground transportation infrastructure (No. 113 out of 130) requires more attention, especially when it comes to roads and ports.
Through different reports, WEF is an internationally recognized institution that every year measures competitiveness in countries all over the globe.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report is one of the most recent documents WEF has released. Now in its second year, it was born with the goal of better understanding the factors that promote competitiveness and the challenges facing the tourism industry worldwide today.
This year’s report took into consideration 14 key themes (for a total of 70 indicators) in an effort to measure factors and policies that make the travel and tourism sector attractive in the 130 countries that the report encompasses.
Atop the ranking is Switzerland, which scored high in the three groups of indicators —regulatory framework for the industry; business climate and infrastructure; and presence of unique human, natural and cultural resources. Following Switzerland are Austria, Germany, Australia and Spain.
Puerto Rico, Brazil, Panama (No. 50 overall), Chile and Mexico trail Barbados and Costa Rica in Latin America and the Caribbean. Panama’s strengths are its policies and regulations and its environmental sustainability, in addition to air transportation infrastructure and competitiveness in prices. Panama’s unique natural resources helped the country placed 6th among 130 countries in this category. Weaknesses of Costa Rica’s neighbor to the south include the educational level of its human resource, technological infrastructure and some deficiencies in health and hygiene, all of which affected its overall competitiveness ranking.
Jamaica, Argentina, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala (No. 68) follow in the Latin American ranking. In the case of Guatemala, policies and regulations in the tourism sector are considered a plus, as well as competitive prices and unique natural resources. Things to improve in terms of competitiveness include the educational level of the country’s human resource, land transportation infrastructure and infrastructure in general, environmental sustainability, security, and some aspects of health and hygiene.
Meanwhile, Peru, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras (No. 75) and Ecuador are countries with important challenges in their tourism sectors, according to the report. In Honduras, it’s necessary to improve citizen and judicial security, land transportation infrastructure, technological and tourism infrastructure in general, and better training for human resources. What’s positive about Honduras are its natural resources, the country’s support for the travel and tourism industry, and its competitive prices.
Finally, Surinam and El Salvador (No. 97), Nicaragua (No. 99), Venezuela, Bolivia, Guyana and Paraguay are the countries in the region with the biggest challenges in terms of tourism competitiveness.
In the case of El Salvador, attention to security is a priority, as well as the improvement of overall tourism infrastructure — especially considering that the country lacks, according to the WEF report, natural and cultural attractions that differentiate it in a significant manner. In the case of Nicaragua, the report indicated that its competitiveness would benefit from better training of workers; improvements in land and air transportation infrastructure, as well as in technology; and strengthening of regulations and policies to promote the sector.
According to the report, in both Nicaragua and El Salvador, competitive prices are a factor that gives them advantages.
The Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) — part of Costa Rica-based INCAE Business School — collects data for this report thorough an annual study among business people and executives in eight Latin American countries: Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
Costa Rica’s highest scores were in the fields of human resources and tourism infrastructure, where it placed 1st in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: http://www.century21incostarica.com/
Website: http://www.northpacificproperties.com/
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)