Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country located in Central America that has unlimited tourist potential and is ranked as one of the most visited international destinations.

One of Costa Rica�s main sources of income is tourism. Costa Rica is a democratic and peaceful country, and it has not had an army since the year 1949.

Although the country is small and it covers only 0.03 % of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters 6% of the existing biodiversity in the entire world. 25.58 % of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory.

Costa Rica is also an attractive country for investment and it offers great potential for the establishment of important multinational companies, thanks to the outstanding academic level of its population, as well as the high standard of modern services and social and political stability.

Costa Rica extends majestically from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and its distance is barely 200 miles. Its land portion occupies only 20 thousand square miles. If you travel throughout the provinces of Costa Rica, it�s easy to notice that in no other place you shall find fields with so many variations in their landscape and climate as here. Costa Rica is one of most highly valued tourist destinations on the planet. This small piece of land includes all of the necessary components to satisfy the taste of thousands of travelers visiting each year.

Costa Rica�s territorial division includes 7 provinces, which are: San Jos�, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limon. Together they offer an attractive tourist destination, of almost limitless possibilities, that include extensive rainforests, volcanoes, rivers traveling through the mountains, magnificent waterfalls, beaches and natural resources safeguarded by an important organization of national parks and forest reserves.

Costa Rica was ranked in the 41st place regarding global tourism competitiveness, achieving the second best position in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a report conducted by the World Economic Forum in which 124 countries were evaluated. The only other country in the region that obtained a higher ranking was the island of Barbados, which was positioned in 29th place. After Costa Rica, Chile ranked in 45th place, Mexico came in 49th place, Dominican Republic in 50th place; Brazil came in 59th place, and Argentina in 64th place. The publication emphasized on Costa Rica s natural protected areas, its biodiversity and abundance of other attractions such as beautiful beaches and volcanoes.

Costa Rica�s government policies regarding the development of tourism positioned the country in the 17th place out of a total of 124 countries. The country�s ranking was also increased thanks to the country�s willingness to negotiate bilateral agreements of air services, the attainable requirements for foreigners to obtain a visa and the favorable environment regarding foreign investment. The World Economic Forum defined the level of tourist competitiveness based on a group of advantages that allow every nation to be different from others in this kind of industry.

This first analysis of the World Economic Forum included attractions for tourists from each country as well as other factors that either contribute or diminish the development of the tourist industry in every evaluated nation. Among the main aspects that were analyzed in the Forum, there are the level of government policies to foster tourism, environmental standards, infrastructure and safety. Moreover, health and hygiene were also evaluated, as well as the quality of air and land transportation, the price of services, and the level of natural and cultural resources of each destination.