The national parks of Costa
Rica generated more dollars than the joint exports
of bananas, coffee, and pineapples
in the year 2002, according to the Minister of Finance
Federico Carrillo. While the protected areas earned
$814.5 million that year, the combined income from
the three
products mentioned was $793 million. Official sources
said that the overall amount for the protected areas
includes admission fees, hotels, car rentals, fuels,
and other related areas. Minister Carrillo resorted
to these data in order to promote more funds for
the parks,
which currently meet a shortage in maintenance and
wardens, to mention two areas in which the system
is lacking.
Hyatt to invest $50 million
The international hotel chain Hyatt plans to invest
$50 million in Costa Rica in the next two years, mainly
in a 200-room hotel, according to firm sources.
Hyatt's vice-president for development Michael Schindler visited the country
in order to analyze possible locations for the hotel. Rodrigo Trujillo, Hyatt's
business director, said that the site has not been decided yet, but that
the firm wants to be present in Costa Rica.
A woman at the helm
If the opinion of a majority of Costa Ricans counted
at the polls, a woman would be the next President of
the Republic. This surface in a recent survey, in which
56 percent of the respondents said that they would rather have a woman as
President,
while only 17 percent said they would prefer a man. For 26 percent of the
Ticos, according to the survey, the sex of the person
at the helm is not important.
The next election will be held the first Sunday in February 2006, but so
far no woman has entered the presidential race.
President Talks Trade In U.S.
As President Abel Pacheco and his counterparts
from the rest of Central America and the Dominican
Republic
descended
on Washington, D.C. this week to discuss the Central
American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States
(CAFTA), both U.S. and Costa Rican supporters of
the agreement began increasingly vocal and costly lobbying
efforts for its ratification.
Minnesota University Explores Partnership
With Costa Rican University
The Saint Mary's University
PowerTrak MBA program in Minneapolis hosted representatives
from EARTH University
in Costa Rica in early May to explore potential partnerships
such as MBA capstone project opportunities, and student and faculty exchange
programs.
Karen Gulliver, program director for the Saint Mary's
PowerTrak MBA, toured the campus of EARTH University
on a trip to Costa Rica in January. "I was blown
away by what I saw," Gulliver said. "So I
invited them up here."
What she saw was an innovative, socially and environmentally
conscious university and premier research center located
on 8,154 acres in the heart of the humid tropics of
Costa Rica. Saint Mary's and EARTH would be excellent
educational partners, Gulliver said, "because of
the commonality of mission and values and similarity
of commitment to serving societal needs through education.
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As President Abel Pacheco and his counterparts
from the rest of Central America and the Dominican
Republic
descended
on Washington, D.C. this week to discuss the Central
American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States
(CAFTA), both U.S. and Costa Rican supporters of
the agreement began increasingly vocal and costly lobbying
efforts for its ratification. 
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