Costa Rica News - April 16, 2006

Costa Rica's New International Airport Will Be Built in Sierpe

It was just announced by Costa Rica's Aviacion Civil, that the country's newest airport will be built 5 kilometers south of the town of Palmar Sur in Sierpe Valley. The airport will boast a runway that will accommodate even the largest of A-380 Airbus.

• The new airport will be conveniently located only two kilometers from the Pan-American Highway.
• The construction of the airport is expected by a construction boom in new infrastructure such as hotels.
• Tourism and real estate from Quepos to the Panamanian border is expected to increase manifold.
• The experts expect the area to develop as Guanacaste did after the construction of the international airport near Liberia

Caldera and Costanera Sur work set at $40 million

The transport ministry is investing about $40 million in the construction and remodeling of the Costanera Sur and in the building of an El Roble-Caldera link.

This project, when completed will provide truckers and others with an alternative to the Interamerican highway that winds through San José and Cartago before heading south.

Truckers will be able to take the Costanera Sur south and hook up with the Interamerican by taking an exit at Dominical.

Since February, the firm Constructora Meco S.A. had been working on the El Roble-Caldera link. This includes 12 kms. (about 7.5 miles) of road and is expected to be finished in October. This is a $4.2 million job, financed in part by the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Economica.

In May, transport officials expect the firm Hernán Solís S.A. to begin construction work on the leveling and drainage of the stretch of the Costanera from Quepos to Barú near Dominical with access to Pérez Zeledón. This is a $17 million job that covers 42 kms. (26 miles). The firm will have two years to complete this phase one effort. The road, which borders the Pacific, is gravel now and badly washed out.

High Competitiveness

Costa Rica is third in Latin America and the Caribbean in the world 2005-2006 competitiveness ranking made by the World Economic Forum.

Chile and Argentina are first and second, respectively, among the 21 nations in the region.

Much larger economies, such as those from Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, which also have many times the population of Costa Rica, are below the small Central American nation.

In the global ranking, Costa Rica is 56 among 117 nations, which are headed by Finland, which is in turn followed by the United States, Sweden, Denmark, and Taiwan.

The leading indicators in favor of Costa Rica, according to the Forum, are the independence of the Judiciary, high health indicators, and the quality of basic education

Costa Rica Make Progress On Free Trade Negotiations

Panama and Costa Rica have made progress on their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations despite various disagreements, the Panamanian Trade and Industry Ministry said on Thursday.

A meeting earlier this week between the two countries enabled them to exchange information, review issues and discuss future steps and economic activities, said the ministry.

Both countries' delegations reviewed market access and reached an agreement on 50 percent of tariff lines.

Among products examined were coffee, tea, fuels, medicine, rubber, manufactured products, leather, furs, machinery, mechanical equipment, precision instruments and antiques.

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