Today was lecture day. We listened to four different speakers in a fancy conference room in our hotel. I think we all learned quite a bit about how Costa Rica thrives in an area of the world that has lots of political and economic risk.
The first speaker was from the Costa Rica Investment Promotion Agency. Their goal is to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) in Costa Rica. This has been a successful campaign, as FDI flows are growing, and have been a positive in the country's balance of payments. A big reason for this is the educated workforce of Costa Rica. There is no military here, and the money that has been saved by eliminating the army has gone to education. If only America could catch on to this...
Our second speaker gave a presentation on Costa Rican tourism. That is the main reason this country has thrived so much compared to the other Central American countries. This is a much less violent country than some of its neighbors. The Central Valley and North Guanacaste are the most visited Costa Rican provinces (which are the two that we will be visiting). Also, the least visited province (the South Pacific) is the one with the most potential for tourism. Due to local backlash, it has not been able to capitalize on its resources. We also learned that France is the most visited country in the world, followed by the United States, and then China. I found that pretty intriguing.
The next speaker spoke about trade promotion management. This industry's goal is to facilitate internationalization of enterprises through the timely supply of information, training, and advice. They do market research and set up meetings between companies and their international clients.
The final speaker talked about a State of the Region report. This report analyzes all aspects of development in Central America. Unfortunately, because of violence induced by drug trafficking, much of Central America holds lots of risk for businesses, national and international. Costa Rica is far ahead of most of its neighbors in nearly every category, especially in environmental terms.
After we were done with lectures, we went to a Mexican restaurant, where we all had a great time. I'm sure we drove the staff crazy with our fragmented Spanish, but we made sure to tip well. I am typing this as I am enjoying another Imperial, Costa Rica's Budweiser. Tomorrow, we travel to the Irazu volcano. It'll be great to see the background of this blog in person!
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