I am thinking business the morning.  Specifically real estate business.  Yea I know that in the U.S. that is a bad word these days.  But isn’t it true that the best opportunities begin to arise when the market is beaten down? Anyway, the reason I am thinking business is because I am developing a real estate web site to promote Costa Rica as a place to invest.  Always one to kill two birds with one stone, I am writing this morning about that topic….Why Costa Rica?  For in reality, the favorable investment climate that this country maintains is another reason I love Costa Rica.  I believe that that favorable investment climate arose riding on the coat-tails of the eco-tourism (and now just tourism) boom that began to sweep the country, I guess about 20 years ago.  That tourism boom continues to this day and I truly believe we have only barely scratched the surface.  This year (2008) we will have about 2,000,000 tourist arrivals.  I believe when I first started coming to Costa Rica back in 2001, that figure was around 1,300,000….so not too shabby growth for the last 7 years.  But could that number double over the next, say, ten years?  Of course it could.  I always like to think in comparison to the number of tourist arrivals to my old home town, Myrtle Beach, S.C., which last I heard was about 12,000,000 per year!  The real estate market boom followed closely on the heals of the tourism boom and it is tourism that will continue to lead the way.  After all, I would venture to say that 99.999% of the real estate buyers from other countries were first tourists. 

So why is Costa Rica so attractive?  With the entire world in a real estate slump (Costa Rica has slowed down considerably too) I believe Costa Rica will be seen by many as a great place to invest AND the primary reason is again directly related to tourism.  I don’t believe the economy is destined to sink so low that people will just stop taking vacations.  People with disposable incomes (and there are still a few of those types out there) will continue to travel, albeit to alternative destinations where they can get more “bang for their buck.”  Costa Rica is one of those destinations.  In terms of the U.S. (which is and will be our number one source of direct foreign investment), it is closer than other areas of the world (Europe, the Far East, etc.).  Vacations here continue to be more affordable, despite the fact that prices have risen in the last decade.  And finally (and this may be the real “silver-lining”) I believe Costa Rica will become more popular as the world (especially the U.S.) becomes more environmentally conscious. If you pay attention you will already see hints of this in little news broadcasts that mention Costa Rica in this light.  Heck, the other day I heard Bill O’Reilly mention (in a conversation about the failing U.S. economy) that if all goes to hell we will just have to move to Costa Rica!  Yes this little country is finding its way into the hearts and minds of the American public and it is tourism that is leading the way.  As tourism grows so will investment and property values and that is why Costa Rica may be right now one of the best places on the planet to put your money. Then there are the obvious historic reasons of a stable democracy, friendly investment laws, favorable disposition to U.S. culture, and the fact (as I write about over and over) that this is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Costa Rica has something to offer regardless of your investment desires (be it beach, or mountain, or city, or country, or whatever). 

I welcome and promote foreign investment.  I believe it is a good thing as long as it plays out in a controlled and sustainable way.  Costa Rica has laws on the books that are favorable toward foreign investors, but that strike a good balance between such investment and sustainability. Those laws need to be enforced.  But moreover, we need more developers to come here with a sustainable mindset.  Certainly to take advantage of the opportunities that exist, but to do so in a way that recognizes and respects Costa Rica’s unique ecological position in the world.  Yes I believe that when the dust of this economic storm settles, Costa Rica’s will still be shining ever more brightly as that little secret gem of an investment opportunity that it has been and will be for many years to come.

Link to My Consulting Site – Costa Rica Guy

Link to Real Estate Investigation Tour Page

On the Money Video About Costa Rica Real Estate

Free 100 Cool Things eBook

100 Cool Things to Do in Costa Rica

10 Crazy Cool Things to do in 10 Super Cool Places - entertaining, informative and the perfect tool to help make your Costa Rica vacation as cool as it should be...