The President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, and the Minister of Tourism Gustavo Segura signed today the law to promote tourist marinas and coastal development, for strengthening the country as an ideal nautical destination.
In the signing ceremony, carried out at the Pez Vela Marina, Quepos, in the province of Puntarenas, Alvarado affirmed that this legislation introduces new characteristics for marina concessionaires and for foreign vessels that dock in their spaces.
The foregoing, he highlighted, will facilitate and strengthen the dynamics of nautical tourism in Costa Rica, a segment that attracts visitors with high purchasing power and has an enormous impact on the generation of employment in the coastal communities of the country.
Projecting the values as a decarbonized country
The Tico president said that Costa Rica will thus be a reflector for the world, “projecting the values that we promote as a decarbonized country, which has successfully managed the Covid-19 pandemic and is committed to sustainable tourism with people as its axis”.
Minister Segura pointed out that by modernizing the conditions in which the marinas operate, they hope it will be a more powerful magnet to attract lovers of nautical tourism, a quality segment, consistent with the sustainable development model, closely related to culture and sport and key to boost the economy of coastal communities.
Ideal destination for luxury yacht charter
For his part, the general manager of Marina Pez Vela and President for the Association of Marinas de Costa Rica, Jeffrey Duchesneau, assured that this reform, together with the skill of the country’s tourism sector and the world-class marinas of the Pacific coast, make Costa Rica the ideal new destination for luxury yacht charter.
The new regulation modernizes the conditions in which marinas operate and broadens the scope of the Law on the Concession and Operation of Marinas and Tourist Berths. Likewise, it authorizes foreign flag vessels and their crew to carry out lucrative activities related to water transport, recreation and tourism within the waters of the national territory, allowing the hiring of national captains and sailors to carry out these practices. Finally, this law enables marine concessionaires and their subsidiaries to grant the concession as collateral in order to access financing.
Costa Rica allows the entry of tourists by sea on yachts and sailboats through the Bahía Golfito, Los Sueños, Pez Vela, Banana Bay and Papagayo marinas, which together have 800 berths and serve dozens of national and foreign vessels per month, as well as they employ 2,500 people, and generate another number of indirect jobs.
