Saturday, March 27, 2010
Dear Reader,
Costa Rica's tourism industry is gearing itself up for Semana Santa (Easter Week) which runs for the whole of next week. Hotels, tour operators and car rental companies are reporting an average 80.2% occupancy rate for the week, with Pacific coast hotels expecting an occupancy rate of 91.6%.
Around a quarter of the occupancy rate is down to Costa Ricans, with the remainder made up of foreign tourists. Tourist arrivals in Costa Rica for the first two months of 2010 are also up almost 10% on 2009. The numbers are in line with figures for 2008, which was a bumper year for tourism in the country.
We've noticed our own mini-surge in traveler numbers, too. Our Costa Rica chill weekends run monthly...but for March and April this year, they've tripled to three a month, to cope with a huge increase in demand. There's a few spots left for the upcoming April 19th-22nd trip--but you'll need to be quick to grab one of the last places.
Uruguay is slowly gaining international recognition as a wine-growing country, winning awards for its distinctive Tannat wines. This full-bodied, bold grape variety is ideal when partnered with traditional barbecued beef. Surprisingly, the country has a history of viticulture, dating back 250 years. You'll get a taste of Uruguay's wines, and robust barbecues, on a tour that covers Uruguay's major cities, and best beach towns, on our Uruguay tour.
Also in Uruguay, their new finance minister, Fernando Lorenzo, stated that it would be business as usual following the election of a new president, Jose "Pepe" Mujica. The country will preserve its investor-friendly status. The government plans increased investment in infrastructure, and renewable energy.
Renewable energy is a hot button right now. Ronan McMahon wrote about how you can make 15% a year for the next 20 years from solar energy on Monday this week, thanks to a German government program.
Mexico's Riviera Maya features some of the most gorgeous turquoise water and white sand beaches we've seen. On Monday, the area received a further boost when Mexican president Felipe Calderon visited Tulum, to announce the new Riviera Maya airport. Funding for the project will come from private investment. Once open, the airport will accommodate three million tourists a year.
That's good news for our favorite resort deal, located just 15 minutes from the site for the new airport. More tourists means more demand for resort rentals, such as Sian Ka'an. Not that you'll have to worry about rentals--your Sian Ka'an condo is fully turnkey and comes with a fixed rent. Click here to find out more.
Margaret Summerfield
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