Caribbean & Central America - February 2012 (ISSN 1741-4458)

Exports: According to official figures from the ministry of foreign trade (Comex), exports in 2011 reached US$15.37bn, representing an 11% increase on the US$13.66bn exported in 2010. In total, 2,412 companies sold 4,307 products to 145 destinations worldwide, with the industrial sector as the largest exporter. The industrial sector represented 74.5% of all exports and the agricultural sector, 23.1%. The main destinations for Costa Rican products were: the US (US$3.99bn); The Netherlands (US$737.7m); China (US$710m); and Panama (US$572.56m).

Air connectivity: In January Panama’s Copa Airlines announced it will begin operating a flight between Panama City and Liberia, Guanacaste province, on 24 June. Similarly, the Peruvian airline Taca secured the government’s permission to increase the frequency and destination of its long-haul flights, including those to Central America. Currently Taca operates some 50% of all flights arriving and departing from San José’s Santamaría Airport.