Foreign Trade Ministry

Tax and investment agreements between Costa Rica and the UAE were the result of bilateral meetings in San José.

The lavish reception at the Tel Aviv Sheraton attracted about 200 diplomats, private executives, government officials, journalists and others.

Exports of services in 2016 also grew by 11 percent over 2015, the Foreign Trade Ministry and the Foreign Trade Promotion Office reported.

Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Mora attributed the positive result to efforts to diversify goods and destination markets for Costa Rican exports.

Costa Rica's exports rose 7 percent during the first half of this year compared to the same period of 2015, indicating a rebound after years of decline.

Costa Rica's capital leads the region in four of the 12 categories of “The World's Most Competitive Cities 2015” ranking that analyzes the most attractive cities for investment worldwide.

The company this week began recruiting staff for its Costa Rica facility, to be located west of the capital, San José. Operations are scheduled to begin in October, the company announced.

Christian Democratic Alliance lawmaker Mario Redondo presented a report also stating that “officials from 13 ministries have taken 1,654 trips during the first year of the current administration.”

Three U.S. companies said they would expand their operations in Costa Rica in the coming months. They plan to hire a total of 450 people, mostly bilingual professionals.

The service center, located in Escazú, opened with 135 employees. The company estimates staff could increase up to 200 by December.