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The numbers tell a story that Costa Rica’s tourism industry cannot afford to ignore. In 2019, before the pandemic reshaped global travel, Costa Rica stood as the most visited nation in the Central American region with 3.14 million foreign visitors, while El Salvador ranked second with 1.77 million. That gap, over 1.3 million visitors, looked …
Read more “Is El Salvador Winning the Central America Tourism Race?”
No more arguments over who gets the dog. The Brazilian Congress has passed a bill that will let separating couples share custody of their pets. Lawmakers approved the measure on March 31. It reflects how Brazilians view their animals as family members rather than property. The bill, known as PL 941/2024, states that if a …
Read more “Brazil Congress Approves Shared Pet Custody for Separating Couples”
Puriscal is one of Costa Rica’s best-kept birdwatching secrets a rugged, forested area in the province of San José that sits at around 945 meters on the Pacific slope, close enough to the capital to reach in an hour yet wild enough to feel like a completely different world. Most birders bypass it on their …
Read more “Costa Rica Birdwatchers Make Puriscal a Must Visit”
A Costa Rican oversight body is warning that the country risks repeating human rights violations if it moves ahead with a new agreement to accept migrants deported from the United States. The alert comes after President Rodrigo Chaves’ government signed a nonbinding migration deal with Washington that would allow up to 25 third-country deportees per …
Read more “Costa Rica Oversight Body Warns U.S. Deportation Deal Could Trigger Rights Violations”
Four Artemis II mission astronauts blasted off Wednesday aboard a massive NASA rocket on a journey that will take them around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. With a thunderous roar heard far beyond the launch pad, the orange-and-white rocket lifted off carrying three Americans and one Canadian from …
Read more “Astronauts begin NASA’s historic Artemis II lunar mission”
Costa Rica’s public health system is again weighing a move that would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago: paying private doctors directly to help relieve pressure inside the CCSS. The latest proposal would allow some patients to receive care from private physicians when the public system cannot offer a timely appointment. The version now …
Read more “Costa Rica May Pay Private Doctors to Ease Appointment Backlog”
Nicaragua denied Wednesday that it is prohibiting Holy Week celebrations, countering accusations from the United States and opposition voices that public processions have been banned. The government of spouses and co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo faces claims it is cracking down on the Catholic Church, which it accuses of backing 2018 anti-government protests. The …
Read more “Nicaragua Rejects United States Claims of Holy Week Celebration Ban”
Pura Vida may be the unofficial slogan of Costa Rica, but Vivir y Deja Vivir– Live and let live– would be equally fitting. Everywhere I have lived here, from urban San Jose barrio to remote rural areas accessible only by 4-wheel drive, my personal space has never been seriously invaded. What goes on inside my …
Semana Santa, or Holy Week, remains one of the most important religious observances here in Costa Rica, especially in a country where Catholic traditions have shaped public life and family customs for generations. For many Costa Ricans, the week is still marked by processions, prayer, and church services. But alongside official religious practice, an older …
Read more “The superstitions and traditions that still mark Easter Week in Costa Rica”
Costa Rica has been folded into a new U.S. strategic concept that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls “Greater North America,” a label the Trump administration is using to describe what it sees as Washington’s immediate security perimeter. In a speech at the Americas Counter Cartel Conference in Doral, Florida, Hegseth said the map runs from …
Read more “Costa Rica Included in New U.S. Greater North America Security Strategy”