International labor mobility as an important factor in business competitiveness is being obstructed in Costa Rica by the inefficiency of the Department of Immigration.
EDITORIAL
Inefficiency is the right adjective to describe the management of the Department of Immigration and Alien Affairs, where"... there are more than 20,000 cases pending resolution."
Labeling as "tourists" those who should actually be categorized as "International Arrivals" damages projections made by entrepreneurs in this sector.
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) announced earlier this year that 2.6 million tourists visited the country in 2015, 5.5% more than in the previous year.
Almost 70% of international arrivals by air corresponded to North American visitors, followed by Europe with 16.5% and South America with 6.9%.
From a statement issued by the Government of Costa Rica:
2014 was a momentous year for the tourism industry, in which all historical records of the country in tourism were exceeded . This is demonstrated by the data provided by the General Department of Immigration (DGME) which has been analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
Businessmen are demanding that costs be reduced and the procedures required for immigrants to obtain temporary work permits be simplified.
The Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (Cadexco) has asked the General Department of Immigration and Foreign Services for migration processes to be improved and for a reduction in the cost of issuing permits, which currently "... has a cost of $98 for issuing a document which only lasts one year, so if you want to come in the next harvest you will have to pay again, which affects not only the employee but also the employer."
The Immigration Department has improved systems at the consulate in China in order to make it easier for Chinese citizens to obtain the visa they need to visit the country.
As part of a strategy to promote tourism being carried out by Costa Rica in China, the immigration systems operating in the consulate are being updated in order to provide a more streamlined service for issuing visas.
The first half of the year saw the entry of 1,285,599 visitors, up 7.3% compared to the same period in 2011.
The airports have the largest number of admissions, 856,672, followed by arrivals by land, 422,316, according to the Directorate General of Immigration.
"While most of the revenue continues to be reported by Juan Santamaria International Airport (655,530 tourists) what stands out is a growth of 26% in the number of tourist arrivals at Daniel Oduber in Liberia, with respect to 2011. 'Nearly 70% of international arrivals were by air. If a comparison is made by months in the years 2011-2102 you can see that there is constant growth ', said a report from the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism", according to Elfinancierocr.com.
In Costa Rica the current methods for keeping records about the number of tourist arrivals are inefficient, with differences in numbers of up to half a million.
Professionals in the tourism sector believe it is essential to incorporate new tools in order to generate more reliable data regarding the entry of tourists into the country.
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