Platinum Television Group will feature the Costa Rican Investment Board, CINDE, for its innovative, educational television series, Business & Beyond. It will be featured in a segment on “Economic Development--Investment Opportunities Abroad.”

The Costa Rican Investment Board (CINDE) assists foreign investors in establishing their operations in Costa Rica. A private, nonprofit organization, CINDE has an expert staff that will provide complete, updated economic and business information, prepare customized visits to the country, assist in making initial contacts with suppliers and professionals, and do any follow-up required to establish the operation. All of these services are part of their free assistance.

For example, recently CINDE announced that Intel had invested $110 million in Costa Rica for the manufacturing of “chipset” in addition to its already successful operation in the country, because it has found good prospects in Costa Rica’s investment climate conditions.

Costa Rica assigns the utmost importance to the influx of foreign investment into the country, not only for balance of payment reasons, but most importantly as a significant contributor to the generation of employment, technology transfer and diversification of exports. As a rule, foreigners have exactly the same rights as locals for conducting business in Costa Rica. Therefore, companies and individuals can establish operations in several ways and in almost every industry without limitations. This also means that the possibility of creating strategic alliances between foreign and local companies is only limited to identifying the right market opportunity and finding the right partners in the country.

Within that context, CINDE works to foster Costa Rica's development, by serving as a catalyst and facilitator for the investment process in the country. From its non-political, non-sectorial interest position, CINDE has excellent relations with both the public and the private sectors. CINDE has reorganized itself and now concentrates in promoting Costa Rica as a competitive investment site in three sectors that benefit from significant strengths and advantages that the country has to offer: Medical Devices, Electronics, and Services. A fourth sector, Special Projects, includes projects in areas such as textiles, tourism, and others.

CINDE’s offices in New York and California proactively look for expanding companies and provide tailor-made services to investors. An additional team in Costa Rica advises on how to do business in the country, creates customized itineraries according to the investor’s needs, and provides support during and after the establishment of operations. CINDE develops a long-term relationship with the investor established in the country and is committed to providing continued assistance as may be required.

Costa Rica offers attractive tax incentives, other important foreign corporations, preferential access to important markets, and highly skilled and educated human resources among other advantages, as well as the free professional assistance from CINDE. For more information, please visit the official website at: http://www.cinde.or.cr./.