Spanish Group Unveils Plans For Mega Development in Puntarenas
n a joint announcement yesterday at Casa Presidencial, Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias and the Ministro de Turismo, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, shared the limelight with representatives of the Grupo Nyesa, who recently acquired 200 hectares in the area between Caldera and Esparza in Puntarenas.

The Spanish group plans to develop the lands into a tourist mega project with an investment of some us$600 million dollars that will include four hotels, two of which are classed as "super luxury", residences and a commercial centre.

Benvavides said that the government is committed to working with the developer that will bring some 5.000 permanent jobs to the area.

The tourism minister added that once completed, the project will be a major source of new employment for the area, providing jobs in all areas, including opportunities for professionals in the Puntarenas area.

The minister said that Grupo Nyesa chose Costa Rica for its first investment in Latin America. The group has holdings in the Caribbean, Europe and the United States.

Accompanying the tourism minister in

The project will take between three and four years to complete.