Noboa announces ‘clean air’ transportation grant for Cuenca; Galapagos entry fees headed higher; Costa Rica trade agreement will boost local exports

Lunes, 26/2/2024

Hola, Todos –

Titular –

El TLC con Costa Ria favorecerá a Cuenca (FTA with Costa Rica will benefit Cuenca) – The Asamblea Nacional ratified el Acuerdo de Asociación Comercial (Trade Partnership Agreement) with Costa Rica, benefitting more than 300 products currently entering that market. Felipe Rivadeneira, president of the Federación Ecuatoriana de Exportadores (Fedexpor), is expecting that the products from Cuenca currently in the market will double or triple in sales in the first 3 years from $36 million in 2023 to at least $70 million. Of the main export products, 3 are currently from Cuenca: paper and cardboard (accounting for $5 million), white line products [small appliances] ($2 million), and stoves and ovens ($1 million).

In his Monday visit to Cuenca, President Daniel Noboa (center) announced a $29 million grant to provide electric buses, bike paths and new bike rental stations for the city.

Even though Ecuadorian products are charged up to 30% in duties, exports of those produced in Cuenca have increased. The export sector sees potential in products it currently sells to other countries in Central America but not in Costa Rica including tires, wood and furniture. Changes in duties once the agreement takes effect include a decrease from 15% to 0% on stoves and, 15% dropping by 3% annually for 5 years on ceramics.

National –

Suben costos de ingreso a las islas Galápagos (Galapagos Islands entry fees to be raised) – After 26 years of unchanged entry fees, they will be updated for entry into the protected areas of the Galápagos. National visitors will be charged $30 instead of $6 and fees for foreigners will be raised to $200 from $100. The Consejo de Gobierno del Régimen Especial de Galápagos approved the update in fees el sábado. The reasons were to promote a model of tourism based on conservation, generating benefits for the citizenry, and stabilizing the number of tourists. <And hopefully eliminating those badly behaved tourists who would spray paint their initials on the tortoises.>

Presidente Noboa cumple agenda en Cuenca (President Noboa completes agenda in Cuenca) – The President finished his agenda in Cuenca where he signed a contract to finance the “Cuenca bajo en emisiones” (Cuenca low in emissions) <Maybe electric buses and no cars in El Centro? And no bean dishes in El Centro restaurants?> project.

The contract provides $29.2 million through the Ecuador Development Bank for electric buses, bike paths and bike rental stations. The signing was at noon in the Portal Artesanal. The President last visited Cuenca at the end of 2023 when he met with local authorities and named Cuenca as the seat for the 29 Cumbre Iberoamericana de presidentes y jefes de Estados (29th Ibero-American Summit of presidents and heads of states). For the first time, Ecuador will preside over this event in marzo 2024.

And that’s all for today so hasta ?

Jeanne