COSTA RICA
With its rich biodiversity, beautiful national parks and tropical coastline stretching 800 miles, Costa Rica attracts visitors from all corners of the world. Rightly so, as this tiny Central American country, which covers just .03 per cent of the globe, contains five per cent of the world’s existing biodiversity, punching well above its weight. It’s also an ideal destination for yachting, but for years it’s been bypassed for neighbouring shores due to its restrictive marina laws. 64
That all changed last year when Costa Rica passed a major milestone agreeing to open up the country to international superyacht operations for the first time, making entry easier and more flexible, and enabling luxury vessels over 24m (79ft) to charter legally and remain in Costa Rica for up to one year – in some cases, two years – at a time.