Am Cham Hires New President with Focus on Tourism in Costa Rica

In the past several years, Costa Rica has become world renowned for its natural beauty and has quickly become a favored travel destination. Even so, there have been concerns in Costa Rica regarding the ability of the country to maintain that position due to local competition and high operating costs. In light of those concerns, a seasoned international hotel management veteran was recently elected as president of the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis Whitelaw, who has more than 30 years of experience working with Marriott Costa Rica, took control of the chamber at the beginning of February. In his position with Marriott, Mr. Whitelaw primarily worked in Central America and Mexico. Prior to working in Costa Rica, he held a position in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. In addition to those positions, Whitelaw has also worked for the Marriott brand in Guatemala.
Tourism Industry Responding to Local Competition
While Costa Rica continues to face competition in the local region, including from Cuba, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, Mr. Whitelaw has been quick to point out that the level of service offered in Costa Rica is far above that of its neighbors. Other countries in the region have made significant strides; however, Costa Rica continues to excel in terms of hospitality and the willingness of the workforce to deliver good service.

Despite the advantages that Costa Rica has to offer, the new president of the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce has also admitted that there is still room for improvement. For instance, Costa Rica could benefit from diversifying the offerings available to tourists. As for Marriott, Whitelaw's former employer, Marriott, has plans to double its presence in Costa Rica over the course of the next five years.

In his new role as president of the AMCHAM, Costa Rica plans to continue working toward attracting more companies from around the world. This commitment follows a year in which the amount of foreign investment in Costa Rica actually contracted. Looking forward, the AMCHAM remains optimistic, although certain areas of concern remain, including the cost of energy, taxes, and inflation.

Around the country, there has been concern among business leaders regarding a significant increase in unemployment. Among Whitelaw's goals for the coming year is to create what has been termed as a labor bank that will assist in the process of hiring skilled workers. By collecting resumes and then posting them on the chamber's website, the labor bank would make it easier for members of the chamber to identify applicants with specific skills.