ACA organizing 2018 trade mission to Costa Rica

BETHESDA, Md. — The Auto Care Association (ACA) will host a two-day trade mission to Costa Rica next year as part of a Department of Commerce-driven export development program.

The mission, part of the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award the U.S. Department of Commerce gave the ACA to support export promotion projects in Latin America, will take place May 21-22, 2018, the association said.

The Costa Rica trade mission is a business development opportunity designed to assist U.S. companies in the automotive industry with gaining first-hand market information and meeting with potential clients and partners in Costa Rica, according to the ACA.

Why Costa Rica? The ACA said the country's “proximity to the U.S. is a major opportunity for U.S. exporters. With ports of entry on both coasts, U.S. exporters from the West, Gulf and East Coasts can have products in Costa Rica in less than a week and can easily travel to meet with sales representatives, distributors or end clients within the same day.”

The U.S. is Costa Rica's main trading partner, the ACA added, accounting for about 47 percent of Costa Rica's total imports.

Under the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), the ACA pointed out, 100 percent of U.S. consumer and industrial goods exports to the region are no longer subject to tariffs. It added that “Costa Rica's economic and political stability have made it historically the leader in the region for international business and tourism.”

ACA trade missions include personalized business-to-business matchmaking meetings, hotel accommodations, local transportation, meals, interpreters and market overview briefings, according to an ACA press release.

The mission is open to all companies in the industry, and qualifying companies are eligible to receive a $2,000 offset of the trade mission cost, it said.

For more information about the event, contact Carolina Arregoces at [email protected] or 240-333-1037.