Margarita Island, Venezuela

Margarita
Margarita is the largest of Venezuela's 72 islands, stretching
40 miles from east to west and 19 miles from north to south and sitting
about 24 miles off the mainland of eastern Venezuela.

The island
features 50 beaches worthy of a name, and its population has burgeoned
to 350,000 people, most of them making a living from tourism or fishing.

67km from east to west and 33km north to south, Margarita is made up of
two arid islands linked by a narrow spit of land behind which lies the
Restinga Lagoon National Park. Almost all the commercial activity takes
place on the eastern part, mostly in the south around Porlamar, the
principal town, and nearby Pampatar.
The sun shines on Margarita an
average nine hours a day almost all year. It is Venezuela’s resort
island, with a wide choice of hotels, bars and restaurants, nightlife,
shopping, and water sports (particularly windsurfing).
The only major
airport on the island is in Porlamar. A half-hour taxi ride to the coast
should cost around $5. Renting a car is another option, with some
dealers offering bargains for as little as $30 a day. However, smart
travelers should read the contract carefully since surprise rip-offs
aren't unheard of.
Five centuries ago Columbus landed here and baptized
the island with the Greek word for "pearls" since the surrounding sea
floor was packed with them.

Today, the pearl beds have been mostly
wiped out and Margarita's largest city, Porlamar ("By the sea"), is
packed with high-rise hotels and condos, a gambling casino, restaurants,
discos, and bars with exotic dancers.


The northeastern coast has the
longest beaches and is a little less commercialised than the southern
part of the island which is busy with mass tourism.

Natural history
enthusiasts should take the boat trip through the mangrove ‘tunnels’
of the Restinga Lagoon. Or visit the ruins of Nueva Cadiz: South-
Americ`s first city!

There are flights to Margarita direct from the UK,
and reasonable domestic services from Caracas, Maturin, Barcelona,
Carupano, Cumana and Los Roques.
Ferries also run between Margarita and
the mainland cities of Cumana and Puerto La Cruz in a trip that lasts up
to four hours.
The island's most enchanting charms, though, are beyond
Porlamar on the north coast beaches of Juangriego, Playa Caribe, Playa
Puerto La Cruz, and Playa El Agua, the most popular and trendy spot. You
can stay in a bed-and-breakfast, walk down dirt roads to the beach, and
dine by the sea at night in open-air restaurants as palm trees sway in
the breeze.

Venezuela is well-known for its quaint bed-and-breakfast
inns that offer cozy atmospheres, economical rates, and appetizing food.
Margarita Island is no exception to that. The island's capital of
Porlamar is the hot spot for nightlife, but perhaps the most appealing
"posadas" or inns are found on the island's north and northeast coasts.


Most popular in Venezuela is a characterful open-sided, circular,
palm-thatched structure, traditional in Venezuela’s Amazonas region.

Lot of restaurants, bars and freeport shops, all in Porlamar which is
at most at a two hour's drive to each remote island tip.
Margarita
Island's beaches, green mountains and valleys, Hollywood sunsets, and
lively nightlife draw thousands of visitors a year. It's Venezuela's top
tourist attraction and a good jumping-off point for touring other parts
of the South American country.

Improving service to tourists? Who
sometimes complain about crime, garbage, water and electricity
shortages, prostitution, inattentive waiters, and incompetent tour
guides.
Margarita, he says, "is a sunny refuge for shady characters."


Full page view in it´s original is available at
http://www.retirecaribbean.com.ve/re...ical,news.html


Should you be interested in business or wish to retire to the
Caribbean Island Margarita or to the mainland Venezuela please don´t
hesitate to contact us.

TOURISM in the CARIBBEAN.

Optimism.
After Cuba
and the Dominican Republic, Venezuela is considered to be the most
attractive destination for investment in tourism within the Caribbean.


Economic Growth.
2004 begins with good signs of growth in gross
domestic product, more flexible exchange controls, and positive
expectations about the capacity of Venezuelans to resolve their
differences. After two difficult years for productive activity, 2004 is
expected to see a revival in both local and foreign private investment.
From the National Investment Promotion Council, and thanks to the
initiatives which have been developed with other Venezuelan
organizations, we expect this year to contribute to our mission of
promoting private investment: continuing the identification of
investment and business opportunities in the country; generating spaces
for dialogue between the private and public sectors; publicizing and
submitting to the National Assembly, in the framework of our agreement,
the opinions generated in the Legal Committees; and building a positive
image of the country by highlighting all our excellent assets, our
wealth in terms of quality of education, entrepreneurial capacity,
talent, and abundant natural resources. It will be a year of great
challenges - the most important being to convert the expected short-term
growth, which we hope will be reflected in investment this year, into a
sustainable promise for the future.


ORGANISATIONS.

CORPOTURISMO.

Corpoturismo, in consultation with the European Union, has designed a
Strategic Marketing Plan 1995-2000 to identify and link international
investors to the most attractive tourist assets in Venezuela..

FOGADE &
FIV.
The strong interest in the sale of tourism complexes began in 1997.
During the banking crisis of 1994, the Deposits Guarantee and Bank
Protection Fund (FOGADE) held the majority of these establishments.
FOGADE and the Venezuelan Investment Fund (FIV), presently run the
process of the privatization of state-owned assets in the areas.


CONAPRI.
CONAPRI is committed to being the leading integrator of
public and private initiatives in favor of improving the perception of
the country and its immense possibilities. The hope for the future
inevitably rests on the capacity of Venezuelans to release the
country’s potential entrepreneurial wealth, always aware of the social
responsibility of this immense task...

POLITIC SYSTEM.

COUNTRY
OVERVIEW.
President: Hugo Chávez Frßas (since December 1998)

Independence: July 5, 1811 (from Spain)
Population (2002E): 22.4
million
Location/Size: Northern South America/352,144 square miles,
slightly more than twice the size of California
Major Cities: Caracas
(capital), Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay, Barquisimento
Languages:
Spanish (official), Indian dialects in the interior
Ethnic Groups:
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people

Religions: Roman Catholic (96%), Protestant (2%)
Defense 8-98, Army
(34,000), Navy (15,000, including 5,000 Marines), Air Force (7,000),
National Guard (23,000).

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW.
Minister of Finance: Tobias
Nobrega Suarez
Currency: Bolßvar
Exchange Rate (5/15/03): US$1 =
1,599.5 Bolßvars
Gross Domestic Product (2002E): $103 billion
Real GDP
Growth Rate (2002E): -8.9% (2003F): -10.0%
Inflation Rate, % change in
consumer prices (2002E): 22.4% (2003F): 37.0%
Unemployment Rate (2002E):
15.5%
Merchandise Exports (2002E): $26.2 billion
Merchandise Imports
(2002E): $12.3 billion
Current Account Balance (2002E): $7.6 billion

Major Trading Partners: United States, Colombia, Germany, Japan,
Canada, and Italy
Major Export Products: Petroleum and derivatives
(80%), aluminum (4%)
Major Import Products: Capital goods (20%),
consumer goods (20%), and raw materials (60%)
Foreign Debt (2002E): $38
billion.

Sincerely
Arngo2


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