The Dominican Republic has become one of the best Caribbean island destinations for retirement, and the North coast has a large population of expats from all over the world. Most residential communities offer property management services and also rental service, and Dominicans are very friendly, helpful people. This makes the island a perfect place to go on vacation or purchase your own house or vacation villa. http://www.dr-luxuryrealestate.com/

1. REGIONS
Caribbean & Central American Countries of the Future
Caribbean & Central
American Countries of
the Future 2011/12
Winners
Costa Rica has been awarded fDi’s Caribbean & Central
American Country of the Future 2011/12. The Dominican
Republic claimed second position, followed by Trinidad and
Tobago in third. Jacqueline Walls reports on the winners
26 www.fDiIntelligence.com October/November 2007
August/September 2011

2. REGIONS
Caribbean & Central American Countries of the Future
C
osta Rica has climbed from sec- tion, fDi Markets has indicated that
ond position to be ranked as Panama is on its way to attract more
the most attractive country in FDI projects in 2011 than in 2010. As
the Caribbean & Central America for a result, Panama was awarded the
foreign direct investment. title of the Best Caribbean & Central
Costa Rica’s dominance in this American Country of the Future for
year’s ranking is no surprise given its Economic Potential 2011/12. The
successful record in attracting FDI country also topped the category for
into the country. According to fDi Best Infrastructure.
­ arkets, Costa Rica has been the
M Trinidad and Tobago, and
number one destination country in Barbados made an appearance in the
the region in terms of FDI project top 10 Caribbean & Central American
numbers since 2003. Countries of the future, ranking in
third and fourth place, respectively.
Project winner Trinidad and Tobago displayed
Costa Rica attracted a total of 227 FDI strong economic potential, ranking
projects between 2003 and 2010 com- fifth in this category, coupled with
pared with only 178 FDI projects invest- obtaining second position in the Cost
ing in Panama, Costa Rica’s closest Effectiveness category, whereas
competitor in the region. However, the Barbados was placed in the top five of
latest figures released by fDi­Markets t he categories: Best Human
have shown that from January to May Resources, Best FDI Strategy and Best
2011, Panama has, so far, attracted for Quality of Life.
more FDI projects than Costa Rica.
Costa Rica topped the category Puerto Rico is business friendly
Best Human Resources, as well as Other winners include El Salvador,
ranking in the top two for Best ranked as the most cost-effective
Economic Potential, Best for Business country in the region; British Virgin
Friendliness and Best FDI Strategy. Islands, which knocked Turks and
The Dominican Republic was Caicos off the top spot to rank as the
ranked second overall in the biennial country with the best quality of life;
ranking of countries across the and Puerto Rico was awarded the
region. fDi’s independent judging title of the best country in the
panel perceived the Dominican Caribbean & Central American
Republic to have the Best FDI Strategy. region for business friendliness in
Despite only ranking in fifth posi- the 2011/12 ranking.
Caribbean & Central American Countries
of the Future 2011/12: Overall
RANK country
1 Costa Rica
2 Dominican Republic
3 Trinidad and Tobago
4 Barbados
5 Panama
6 Antigua and Barbuda
7 British Virgin Islands
8 Turks and Caicos Islands
9 El Salvador
10 Jamaica
October/November2011
August/September 2007 www.fDiIntelligence.com 27

3. REGIONS
Caribbean & Central American Countries of the Future
Best Economic Potential Best Infrastructure MOST INWARD FDI PROJECTS
RANK country RANK country
1 Panama 1 Panama COSTA RICA
2 Costa Rica 2 Antigua and Barbuda
3 Turks and Caicos Islands 3 Puerto Rico PANAMA
4 Bermuda 4 Dominican Republic
PUERTO RICO
5 Trinidad and Tobago 5 Jamaica
6 Guatemala 6 Bermuda DOMINICAN REP
7 Honduras 7 Barbados
8 Nicaragua 8 Costa Rica GUATEMALA
9 Dominican Republic 9 Curacao 0 2 4 6 8 10
10 Aruba 10 Trinidad and Tobago Score
Best Business Friendliness Best for Quality of Life GDP PPP, PER CAPITA 2010
RANK country RANK country
1 Puerto Rico 1 British Virgin Islands BERMUDA
2 Costa Rica 2 Bermuda
3 Guadeloupe 3 Cayman Islands US VIRGIN ISLANDS
4 Panama 4 Barbados
CAYMAN ISLANDS
5 Saint Lucia 5 Antigua and Barbuda
6 Martinique 6 Turks and Caicos Islands MARTINIQUE
7 Guatemala 7 Trinidad and Tobago
8 Dominican Republic 8 Aruba BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
9 Grenada 9 Costa Rica 0 2 4 6 8 10
10 Barbados 10 US Virgin Islands Score
Best FDI Strategy Best Human Resources INTERNET USERS, PER CAPITA
RANK country RANK country
1 Dominican Republic 1 Costa Rica BERMUDA
2 Costa Rica 2 British Virgin Islands
3 Bahamas 3 Grenada SAINT LUCIA
4 Jamaica 4 Barbados
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
5 Barbados 5 Dominican Republic
6 Antigua and Barbuda 6 Panama ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
7 Trinidad and Tobago 7 El Salvador
8 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8 Antigua and Barbuda BARBADOS
9 Grenada 9 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2 4 6 8 10
10 Nicaragua 10 Jamaica Score
Best Cost Effectiveness COMPANIES IN HIGH-TECH
RANK country MANUFACTURING (2011)
1 El Salvador
2 Trinidad and Tobago PUERTO RICO
3 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines COSTA RICA
4 Dominican Republic
5 Belize GUATEMALA
6 Montserrat
DOMINICAN REP
7 Saint Lucia
8 Dominica PANAMA
9 Guatemala 0 2 4 6 8 10
10 Curacao Score
TOTAL TAX RATE, % OF PROFIT
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
BELIZE
SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR
DOMINICA
0 2 4 6 8 10
Score
28 www.fDiIntelligence.com October/November 2007
August/September 2011

4. REGIONS
Caribbean & Central American Countries of the Future
JUDGING NOTES
fDi Markets is the only
the only online tool to
benchmark the investment
Benchmark, fDi Atlas and
fDi Reports.
PANEL online database tracking
crossborder greenfield
attractiveness of countries
and cities in more than 55
fDi Intelligence com-
piled most of the data for
Alfredo Coutiño investment covering all sec- sectors. Its comprehensive the Caribbean & Central
director, Latin America, tors and countries world- location data series covers American Countries of the
Moody’s Analytics wide. It provides real-time the main cost and quality Future ranking with the
monitoring of investment competitiveness indicators exception of the FDI
projects, capital investment for more than 350 locations Strategy. For this category
and job creation with pow- around the world. information was submitted
John Bowers erful tools to track and pro- The fDi Intelligence by individual countries and
owner, file companies investing division now consists of: fDi scored by fDi’s independ-
Bowers Consulting overseas. fDi Benchmark is Magazine, fDi Markets, fDi ent judging panel.
Methodology organised under six catego- about their promotion strat-
Jacqueline Walls
senior investment fDi’s Countries of the ries: Economic Potential, egy and this was judged and
analyst, Future shortlists are cre- Human Resources, Cost scored by the independent
fDi Intelligence
ated by an independent col- Effectiveness, Quality of judging panel.
lection of data by the fDi Life, Infrastructure, and Countries scored up to a
Intelligence division across Business Friendliness. maximum of 10 points
31 Caribbean & Central A seventh FDI Strategy under each criterion, which
American countries. category was added; 17 was weighted by importance
This information was countries submitted details to give the overall scores.
JUDGING CRITERIA • Number of universities
• Secondary enrolment rate
manufacturing
• Number of companies in high-tech
Economic potential • Tertiary enrolment rate services
• Population • Number of International Baccalaureate • Number of companies in the
• Population growth rate schools knowledge-based sector
• Unemployment rate • School life expectancy • Growth of high-tech manufacturing
• Gross domestic product (GDP) growth • Education expenditure firms
• GDP by purchasing power parity (PPP), (Information collected by fDi Benchmark) • Growth of high-tech services firms
per capita • Growth of knowledge-based firms
• GDP PPP, per capita forecast Quality of life • Overall growth in companies 2008 to 11
• Labour force • Life expectancy
• Overall growth in the number of
• Number of outward FDI projects • Infant mortality
companies
• Number of inward FDI projects • GDP PPP, per capita
• Growth in the number of outward FDI • Unemployment rate • Perception of corruption
projects • Secondary enrolment rate • Change in the perception of corruption
• Growth in the number of inward FDI • Crime • Number of trade agreements
projects (Information collected by fDi Benchmark) (Information collected by fDi Benchmark)
• Number of mega FDI projects by capital
expenditure Infrastructure FDI Promotion Strategy
• Number of mega FDI projects by jobs • Internet users, per capita • Number of staff dedicated to promoting
• Investor signals • Telephone mainlines and facilitating inward investment, and
• Growth in imports • Growth in telephone mainlines systems or programmes in place to train
• Growth in exports • Mobile phone subscribers, per capita staff and measure performance, both
(Information collected by fDi Benchmark) • Growth in mobile phone subscribers individually and organisation-wide.
• Number of international destinations • Key initiatives implemented to attract
Cost effectiveness served more investment.
• Cost of registering property • Increase in the number of international • Information on high-growth sectors/
• Cost of dealing with construction destinations
sub-sectors that offer potential for
permits • Number of ports
• Total tax rate, percentage of profit (Information collected by fDi Benchmark) inward investment.
• Office costs • Description of incentives available to
• Minimum wage Business friendliness inward investors.
• Room rate for four-star hotel • Number of jobs created by FDI • Major infrastructure and urban planning
• Cost to export • Growth in the number of jobs created projects.
(Information collected by fDi Benchmark) by FDI • The vision for achieving the location’s
• Number of days to start a business full FDI potential and why it is a location
Human resources • Firing costs of the future.
• Labour force • Ease of doing business index (Information provided by cities and judged
• Literacy rate • Number of companies in high-tech by our judging panel)
October/November2011
August/September 2007 www.fDiIntelligence.com 29