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Doing business & staying in touch

A suit or a shirt and tie should be worn. Appointments should be made in advance.

Office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1430-1900; Sat 0900-1200 (some offices).

Economy: 

Despite its wealth of natural resources, notably mineral deposits, oil and gas, Bolivia has the second-lowest per capita income in South America. The GNI per capita stands at US$1,010 (World Bank, 2006) and two thirds of the nation's population lives in poverty (compared to a Latin American average of 43 per cent).

Agriculture today accounts for roughly 15% of Bolivia's GDP with soybeans the major cash crop, sold into the Andean Community market, plus sugar and coffee, while beef and hides are valuable export earners. There is also a substantial illegal trade in coca, the plant source for cocaine, which provides a livelihood for many peasants.

Bolivia's trade with neighboring countries is growing, aided by preferential trade-agreements with the Andean Community. The United States remains Bolivia's largest trading-partner, but the influence of Venezuela is increasingly felt.

Bolivia's government remains heavily dependent on foreign assistance to finance development projects.
Conference and meetings are mainly arranged at chain hotels. Major events can be held at Expocruz in Santa Cruz and Fexbol in La Paz.

GDP: 

US$12.8 billion (2007).

Main exports: 

Natural gas, soybeans and soya products, crude petroleum and tin.

Main imports: 

Petroleum products, paper, aircraft, prepared foods and insecticides.

Main trading partners: 

USA, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

Staying in touch in Bolivia

Mobile phone: 

Roaming agreements exist with a limited number of international mobile phone companies; travellers are advised to check with their mobile phone service provider. Local chips are freely available for unlocked phones. Coverage is average.

Internet: 

Widely available in large cities and resorts; there are Internet cafes in main towns.

Post: 

Airmail to Europe takes three to four days.

Post office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0800-2000, Sat 0900-1800.

Media: 

Media ownership is highly concentrated. Bolivia's media are dominated by privately-run press and broadcasting outlets. Freedom of the press is upheld and self-censorship is usually exercised when dealing with reports of social unrest and political machinations, but attacks on journalists do still occur. Low literacy levels impede upon newspaper readership; radio tends to have precedence.

Press: 

• The main papers published in La Paz are El Diario (daily) and La Razón (daily).
• In Santa Cruz, dailies include El Deber and El Mundo.
• In Cochabamba, Los Tiempos is the main daily.

Television: 

• Televisión Boliviana (Canal 7) is the government-run, commercial station.
• Private stations in Santa Cruz are Bolivisión (Canal 4) and Unitel (Canal 9).
• Private stations in La Paz are ATB Red Nacional (Canal 9), Red Uno (Canal 11) and TV Universitaria (Canal 13).
• Red PAT is a national private TV station.

Radio: 

• Radio stations dealing with news and talk include Radio Fides (Catholic-based), Radio Metropolitana and Radio Panamericana.
• Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN) is the major national radio station.
• Radio Illimani is a popular state-run station.

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