Blueprint for Developing Miami-Dade County as the Gateway for Asian Companies Doing Business in Central and South Americas and the Caribbean by Nick Vicera

Develop Miami-Dade County as a Commercial Gateway for Asian Companies Doing Business in Latin American and Caribbean Countries Miami-Dade County is the closest U.S. metropolitan city to Latin American and Caribbean countries. The current combined annual gross domestic product (GDP) of these Latin American and Caribbean countries is $4 trillion and account for 6.45% of the world’s total GDP.

The Japanese, Chinese, and South Koreans have always had economic interest in these Latin American and Caribbean countries since Japan, South Korea and China are the second biggest trading partners of these Latin American and Caribbean countries next to the U.S. Miami must be developed as the gateway for Asian companies doing business in these Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Making Miami the gateway for Asian companies requires Asian companies to set up regional offices here in Miami so that Latin American and Caribbean companies engaging in business with them do not have to travel to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or San Francisco - where these Asian companies have their U.S. international offices. Locating regional offices of these Asian companies in Miami would create local jobs.

“Business infrastructure” needs to be set up in Miami to make Asian companies feel comfortable when doing business here in Miami. This “business infrastructure” consists of establishing Miami offices for Asian banks, Asian insurance companies, Asian cargo companies, etc. – which would help Asian companies conduct business under their own methods without any language barriers.

Develop Miami-Dade County as a New Destination for Asian Tourists Miami is the gateway to Caribbean luxury cruises.

Asians are one of the world’s biggest numbers of international tourists. Last year, a total of 16.5 million Japanese tourists made overseas trips, the South Koreans spent more than $15 billion on overseas tourism, and the Chinese overseas-bound tourists numbered 32.6 million. But these Asian tourists are hardly seen on board our Caribbean luxury cruises.

Ways must be explored to lure these Asian tourists to Miami and board our luxury cruise ships. More visits to Miami by Asian tourists would create local jobs and generate more tourism revenues.

Establish “Business and Tourism Infrastructures” in Miami for Asian Companies and Asian Tourists

“Tourism infrastructure” also needs to be set up in Miami to provide convenience and comfort to Asian tourists visiting Miami. This “tourism infrastructure” consists of building Asian hotels in Miami and of granting landing rights at MIA to Asian airliners. The establishment of these “business and tourism infrastructures” in Miami would create local jobs.

A Chinatown in Miami is needed to boost local Asian commerce. And with a Chinatown in Miami, a new mix to the local tourism base of Miami could be completed and added – the Asian route – starting from the Chinatown to the Thai Temple in Homestead and on to the Japanese Garden on Watson Island. This additional sightseeing route would generate tourism revenues for Miami.

The “Asian Route” Tour of Miami-Dade County Miami Chinatown Wat Thai Temple (Homestead) Ichimura Japanese Garden (Downtown Miami)

The business initiatives put forward in this presentation mirror the aspirations of Asian residents of Miami-Dade County to make Miami no different from the hometowns that they all left behind half a world away – Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Karachi, Manila, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tehran, Tokyo and many of them. They hope that Miami-Dade County would work with them in making the uniqueness of their Asian ethnicity and the exceptionalism of their business, computer, engineering, and scientific skills as the building blocks for making Miami as an international hub for Asian companies doing business in Central and South Americas and the Caribbean