Modernizing The Infrastructure
Airport Expansion and Modernization
Panama is updating two of its airports to accomodate direct flights from overseas. The New International Airport at Rio Hato is close to Panama City, but its proximity to Panama's Pacific beaches and the tourist industries there is what makes this one a winner.
The update/upgrade to the David airport is completed and just had a grand opening celebration last weekend. (before and after photos shown) This western Chiriqui Province, which David is the capitol, is a key location for both tourists and ex-pats looking for a retirement home. Panama remains the #1
overseas retirement location in the world for American expats and approximately half of the Panama ex-pat community is living in Chiriqui. International flights into David will make trips out of the country for the expat residents significantly easier and should provide a draw for future visitors.
Are international airports critical to tourism? Well it is obviously not ideal for tourist to have to take long surface-transportation trips after they land from a long international flight to get to their tourist target. Lets' look at the Dominican Republic, a country whose economy is about as tourism oriented as you can get. The Dominican Republic has all-inclusive resorts strung all over the country and they get a ton of tourist traffic. They have built and presently operate 13 international airports, obviously strategically located to serve the tourist attractions.
With the completion of Rio Hato, Panama will have its third international airport (compared to the D.Rs 13). Note that the geographical area of the Dominican Republic is only about 60% of Panama's (Panama's approximately 30,000 square miles -vs- the Dominican Republic's 19,000 square miles.)
Get the picture?
New Highway to Boquete
Work has restarted on the completion of the new highway connecting David and Boquete. Completion of the project which
transformed the existing two-lane highway into a four-lane divided highway has been much anticipated. In addition to the added safety of the new road, the transit time from Boquete to David should be effectively halved (about 25 minutes versus 45 in the past). This may 'open up' Boquete even more as a site not only to visit but as a potential place to settled in as a resident. (photos are before/after then though project is not completed).
Laws Are Changing In Panama
Location of Bars and Nightclubs
The recent legislation "Act 2 of 5 February" prohibits the location of nightclubs, bars and discos near neighborhoods, schools, hospitals and religious centers. The prohibition is clear, the business of selling alcoholic beverages may not be located in urban or residential areas. The article includes a ban for the location near public or private schools or concentration of workers or peasants in a radius of 10 kilometers.
However residents afflicted by noise on Panama's Calle Uruguay (an 'entertainment area' of the city) think the initiative is good, but that the laws should be enforced, something that is not happening with similar laws now. "We know that in the Calle Uruguay there are numerous instances nightly involving violating parking regulations, zoning, noise emission, and moral infractions. But there is no authority to turn to when people are breaking the law at 3 in the morning, "said Hector Milanes, who also calls for the implementation of these changes begining in the busy area located in Bella Vista .
Immigration Law Changes
This exerpt from Boquete Panama Guide, summarizes a MAJOR change in Panama's immigration laws:
The new "friends of Panama Visa" makes it easier than ever to obtain permanent residency with a $5,000 bank deposit and and either a job or opening a business. Under this visa you can open your own business and work in it, no need to hire employees unless you want them. This coupled with the enhanced access (Ed note: due to expansion of David airport and widening to 4-lanes of road David-to-Boquete) is going increase the growth both in Boquete and all of the "interior" of Panama as people worldwide smell opportunity.
Prior to this you could come down here to Panama and open a business, but the requirement to have Panamanian employees and all the social security costs (and night-mareish bureacracy) that went with it was a business killer for the unintiated (and a no-go for the initiated).
It's That Time of Year
Bus Carriers Prepare for Mass Exodus
Starting Friday the exodus of people out of Panama City for Carnival celebrations all over the country will tax not only the highway system, but the bus companies as well.
In addition to deploying extra equipment, buses are scheduled to leave every half hour, as opposed to the normal one hour departure schedule.
A taste of Carnival. Costumes, music, crowds, parades, beer and the 'washdowns' from the water trucks. Good time has by all
Transporting Teachers to Areas of Difficult Access
Starting on February 14, some 648 teachers working in remote and/or hard-to-access
areas of Panama will be transported to their workplaces by sea, air and land. Teachers being transported are working in isolated areas and particularly in the difficult to access areas of Guna Yala, Embera Wounaan land, and the Ngobe Bugle camarca as well as areas of certain areas of Chiriqui Grande, Bocas del Toro and Changuinola.
Transportation methods include everything from air travel to Meduca buses to watercraft supplied by units of the country's Naval Service.
Till Next Time. Pura Vida
Recent Comments