Title: In Panama, a taste of the tropics and a new state of mind

Finally! Panama has not had an tourism article in a major US publication  for over two years.

A delightful Los Angeles Times article with a focus on Boquete and Boca Chica.

Check it out here:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-panama-20100228,0,5687559.story?page=1

Note that a highlight of the authors trip was a rafting trip on the Chiriqui Viejo which may soon not be possible if the hydroelectric companies cannot be convinced to practice water release as is commonly done in other countries.

Enjoy,

Nancy

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Congrats to Canopy Tower proprietor Raul Arias de Para for putting Panama on the map for ecotourism and world-class birding. Selected again and again as one of the top ecolodges in the world, and praised in the New York Times, National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal and Travel and Leisure,  Canopy Tower is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary.

Canopy Tower has to be the easiest-to-get-to top ecolodge-   just over an hour by car from Panama’s international airport. If you love nature, I highly recommend a stay. Even if you’re a local- Canopy Tower will transform the way you think about the attractions of Panama.

Below are Raul’s own words about his groundbreaking work for the last 10 years.

It is often said that time flies. Indeed, it does! We are close to the end of 2009 and my memory goes back to those days in January of 1999, more than ten years ago, when the first guests arrived at the Canopy Tower. I remember the thrill of seeing the visitors walk up to the Observation Deck for the first time to observe the virgin rainforests of Soberanía National Park, extending for miles in every direction around the Tower. “WOW! Incredible! Amazing!” were the first sounds and words visitors exclaimed. They still do. Nothing has changed in this regard. I remember the immense satisfaction, pride and gratitude I felt when pictures of the Canopy Tower appeared in the National Geographic Magazine (April 2000) and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal (January 11, 2000), including a “dot” picture of me with my red Tilley hat—the only Panamanian, other than the infamous General Noriega, to have received such a distinction! My wife, Denise, was at the Paris airport that day waiting for a flight to Panama, and you can imagine her surprise when she picked up the newspaper and saw my picture on the front page!

I also remember the curious combination of exhaustion and exhilaration I felt after the first birders, a VENT group led by Dr. Robert S. Ridgely, departed the Canopy Tower on January 20, 1999, after a hugely successful 7-night tour. I had done everything for that group, from going to the airport and helping in the kitchen, to carrying a scope on the outings, checking the towels in the bathrooms, having breakfast, lunch and dinner with the guests and answering the increasing number of emails coming through that wonderful invention, the internet. I had slept on the living room couch that entire week, as the Tower only had seven bedrooms at the time and all were occupied. Thus, I was the last to retire and the first to be up in the kitchen helping with breakfast. Then, I went immediately up to the Observation Deck, identifying birds with the guests and listening to the “dawn chorus.” When the group finally departed, I fell in bed with a bad cold and slept for 2 0 hours straight—this time in my own bed!

It has been a wonderful decade, in many more ways than one! The Canopy Tower has become an icon in the birding world, a “mecca for bird enthusiasts” (New York Times, April 21, 2002). It is now the core of an ecotourism organization, comprising two very different experiences at two unique eco-lodges (The Canopy Tower and The Canopy Lodge, with a tree-top adventure adjacent)—both employing 47 Panamanians. Additionally, a third lodge is in the dream stage! The wonderful birding at these locales has drawn many thousands of birders to Panama, providing much-needed job opportunities to other ventures. And, most importantly, it has given me the time and resources to invest in conservation causes throughout Panama. In short, it has been a rousing success, thanks to the Almighty God who directs all our actions, to our staff of loyal and dedicated employees and to you, our friends and customers who have chosen the Canopy Tower for your birding vacation.

Come to Panama. We will all be on the lookout for you.

All the best,

Contact Raul: birding@canopytower.com

P.S. The birds are all over the place!

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Oct. 13th representing Amcham I was invited to hear Minister Salomon Shamah’s presentation about what Panama’s tourism ministry ( ATP)  accomplished  in the first 100 days. It is quite impressive. These are my unofficial notes:

1. No one has to pass through migration when you leave Panama! As of mid-November, Panama will be the first country in Latin America to use the same system as the USA and Europe- when you leave Panama you will no longer go through immigration, just a baggage security check.  The extra immigration officers will now all be used to shorten lines for immigration for  incoming passengers.

2. A tourism hotline has been set up to give info, advise and emergency help.  Tourists call 178 . Operators speak English, Spanish, French and Portuguese If a tourist is in an emergency situation, ATP will send a person from ATP to help the tourist.

3.  . The tourist card has been eliminated.  It was a hassle for airlines and tourists alike- the $5 will now be charged when a air ticket is bought..

4. The “Panama 25% Off” low season campaign which brought hundreds of tourist to Panama through a discount program organized with the private sector and promoted by ATP.

5  The “Casco Viejos” in the provincial cities will be restored and made into tourism attractions beginning with David’s Casco Viejo which includes the church and a museum

6. A tourism signage project has started beginning with Boquete and Bocas which will help tourists get around town and to the main sights.

7. With the help of ATP, Google maps of the country are being set up to help tourist find their way around the country. 
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9. Four new charter flights will begin in November from Canada.

10. A top tourism security expert has been hired by ATP who is holding meeting with hotels and other tourism groups to educate them on how to provide safety to tourists.

11. ATP is using a new slogan in their ads: “Panama Sorprende”. The great thing is that this slogan translates extremely well into English: A catchy: “Panama Surprises”.Minister Shamah explained that Panama is not branded and that we are not a mature destination where things run smoothly. But Panama does surprise, usually in a  good way but sometimes the surprise won’t be good. But Panama is certainly a surprising country as a tourism destination.

Nancy Hanna. President and Founder Panamainfo.com/The Panama Planner

Chair of the Tourism Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce

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Both Boquete and Bocas have recovered from the recent heavy rains and are open and ready for your toursim business. Please find below a report from Bocas- you will see that Bocas is now ready to receive tourists.

Boquete is Ready for Tourists: I just spent 3 days in Boquete where I visited all the tourism areas.The road from David to Boquete is in perfect condition. The new bridge across the Caldera River is also in perfect shape. Everything in Boquete is gloriously green and fresh after all that rain. It is a great time to go now to both Boquete and Bocas.

Report: Bocas is Ready for Tourists

The Bocas Archipelago is relatively unscathed from recent weather calamities in our region. Compared to the Bocas Del Toro Provincia mainland, which suffered substantial damage, our living conditions remain in a normal status.

Today, the road is open. We are currently able to truck all commodities and, every 30-minutes, bus all travelers.

Our major problem is perception. Tourists, wishing to visit the Bocas Archipelago, have inaccurate information regarding our preparedness to accommodate them. News media are not differentiating between the Bocas Del Toro Provincia mainland and the Bocas Archipelago, leading to the erroneous belief that the Archipelago is in a disaster condition. That perception is very far for reality. As said, the only difficulty in the Archipelago has been temporary supply interruption.

Be assured, Bocas is open for business. Be informed, all hotels, restaurants, shops, water sports and eco activities are ready to serve guests.

There are no reported deaths or injuries on Isla Bocas or other archipelago islas caused by recent heavy rains.

Bocas Bomberos report no significant emergencies or damages from fire or flood.

We have piped water; while the system is being upgraded, water in some areas may be off for a few hours. We have electricity, with enough fuel to run the power plant for at least one month.

We have land line and cellular phone service, Internet connection, and cash in ATM’s.

We have ample propane gas in tanks. Gasoline for cars and motored boats is arriving at our two stations in frequency and quantities sufficient to serve our needs.

Stores are well stocked with fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, staple foods and bottled water. Supply may run low, depending on deliverability, but lately we have not run out of anything.

Our two water taxi services offer transit to/from Almirante every half-hour; service to Changuinola is suspended pending canal clearing.

Aeroperlas, AirPanama, NatureAir offer regular scheduled flights in/out in good weather. Service is meeting travelers’ needs. No passengers are stranded at our airport.

Our medicine supply is well stocked by Panama Health Ministry; other health aids are available at private pharmacies. Recently and now, there are no health hazards anywhere in Panama.

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Folks,
These are comments I made as President of the Tourism Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce at the Amcham tourism forum Sept. 10th.

It is time for Panama to decide to become the eco- tourism destination it is meant to be and also to take serious measures to stop the relentless destruction of its forests.

Nancy Hanna

The title of this forum is“Panama Tourism at a Crossroads” Why? Because now that we have all the basics in place, it is time to decide on what kind of tourism destination Panama should become. When I first began Panamainfo.com to promote tourism to Panama 10 years ago, I thought Panama would naturally copy Costa Rica in becoming an ecotourism destination but even better because Panama has even more eco destinations than CR, plus more beaches and Indian cultures, history and an attractive capital city. So I thought -this is great- Panama will copy all the good CR has done and learn from the errors- but after 10 years not much has happened, especially in regard to Panama’s becoming a eco-destination. Right now, most of our tourists are coming for business or shopping …80% of our tourists stay in Panama City, about 10% get out to Decameron area, at most 10% go to attractions in the interior like Bocas or Boquete etc. In CR it is the opposite- 90% of their tourists do not stay in San Jose- but get out to the attractions outside the city.

In CR, the president made a decision that CR would be a ecotourism destination and they have been wildly successful. Panama has not made that decision.

In fact, Panama’s nature is being destroyed . It is losing 48,000 hectares of forest each year mostly through burning and indiscriminate logging. At the current rate of destruction, in 40 years we won’t have any more forests- a situation with serious ecological consequences not only for tourism but for the beauty of Panama, the climate and the Canal watershed among other things.

Why have we not done as CR? Ecotourism and tourism is the # 1 business for CR- it is just about the only game in town. Panama hasn’t done the same as CR because Panama is very blessed – it has so much else going on business-wise- the Canal, the free zone, the banking sector, its growing position as a logistical and regional business capital etc. Because Panama tourism is not Panama’s only income earner, while private enterprise did a lot to promote tourism, the government did not do serious work for make tourism happen until Minister Blades came along.

Today I would like to propose that Panama do what it takes become an ecotourism destination. There are strong arguments that this is the best and most desirable kind of tourism. Several presentations during this forum will speak to this issue.

For ecotourism, Panama’s greatest natural treasures are its national parks –Soberania, Bastimientos in Bocas, Coiba, Amistad y Volcan Baru and the Darien. 4 years ago I brought to this forum to speak the head of CR’s National Parks- after making a major investment in an attractive visitor infrastructure in their national parks, CR makes a profit of 20 million dollars a year from their national parks.

Costa Rica’s success shows us that when Panama develops a national park infrastructure the valued eco-tourists will come.

To conclude I would like to take this opportunity to announce that the American Chamber of Commerce- the tourism committee and the our strong environmental committee with the support of the Board is working on a professional proposal for the president of Panama for a National Park visitor infrastructure, an infrastructure which will generate thousands of jobs and businesses for the people in the interior of the country and generate the funds to preserve Panama’s extraordinary nature .

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Folks,
Below are the comments I made about Minister Ruben Blades in his presence at the Sept. 11th American Chamber of Commerce Tourism Forum at the Sheraton attended by 380 persons.

Panama is very, very fortunate to have had Minister Blades as tourism minister these crucial years. I don’t know anybody else who had the clout to get done what needed to be done. See below for details.

Nancy

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Minister Blades for all he has achieved for tourism.

If Panama was to become a major tourism destination, the government had to do certain basic things. First IPAT had to become an independent, professional authority- with all the powers a tourism authority needs. Minister Blades you accomplished that. Secondly, Panama needed a professional, comprehensive tourism master plan, one that would not be thrown out with each change of government. Minister Blades you accomplished that. Third, IPAT needed a system where substantial funds for a promotional budget are available every year without stopping. Minister Blades you accomplished that. Among your many other accomplishments, you solved the tour operators’ decades long transportation problem and you created a more lean and mean and professional IPAT office. Because of these institutionalized accomplishments, the government of Panama for the first time is in a true position develop and promote tourism.

We didn’t see you at too many social events…You used all your enormous energy, personal celebrity, moral authority, your sharp business skills and your artistic genius to create an IPAT that could do its job. I have heard so many really interesting stories of the things you have done behind the scenes to help tourism projects that would be good for Panama.

And perhaps most importantly you haven given Panama a modern day example of a true patriot. To be tourism minister these five years, you sacrificed your music career and millions of dollars in personal income. I am told this is unprecedented in Panama’s history. Thank you for your sacrifice, your example, your accomplishments Minister Blades.”

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I just spent a morning with some visiting relatives strolling around Casco Viejo. It was my first time in CV in about a year and I was very surprised to see all the development in less than a year. There were quite a  few new excellent souvenir shops and restaurants and most surprising of all were the number of buildings being restored. Shortly after, I read in an article in La Prensa about the hopeful new pace of restoration in CV with a quote from Ariel Espino who said that there are 800 buildings in CV and that they need 16-20 new buildings to start being restored each year for CV and that that pace has finally been hit. Indeed CV is clearly developing into what will be one of the most beautiful restored Spanish colonial sectors anywhere. As Arthur Frommer of the Frommers guides wrote recently, CV looks set to be more beautiful that San Juan Puerto Rico and will rival Cartagena.

CV has stunning bay and ocean views throughout the neighborhood as well as a delightful variety of architectural types from Spanish colonial to 1920’s Art Deco styles. And the Panamamanian and foreign investors are doing both beautiful and authentic restorations.

If you go, make sure and have some yummy ice cream in the French ice cream store, Granclement and for souvenirs check out both the beautiful Reprosa jewelry store and the Galeria de Arte Indigena, perhaps the best souvenir shop in all Panama.

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The multinational consulting firm Mercer according to press reports today, just released a study in which Panama City is rated as # 2 in Latin America and for safety and quality of life. It is # 1 in Central America. (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is # 1/San Jose, Costa Rica is #8. )

(The study included San Juan Puerto Rico which is rated # 1, but as Puerto Rico is not generally considered a Latin American country, Panama takes the first place. )

This survey confirms what many multinationals and individuals have already concluded- Panama City is the best place for their regional HQ- among those who have come recently to set up HQ are Dell, Hewitt Packard, Proctor & Gamble, Caterpillar, 3M, the United Nations, and I just heard Frito Lay is coming.

Panama City is far from perfect….especially traffic problems can be intense, but aside from that Panama City is a great place for international corporations, families and individuals. It is one of the safest cities anywhere if you follow rules of common sense that apply to cities everywhere, ie don’t walk around at night in a poor area.)There is a variety of fine neighborhoods to choose from, the best food and appliance shopping in Latin America, 3 major new shopping malls, lots of reasonably priced excellent restaurants and for vacationing many attractive beach and mountain destinations. Not to mention the Panamanian people themselves-accustomed to foreigners, friendly, helpful and warm.

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Great New Upscale Holiday Inn in the City of Knowledge, Clayton, former American Canal Zone: Just attended the inauguration of this new hotel- it is a beauty with a contemporary design that blends in with the traditional Zone architecture and amazing birds-eye views of the Panama Canal and the rainforest. The guest rooms are as nice as many a 5 star hotel. With all the business coming related to the Canal expansion, this 128 room hotel is perfectly located and a much needed given the current shortage of Panama City hotels. This Holiday Inn is also home to Central America first hotel school.

Wow- Central America’s First Hotel School- something our burgeoning industry really needed- the facilties are state-of-the art and the international and national staff are first rate. A Panamanian can now for less the $3000.00 a year tuition get training in the major hotel skills from cooking to management and upon graduation is just about guaranteed a job. I was fascinated with the cooking class salon- it looked like the set of a a Cooking Channel show.

Congratulations to Herman Bern and his Bern Hotels group for once again perfect timing and hotel- architectural delight.

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The Scoop on New Hotels To Be Built Soon: 1, 906 rooms in the next 3 years:

One of our biggest concerns in the tourism industry is the shortage of hotels in Panama City. Sometimes you cannot get a reservation. For large meetings it is recommended you now reserve 1-3 years in advance.

Fidel Reyes, a top Bern hotel executive, just did some research and came up with this list of all the hotels certain to be built in Panama City and nearby opening for sure from now until 2010.

134 Rooms The Holiday Inn City at Knowledge Opening March 27, 2008

102 Rooms The Radisson Colon 2000 Hotel and Casino Opening April 15th, 2008

134 Rooms The Bristol Buenaventura Opening December, 2008

103 Rooms The Radisson Summit Golf And Resort Opening April 2009

80 Rooms The Panama Marriott (ext.) 376 total Opening late 2009

125 Rooms The LeMeridian Hotel Opening June 2009

128 New Rooms Courtyard by Marriott (ext.) 248 total Opening fall 2009

800 Rooms Megapolis Condo-Apart-Hotel Opening late 2009 FIRST PHASE

300 Rooms Rennaissance Panama Opening late 2010

TOTAL: Aprox. 1,906 New Rooms in 3 years, counting the 800 condo-apart-hotel units, I’m sure some other small properties will open around the Marbella, Obarrio and San Francisco area.

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