Panama is seeing an hotel boom, both in and outside of Panama City, for both business and leisure travelers.

John Blanco is bullish on Panama. The general manager of the Bristol Buenaventura expects the new luxury hotel to do well thanks to a combination of factors, including location and price.

The beachfront property is also conveniently close to ecotourism attractions and Panama City, with casinos, restaurants and nightlife, he points out. The first stage of the hotel – which includes the main hotel building, several villas, a pool and a beach club -- opened in February. The second stage – which will include a golf course and spa – is set to open next year.

The Bristol Buenaventura is not the only new hotel in the Costa Blanca area, a beach area on Panama’s Pacific coast an hour away from Panama City that is known for its year-round dry and sunny weather. Nearby, Nikki Beach is planning to open an hotel (its second worldwide), as is Hard Rock Hotel and Jamaica-based Super Clubs. These will complement two all-inclusive hotels that are already open – the Playa Blanca Hotel & Resort and the Royal Decameron Golf Beach Resort & Villas.

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Despite the current global financial crisis and the fear generated by the entrepreneurs, investing in new businesses is seen as a hopeful atmosphere Panama, a country that has shown in the last three years an economic growth between 8 and 11% and, for 2009, an estimated development between 3 and 5%.

Panama promise opportunities for companies of any sector to establish and maintain in a market that is guaranteed to be profitable for its productive potential and location.

Convinced of this, Carabobo Fedecamaras, together with the Venezuelan Chamber of Panameña Integration (Civenpa), the Real Estate Chamber of Carabobo, the International Real Estate Federation FIABCI Venezuela and the Panamanian Association of Brokers and Real Estate Developers (ACOBIR), provide support for the seminar "Panama: investment opportunities and driving business," which took place at the headquarters of the Association of Executives of the State of Carabobo (AEEC).

In a visit to The institutional Carabobeño, Melanie Linares, General Manager of International Property Network (IPN) and Damiano Del Vescovo, second vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, have announced details of what will be the event, organized in the framework of activities leading up to Expo 2009 Fedecamaras.

The objective is to advise, through Panamanian specialists, small and medium businesses and the public interested in learning about the different proposals offered by Panama, how to establish a company there and study the best investment options. Also during the meeting, the participant can obtain information about visas and the process of emigration, legal aspects and how to obtain financing.

The seminar is aimed at all sectors: industrial, commercial, real estate, small companies, services, education, health, among others.

By Ted James - The Visitor

It has become the most successful convention center in Panama, catering to activities from pop music festivals to car racing and a regional livestock fair.

The Figali Convention Center on the Amador Causeway has helped turn the area into one of the most popular scenic areas in Panama City for both visitors and the Panamanian public.

The convention center is only the start of the story. Group F, headed by its President, Jean Figali, has a far-sighted development vision which is rapidly taking shape, especially since the Supreme Court recently endorsed his controversial marina landfill. Figali, which is also the common name for the convention center, promises to help make Amador one of the international highlights on the traveler’s agenda.

With a panoramic view over the city skyline and Ancon Hill, the convention center is soon to be accompanied by a complex of tourist-oriented facilities.

Prominent among the construction projects is a hotel, with 400 rooms, 80 exclusive suites and an international casino. Work is underway on what will become the biggest swimming pool in Panama.

Between the hotel and the convention center is a 15-meter wide “peatonal” or pedestrian street named “Zona Viva” or “Live Zone” lined with discotheques and what will become exclusive-name boutiques.

About seven discotheques are already open and operating on various evenings from Thursday through Sunday and there are eight more under construction.

What became the most controversial of the Group F developments– the marina – opposite the hotel and convention center, on Panama Bay, will serve for private yachts and cruise ships. Panama’s Supreme Court finally lifted the government-placed restrictions on the marina after taking into account all the other landfills in the Bay, including the government’s own “Coastal Strip” highway. It finally upheld the obvious – that the Figali marina did not constitute an ecological danger.

The construction delays that the wrangling caused over the past five years deeply disillusioned Mr. Figali with the present government that is soon ending its term of office, but it has not dampened his enthusiasm with the project or slowed in any way his positive and ebullient business style.

“When the previous government had this area on its hands nobody wanted to take it on as a development,” he said. “I decided to take up the challenge, closed my department store in the city and dedicated myself to creating something future generations of Panamanians will be proud of. In the end, this will not be the compound of Jean Figali, but of the Panamanian people when the contract ends,” he said.

However, Mr. Figali points out that his problems began as soon as a new government took power.

“This became a political game,” he said. “It was planned to make me give everything up so all the work I had done could be handed over to political friends of the government of the moment.

“There was never any dialogue. No-one ever came to negotiate anything. It was obviously orchestrated because each government department just stated bluntly ‘stop this’ and ‘stop that’.

“I had already made my commitments with the previous government and it makes no sense to play these political games because it threatens the judicial security of investors and affects the image of the country abroad. It’s interesting to note that some of those who caused so many problems are now being unmasked as some of the most corrupt in this government,” he said.

Mr. Figali also pointed out that his rent was set at $10.00 a meter, while some neighboring areas are now paying $2.00 a meter.

“There’s a large tract of land in my area that I can’t even use,” he said, “because a Fiber Optics Cable passes underground, even though it would be a simple matter to move it.”

However, there is a new wave of enthusiasm permeating the F Group, that can be seen from its President, Jean Figali, and among his 500 employees who are working to complete the hotel and marina by Mr. Figali’s target date of April next year.

By Liz Small - LatinWorld

After reviewing the many articles that are available on the Internet on the subject of relocating to Panama and discussing the subject with friends and neighbors, we (a handful of full time Panama expat residents) thought we would try to present a realistic view of the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” of this major life style decision.

The Good

Depending on your choice of location in Panama, you will find the beaches and the beautiful oceanspanamaboat close at hand. They are typically warm but breezy, thoroughly refreshing, and relatively clean. Speaking of water, that which is intended for consumption, is fresh, pure, and entirely drinkable. There are areas, however, where thoughtless use of pesticides has resulted in the need for the installation of home purification systems.

If gardening is your thing (or even if your prefer to just supervise), you will find an amazing array of tropical flowers (with orchids being particularly hardy and with many varieties available) and trees to plant throughout the year - different things during the two seasons, the rainy and dry months. The climate consists of these two periods, both lasting approximately 6 months. The dry season (or summer) starts in late December, early January and ends in mid May. The rainy season (or winter) gets going around mid May and lasts until mid to late December. Typically, a day in the rainy season begins with the sun out and clear skies. Then in the early afternoon, there is rain for an hour or so, and then the sun reappears. Temperatures throughout the year (again depending on location) only vary 10 degrees or so (75-85 degrees during the day), the dry season being the higher. The climate encourages a particularly lush environment which, in turn, provides the perfect habitat for a host of colorful birds, native animals, and exotic looking - some say “beautiful” - insects!

We have all found these things (the proximity to great beaches and oceans, the ability to be surrounded by a vibrant landscape while enjoying the magnificent weather) have greatly contributed to an easy adjustment to life in Panama. Helping as well are the great roads which lead to many interesting sites and cities, the moderate cost of living, and the ability to meet and enjoy the Panamanian people.

The Bad

Favorite pastimes (reading best sellers, knitting, gourmet cooking, chatting endlessly with family members on the phone, or even receiving letters) sometimes have to be finessed or eliminated altogether. Bring a good supply of books in the language of your choice - unless it’s Spanish, then “no problemo” - and encourage guests to bring some along with them when they come for a visit. Ditto any special hobby needs or exotic ingredients which may be in short supply or unavailable altogether! Better get hooked up on Skype or some other communication modality and be email literate. Calling internationally and receiving mail is pricey!

Before you buy a piece of ground to begin to have your dream house built, please take into consideration the following: the “ mañana” factor! Everything goes at a slower pace here and there is no sense of urgency. If you have left your ability to be patient wherever you have moved from, please go back and get it. If you were never a patient person to begin with, please think long and hard about building versus buying an existing spec house or resale. Retrofitting an existing structure is much easier than building from scratch. Ask folks who have “been there, done that” and you will soon discover the wisdom of this advice. By the way, those folks you asked for advice, they are your new “family” so try to listen carefully to what they are telling you and profit from their experience. After you have listened and actually followed what they have told you and saved yourself no end of pain and expense, not to mention aggravation, have them over for dinner as a way of saying “Thanks”! They may become your new best friends!

The Ugly

Have you have started to think Panama is synonymous with Utopia? There are a few challenges of which you must be aware. Traffic in Panama City can be daunting. The lack of street signs combined with the curious driving habits of the cab drivers can often result in a hair-raising experience. Are you used to having everything available at all times and in close proximity? Unless you choose to live in Panama City, you will not enjoy that luxury. Many items (produce and paper goods to name two) have to be imported and therefore will not always be on the grocery store shelf and will be a bit more expensive due to importing costs. We have a saying in Panama: “If you see it and want it, buy it!” It may not be there the next time you go looking. Also, there is a suspicion that some manufacturers send goods they would not be able to market elsewhere to Panama. Quality can be an elusive characteristic.

By Aimee Arnold - Living Made Simple

How to find good household help? A lot of people are relocating to Panama looking for work and willing to take domestic jobs in an effort to escape worse economic times elsewhere in the world.

I have had Panamanian, Colombian, Nicaraguan and Dominican help, some recommended and some I have found through agencies. Some were great and some were horrible. So the only answer to is to search and try.

The “going rate” maid salary has escalated since 2005. The days of paying $180 to $200 per month for decent full-time help seem to be long gone for most. Good help goes for about $300 today.

Apart from wages, the more a maid or nanny or gardener feels appreciated, the better the chances are that they will stay and put their best efforts forward. But of course money is the #1 motivator.

Panamanians typically hire a nanny for the first six months or year of their baby’s life like I did. This is called a “practica”. Often they are so great that their employer decides to extend their contract. In my opinion this is the best scenario if you can afford their services during a child’s developmental years.

For those who need cooking and cleaning assistance only, then you can consider hiring someone whom you share with another household. That way, the employee is happy to be able to earn more money since the cost of her salary can be split by two people. The employee’s time can ideally be split by a family, who would use her services in the morning, and a young executive, who doesn’t want someone banging around the house in the mornings, but enjoys having things in order when bringing clients over straight from the office.

For those who need someone full time, the issue is whether the employee lives in or commutes to work. Some need a place to stay and some prefer to have their own place to call home. Finding the person whose preferences are the same as yours in this area is fairly easy if given some time and patience. Keep in mind that maids who live in-house will still need their own time to themselves to rest and unwind at the end of the day.

Employees are most easily found by word-of-mouth recommendations. Ask around among your friends or co-workers.