(Surfers Village) Rio Hato, in Coclé, near to the Pacific beaches has been chosen as the site for the construction of an international airport to serve the interior. Other locations in the running were Aguadulce, Antón, Penonome, Santiago and Chitré.
As a sweetener to protesters in Santiago, which claims the airport should have been sited their because of the region’s economic development, the government plans to spend a “significant amount of money” to upgrade the Ruben Cantu Airport.
The government is also planning to invest another “significant amount of money” to upgrade facilities at the former Howard Air Force Base on the fringes of Panama City and to bring the Enrique Malek Airport in David, Chiriqui, up to international standards. An airport will also be built in Santa Catalina, in the Sona district.
The airport in Rio Hato will also be served by the construction of a tunnel from the Trans Panama highway all intended to give greater access to the Pacific beach areas to help boost tourism.
New bonus for visitors:
Panama launches free medical insurance for tourists/visitors
Free medical insurance for tourists travelling to Panama has been introduced. The Panama Tourist Board insurance is available to foreigner visitors arriving in the country through Tocumen International Airport and is valid for 30 days. Backed by Generali and Axa, the medical insurance, can be obtained on arrival at the airport. It covers travellers in the event of falling ill or having an accident while in Panama.
The cover includes hospitalisation, medical expenses, transfer to the nearest hospital or regular place of residence, hotel expenses if travellers are convalescent for more than 10 days, pharmaceutical expenses, legal assistance, accidental death and repatriation to the country of origin, amongst others.
Panama tourism minister Salomon Shamah said: “This is a very positive initiative for our tourism sector as it gives us and our visitors additional peace of mind.”
About Panama:
Did you know?
This uniquely “S”-shaped country that connects North and South America, could be described as “We’re not Colombia. We’re not Costa Rica. We are Panama.” It’s short. It’s to the point. Readers may take a fresh look a why this land of mountains, extinct volcanoes, virgin rain forests and wide beaches is a must-see. It’s a naturalist’s paradise!
Panama is an emerging country with a past as rich as it is riveting. There’s the discovery of gold and the Pacific Ocean that brought explorers centuries ago.
Within the last 100 years, the building of the Panama Canal and the Pan-American Highway have both spurred the country’s growth and development. And in this century, the love of all things green is turning tourism into a thriving industry. Gone are the days when all visitors saw of Panama was the view from the deck of their cruise ship as it navigated the canal.
People from practically every culture on Earth make up Panama’s population of 3 million. Nearly half live in Panama City — you’ll even find a Chinatown there. Building cranes dot the city’s Miami-like skyline, where a swanky new 40-story condo might stand next to a ramshackle building.
Here’s a listing — in no particular order — of things perhaps you didn’t know about Panama.
■ Nature dealt this 29,339 square-mile land a magnificent hand. Panama is a bird- and butterfly-watcher’s and orchid lover’s heaven. You’ll find 975 species of birds — a good 300 of them always present, no matter the season — and 16,000 species of butterflies. Then there’s the flower-and-fauna thing in staggering abundance at places like the Gamboa Tropical Rainforest Reserve and the Soberania National Park. Look for a number of the 1,000 types of orchids in Anton Valley. Combine all, and you’ll continually be both enchanted and awed.
■ It’s the U.S. dollar. No need to concern yourself with money exchanges, although measurement conversions are something else. The country does have its own coin currency, called the Balboa, but there’s no need to use it. You’ll find the price of gas measured in gallons and about the same as it is in USA: $2.70 for a gallon of regular. Then again, milk is measured in liters.
■ The minimum hourly wage in Panama is $1.89 — and that’s up from 90 cents. That means a bartender or housekeeper will likely earn about $350 a month.
■ The Panama Canal rocks. Since it opened in 1914, cargo ships, boats of all sizes and cruise ships have been using this canal. It’s a wonder to see, and the museum at the site is worth your time.
■ The Panama hat actually hails from Ecuador, but buy one anyway. Wide-brimmed ones are best suited for bigger folks, thinner brims for smaller people. Woven from fibers of the silky toquilla straw plant, a good Panama hat is supposed to be able to hold a glass of water. But don’t wear yours in the rain. They’re made to provide you with a cool head and shade you from the sun. Al Capone so loved these hats, he employed a weaver of his own.
■ Donald Trump has discovered Panama City. The Donald is building a 70-story building, the Trump Ocean Club, along the coastline. It resembles Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel. When completed, The Donald’s club will include luxury condos, a five-star hotel, a private yacht club, restaurants and, of course, a casino.
■ Noriega doesn’t live here anymore. Apprehended at the Vatican Embassy in 1989, former president Manuel Noriega is now doing jail time in France, while the home he once occupied in Panama City stands idle. Apparently nobody wants to buy it. Curiously enough, should Noriega manage to get out of jail and return to Panama, he’d be a free man. The reason? He’s 72, and no one in Panama is jailed after the age of 70.
■ Panama’s deep geographic position between Costa Rica and Colombia allows the tourism folks to bill it as hurricane-free. Really. Yes, there’s a rainy season from mid-April to December, but what’s a better selling point than a lush tropical climate void of nasty hurricanes?
And there you have it. It’s not Colombia. It’s not Costa Rica. It is Panama.