Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Panama Diamond Exchange to Hold 1st Buyer’s Week in April
Panama’s first diamond exchange is slated to be a major business mover in 2015 and beyond, and they’ve got some great plans in the works. Recently, they announced the celebration of the grand opening of phase one by hosting a big buyers week in April.
The Panama Diamond Exchange will celebrate the Grand Opening of the Phase I building of its dedicated trading complex in April 27-30, 2015. The event will be highlighted by a buyers’ week on PDE’s new 300 square-meter trading floor, with jewelers arriving from across the region, according to a press release.
The Latin America Diamond & Jewelry Week will feature a variety of jewelry and loose gemstones, and will be one of the most significant diamond and jewelry trade events ever to have been held in Latin America.
Source: Israel Diamond
Hungry? Check out Panama’s 15 Best New Restaurants And Bars
Panama’s culinary scene is hot right now, and 2014 was a great year for Panama City’s restaurants and bars. There are lots of new places to check out, and many are pushing the boundary of traditional cuisine. Here are a few samples of the newest, hottest spots in town.
DONDE JOSÉ
Donde José provides one of the most unique culinary experiences you can have in Panama City with intimate maximum 16-person seating per a meal. They focus on using local Panamanian ingredients and dishes and come out with a new set menu every few months.
WHITE
White brings a little bit of South Beach to Panama City with a beautiful outdoor terrace and bar that serves sushi and cocktails as well as an indoor nightclub when it’s time to party a little harder.
Source: PTY Life
Panama’s Copa Airlines will fly to New Orleans
Copa is adding another North American non-stop, and this time it’s to New Orleans. In what seems to be every other month, Copa will now service another international route, with multiple weekly flights, to start about 5 months from now. This is another big step for Copa, which has added 5 US non-stop routes since 2013, as well as expanding into Canada, the Caribbean, and South America.
Copa’s website confirms the information, showing that the carrier’s service would begin on June 26 and would be on Boeing 737-700 aircraft. The flights would operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, according to Copa’s website.
Copa has expanded its U.S footprint during the past three years, adding service to several new destinations. Its other recently added U.S. cities include Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Tampa.
Source: USA Today
Spain’s Iberia Airlines Taps Panama for Regional Hub
In more big aviation news this week, Spain’s main carrier Iberia announced that they would be expanding their presence in the region. One major part of that is going to be the opening of a new regional office in Panama City. They will also be expanding flights, and exploring new routes and markets. Here’s an excerpt from our latest blog post.
Timing is everything when it comes to Iberia’s reasons for expanding their Panama presence this year. With commercial traffic demand at an all time high from Spain’s biggest cities, and many Panamanian construction projects managed by Spanish firms, the need for more flights is crucial. There’s also a big need for managing other regional flights from Spain, and Panama has the perfect location and economic climate to house such a headquarters. Iberia also wants to get a head start on the competition, as many predict both Copa and KLM to expand European routes, and Spain is very high on their list.
Panama also has a great economic relationship with Spain, and has signed both trade pacts and tourism incentives in recent years with the European nation. Now, with the Canal nearing completion, it is expected that both business and leisure travel between the two countries will drastically increase.
Read more about flights from Panama to Spain
