Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Top Real Estate Analysts Name Panama City as ‘City of the Future’
Panama City has been on the radar as a Real Estate and investment hotbed for a while now. But a recent study makes an even bolder claim. Real Estate consultancy firm Knight Frank has named Panama as one of its cities of the future. They back it up with both hard numbers, and growth trends, and it paints a pretty accurate picture of the current state of the market.
Panama City fits the bill in many ways. The city offers a “high degree of economic and regulatory stability,” Knight Frank reports. In addition, “high quality transport and health care and a growing presence of global hotels brands have drawn investment from entrepreneurs looking to expand on a strong food and lifestyle scene.”
The Economist magazine recently labeled Panama City the “Singapore of Central America,” which seems “increasingly prescient,” Knight Frank notes. The number of high net worth individuals – wealthy people who haven’t achieved “ultra” status — has more than doubled since 2007, growing to 4,700 in 2014. That number is expected to grow to 7,000 by 2024, the agency predicts.
Source: PTY Life
IFF Panama: Opening the World’s Eyes to Central America
Earlier this month, Panama kicked off its 4th annual International Film Festival, and as expected, it was a hit. The festival has been gaining lots of attention over the past few years, and much of it coming from regional and local artists. The reason being, the festival does a phenomenal job of showcasing Central American art and culture, and exposing it to a new, eager audience.
“Panamanian audiences reacted positively to the festival and came out to celebrate cinema. I thank them,” says IFF Panama executive director Pituka Ortega Heilbron, who has masterminded the 4-year-old event along with its artistic director, Diana Sanchez.
The fact the festival coincided with the Summit of the Americas was in the end seen as a positive. Other than the added pre-festival stress it brought to both the organizers and their teams, it did in the end create more interest in both Panama and the festival, and many of the international media in town for the summit filed festival-related stories.
Source: Variety
Talks With Cuba Earn US Raves in Latin America.
The Summit of the Americas came and went like a whirlwind this month, representing one of the most important meetings of regional leaders in the past 50 years. One of the biggest reasons this summit was important is that it marked a historical meeting and handshake between US President Barack Obama, and Cuba’s Raul Castro. And now that the summit is over, the meeting is receiving overall positive praise and support.
The reviews are in, and while the United States still faces plenty of tricky relations in a diverse region of 35 states, President Obama walked away with more salutes than swipes from a regional Summit of the Americas where the United States usually takes a drubbing.
The question now is whether Mr. Obama and his successors can capitalize on the new credibility Washington has earned, primarily through his reconciliation with Havana.
Source: The New York Times
Need to get away? Check out these 4 great Panama weekend trips!
Weekend trips are a big part of Panamanian culture, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t enjoy them too. With a relatively small amount of land, Panama has some of the most diverse natural beauty in the world. The great thing is, nearly every go-to travel destination in Panama is also easy to get to. In one of our latest blog posts, we go over 4 of the best quick weekend trips you can take while you’re here.
Playa Blanca/Farallon. If going to the beach in style is your idea of a great weekend getaway, Playa Blanca is the place to be. Located a short 90-100 minutes drive from Panama City, Playa Blanca is the top resort destination on the Pacific coast. Many of the resorts in Playa Blanca are all-inclusive, and have capacity for thousands of people. Each one is unique, and provides their own entertainment, as well as private access to white sand beaches. If you want to see a more quiet side of this area, check out the small town of Farallon, which hugs the resort-lined coast, but with smaller hotels and cabanas available.
Read more about 4 Great Panama Weekend Trips
