In what could be huge for Panama and Costa Rica Panama´s president is proposing for both countries to join forces by promoting tourism together in order to take advantage of each other´s products. Panama has a huge business sector offering goods and services, free trade zones, etc but lacks Costa Rica’s talent in really doing a great job of promoting tourism which they rely on heavily as part of their GDP.
After cutting ribbon at Expocomer 2011´s opening accompanied by Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, Martinelli stressed the need to for both countries to work together in exploiting each other´s advantages on several fronts, tourism being one of them.
In the article by Ricardo J. Gonzalez from Capital.com.pa, the president states that “there is interest in connecting the coastal highway from the Costa Rican territory of Puerto Armuelles and integrate the province of Bocas del Toro with the region of Golfito in Costa Rica, considering that a large part of tourism in Bocas del Toro is coming from Costa Rica and that a new bridge over the Sixaola river (between both countries) will be put out to tender soon.”
Martinelli also stated the need to eliminate passport formalities from one country to the other, so that citizens can cross the border with only an I.D. card.
It is “to sign a memorandum of understanding and will be fundamentally linked to the issue of streamlining cross-border transactions,” said Chin told reporters on his arrival on Wednesday the Atlapa Convention Center, where opened the XXIX edition of the Expocomer Fair.
During the event, Martinelli also noted the electrical interconnection between the two countries and missing only 30 km so that it can be completed.Soon be bid between the two countries the new bridge over the river Sixaola.
He added that there is interest in connecting the coastal road that extends from the side of the Costa Rican territory of Puerto Armuelles area and to better integrate the province of Bocas del Toro region of Golfito in Costa Rica, taking into account that a large part of tourism in Bocas del Toro from Costa Rica.
The Panamanian leader asked the President Chinchilla to work together in a tourism campaign, because both countries are complementary and have different things to offer, so that tourists who visit one of the two countries will want to know the other and vice versa.
Also, I suggested to conduct a joint cabinet council which deal with issues of interest to both countries.
Additionally, the president said that Panama and Costa Rica should join forces to participate together in various world fairs to promote its advantages because both nations would benefit.
Highlighted the historical relationship between Costa Rica and Panama, and his faithful desire to overcome the global economic crisis. He also mentioned the trade between the two nations and the importance of exports and reexports for the two economies.
Chinchilla was appointed by President Martinelli to give the first stroke that gives the symbolic start to construction of Metro in the city of Panama.