Happy New Year and Welcome to a New Decade


News from Panama

Well, it is finally here!  I find myself feeling jubilant, happy, but also anxious about the new year, what will it bring? Having just turned 66, I have started the year/decade with a new milestone. I am another year older and I like to think, another year wiser.  Panama has been good to Susie and […]

December 30, 2019

Tips for Transiting the Panama Canal


News from Panama

Recruited at the last minute for a trip through the Canal, a sailor learns the ropes of how to pass through the locks. Diane Gorch writes for Cruising World I scrambled out of the ­dinghy onto Minh’s transom steps as a last-minute addition to the crew, the required fourth line handler needed for a transit […]

December 23, 2019

Illegal Fishing: Sanction for Panama


News from Panama

Since the country has not made enough efforts to eradicate illegal fishing, the European Union sanctioned it with a yellow card, a warning that precedes the red card, which if applied would prohibit the entry of Panamanian fishery products into Europe. After the corresponding audits were carried out, the sanction to Panama dated December 16, […]

December 23, 2019

Central America Purchases More Chilean Wine


News from Panama

In the first six months of 2019, Central American countries imported $38 million in wine, and purchases from Chilean companies increased by 11% over the same period in 2018. Regional Business Upwards Between the first half of 2018 and the same period in 2019, the value of wine imports into Central America registered a 2% […]

December 23, 2019

Minimum Wage Increase = Unemployment and Informality


News from Panama

The US showed us as an example of how this can be a problem. The Panamanian business sector believes that increasing the minimum wage under current conditions will generate more unemployment and increase informality in the labor market. With the possibility of an increase in the minimum wage next year, the National Council of Private Enterprise […]

December 23, 2019

Best’s Market Segment Report: AM Best Maintains Panama Insurance Market Outlook at Stable


News from Panama

AM Best has maintained a stable market segment outlook on Panama’s insurance industry, citing sound capitalization among the country’s carriers, their profitable underwriting strategies and improving risk management practices. Panama remains a consistent growth driver for Central America’s overall insurance market, and in 2018, the country’s insurance market expanded by 3.9%, slightly outpacing gross domestic […]

December 23, 2019

Panama: Tourism to Grow 10% by 2020


News from Panama

The Panamanian government’s optimistic projections are based on the publicity that finally began this year at the international level, with the injection of $20 million into the Tourism Promotion Fund. The campaign to promote Panama as a tourist destination in the main international markets began in November of this year and will be active for […]

December 23, 2019

More Flights Between Panama and China Announced


News from Panama

Responding to the growing demand for the air route, Air China confirmed that it will increase the weekly frequencies it operates between Beijing and the Panamanian capital from one to three in the coming months. Although did not specify the date when the three frequencies would start operating, officials from the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) […]

December 23, 2019

U.S. and Panama Sign a Letter of Intent to Increase Security Cooperation


News from Panama

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf and Panamanian Minister of Public Security Rolando Mirones signed a Letter of Intent for Security Cooperation at DHS headquarters in Washington, DC, to improve the two countries’ collaborative security efforts. “Today marks a big step forward in confronting the significant security challenges across Central America together with […]

December 23, 2019