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“Why Panama?” It’s the number one most popular question on my Panama Facebook page, believe it or not. It turns out Facebook is great place for people to discuss and learn about Panama.
Just recently I’ve heard from an expat entrepreneur who says he can make more money in Panama than back home…a former teacher who plans to retire here because it’s the “most exciting and dynamic” country in the region…and a young, self-proclaimed “workaholic” named Ursula, who says Panama is the land of (tourism) opportunity.
The government seems to agree with Ursula. The tourism industry here is poised for growth. It’s spending millions of dollars on expanding the international airport in Panama City…and a new international airport in the Cocle province is also being given serious consideration.
Ursula is taking advantage of the industry’s fledgling status to become a serious tourism industry insider…and mover and shaker.
Another topic of discussion…the many mega-projects underway here, which include the “new city” at Panama Pacifico. One entrepreneur from Canada is excited about Panama Pacifico and the special benefits and tax breaks enjoyed by businesses in its economic zone. He’s dead serious about cashing in on all the special benefits this zone offers. “I have a meeting with the Panama Pacifico people this Friday,” he told me.
Yet another Facebook post comes from an expat who has already visited Panama once, but says she can’t wait to come again. Her reason for choosing Panama? All the fun things to do and places to visit. “I could live there easily and never be bored,” she says. “I can’t wait to go back.”
Another reader commented, “I was there for a month in 2006.” His aim back then was to travel as much of the country as he could. And he literally saw it all, from the busy, whirring capital to the lush highlands of Chiriqui. He plans to return this winter to rent a house and “see how life in one spot feels.”
Another reader says the highlight of his trip to Panama was a visit to the Darien jungle province. He planned the trip to view a teak reforestation project—but ended up getting more than he bargained for. The best part, he says, was “riding ATVs through the rainforest and a trip on the river in a real dugout canoe (it was leaking). The canoe took us to a real non-tourist indigenous village.”
And you? What will you post on our Facebook page?
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