Panama’s geographic location plus the governmental and private investments have made Tocumen International Airport the most relevant point of connection of the region. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has accredited Panama as the Hub of the Americas, as its airport is one of the world’s leading airports in relation to connectivity and transfer of passengers. Tocumen International Airport is even placed above countries such as Germany, Australia, United States, and Mexico. This was one of the conclusions of an analysis presented by Ofelia Bárcenas, Aviation Solutions Manager for the Americas at IATA, as she compared airports that deal with more than 2 million passengers every year, among which Panama was highlighted.
Since operations began to take place in the home port for cruise ships in the Province of Colón, cruise ship lines have set their sights on Panama.
There are two cruise ship lines that depart from Panama offering seven day itineraries through the Caribbean. Now the company Louise Cruise Line, founded in 1935 in Greece, is interested in establishing a route that would include the port of Colón 2000 and Isla Colón located in the Province of Bocas del Toro. The company, which has 12 cruise ships and mainly offers itineraries through the Mediterranean, has made a proposal to the Panamanian authorities to build a cruise ship port in Isla Colón.
December has arrived in the blink of an eye, and along with it, a great boom in all stores in Panama. With months of anticipation, the merchants are all prepared to receive thousands of visitors in the various retail outlets, as each visitor is in search of some special item for this Christmas.
As it is known in Panama from previous years, the flow of travelers increases during this joyous time of the year, as Panama offers the most attractive and complete shopping center in the region as well as super deals to lift up the spirit of Christmas.
Panama arranged for the Spanish Pullmantur Cruise Line to keep a cruise ship sailing year round from the Colon 2000 Port on the Atlantic coast. The agreement was established last week at the Incentive Tourism Fair, held in the Barcelona, Spain. The extension of Pullmantur cruise ship departures from Panama will be effective as of the 2012-2013 season. Pallmantur started to make use of Colon 2000 Cruise Port two years ago. During its first year, the Spanish cruise line conducted a 9 month season, but during the 2011-2012 season, it trimmed its departures from Panama to 5 months.
Panama’s geographic location and the airline hub at the Tocumen International Airport have drawn the attention of the Spanish Spanair Airline.
The airline company plans to start a flight frequency to Panama, as it is seeking a country where its passengers can make transfers to different destinations. Spanair’s executives gathered with Panamanian businessmen during the last Incentive Tourism Fair, held in the month of December in Barcelona —where the airline is headquartered.
