Around 50 agritourism farms are active and 90 await the ATP's approval

Rural tourism is beginning to gain ground. As of 2008, 140 agritourism farms have been accredited, of which 50 are operational. The rest are awaiting approval by the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), and another 83 have begun the process.

Panama was present at one of the most important tourism fairs worldwide, the IMEX 2012, which took place from October 9 to 11 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.

The Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) promoted our country as a destination for events, conferences and conventions, as well as for incentive trips.

Antón was festively decorated for its forty-third Brave Little Bull Festival, called the "Year of the Drums of Antón". It was Saturday at noon, on the third day of the festival, and the park was already packed. That was when the water brigades began to wet down the main streets, and all the bystanders, in the traditional way of tossing water from hollow gourds, to the beat of drums and mortar bells. Back at the park, the folkloric performances were continuous: one after another were presented, to the constant applause of the audience.

The Panama Film Commission continues to surprise us with excellent news, such as the announcement that renowned WWE wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson will shoot an episode of TNT's new series called "The Hero" in our country.

Glenda Umaña, journalist and anchorwoman on CNN in Spanish, came exclusively for the celebration of the Medcom rate.

Although she has already come to our country several times before, she admitted that she wants to return to visit the interior provinces.

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A few days ago a soccer match for the World Cup play-offs was held between the teams of Panama and Honduras. Some 28,000 people watched at the Romel Fernandez stadium, a record level of attendance. About 700 Hondurans traveled to watch the game, and we assisted around 180 of them. From the moment they touched Panamanian soil, all they did was purchase tours. This shows that not only did they come informed, but they knew just what they wanted to do.

Developing this activity continues to be a challenge, as many farmers are unaware of the economic benefits. Facing rising costs for agricultural supplies, this new alternative may increase in the region.

The airline Air Panama will continue on as the only operator in the domestic market. The Avianca-Taca Group does not have plans to reactivate the operation of its subsidiary Aeroperlas, which stopped running flights last March.

Estuardo Ortiz, executive vice president of the Avianca-Taca group, indicated that given the current situation it is not feasible to operate in Panama's domestic market.

The decision to cancel its operation was part of the revaluation process done by the company, which as of 2013 will take on the name of Avianca.

Along with officials from the Panamanian Institute of Auditors (Alvin Barnett), we presented to some 1,000 people the Latin American Congress 2013 in Panama, an event that is expected to convene more than 2,000 people in October, 2013.

"The ecological, cultural and historical diversity of Darién makes it an ideal tourist destination for the coming years," said the Administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), Salomón Shamah.