News

Panama President Juan Carlos Varela met with top executives of two of the world’s biggest cruise ship companies in Miami recently, hoping to attract more ships to Panama.

In meetings with Carnival and Royal Caribbean, the President presented the benefits of using Panama as a home port. The conversation focused on facilities in Colon, according to coverage in the Bulletin Panama, but last year the government also revived talk about a cruise ship terminal on Amador Causeway.

Cruise ships can be controversial. But they also raise the profile of a tourist destination and expose a market to a wide new audience. That can translate into more people interested in moving to Panama or buying a second home.

In his Miami presentation, the President focused on the expansion of Tocumen International Airport and the increasing tourism interest in the Panama Canal, as major advantages for increasing conenctions to Panama, La Prensa reports. Copa Airlines president Pedro Heilbron accompanied President Varela on the trip to emphasize the growing number of direct flights to Panama City.

The President was also accompanied by the administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority, Gustavo Him and the administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority, Jorge Barakat, according to The Bulletin Panama, which covers the maritime industry.

The government release can be found here.