Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Venezuela’s Isolation Increases After Panama Suspends Flights.
Panama has suspended flights from Venezuela, cutting off one of the few remaining air corridors out of the country.
Panama’s aviation authority said Sunday that it took the measure after Venezuela restricted access to a Panamanian airline while demanding increased slots in Panama for Venezuelan airlines.
Source: Bloomberg
Panama welcomes Lindblad homeporting spurred by nation’s incentive.
According to the Panama Tourism Authority, Lindblad signed a letter of intent to operate cruises from Puerto Cristóbal and the new Panama Cruise Terminal at Amador in 2021 and 2022.
The Panama Tourism Authority said six cruises are planned in 2021 and 14 in 2022 in connection with National Geographic and Ancon Expeditions in Panama.
Lindblad expressed an interest in availing itself of the benefits of Executive Decree No. 274, which reimburses operators for their Panama Canal toll when they homeport in the country. Panama expects the incentive to generate economic impact from passengers staying in the country before or after their cruise.
Source: Seatrade Cruise News
High-tech strawberry facility to be built in Panama.
Ag Incotech, a developer and operator of large-scale agricultural projects, announced today their plans to construct the first high-tech Controlled Environment Agriculture greenhouses in Panama, one of the first of its kind in Central America, for the production of local berries.
The company’s strategy will be to allocate capital to invest in advanced technology growing facilities in markets that are undersupplied locally. “The facilities will deliver year-round fresh berries, in an integrated distribution relationships with local retailers and eateries,” they say.
Source: HortiDaily
Panama’s Chinese Heritage: A true cultural melting pot story
The relationship between Panama and China, politically speaking, has been more of a recent partnership, with Panama shifting away Taiwan over the past five years. However, culturally speaking, Chinese roots in Panama are some of the oldest in Latin America.
Panama and China. You can see evidence of these roots all over the country, as well. Chinese culture is intrinsically part of larger Panamanian culture, and it’s something that many Panamanians are very proud of. Panama has always been a melting pot of culture and nationality, and this is probably the biggest example of Panama’s cultural diversity, outside of West Indian and American cultural adaptation. In fact, it is said that nearly 1 in 4 people in Panama have some sort of ethnic Chinese heritage.
