National Tourism Master Plan against Panama

The following press release in a German website is being pushed out by the ministry of Tourism. We have been trying to get a draft of the master plan for tourism that Minister Blades is putting together, but thus far have not been able to get one. From this report we know that Minister Blades has a 20 year plan that will be voted on by the assembly which will make it law "hopefully by the end of the year". Judging from his past expressions of dismay about residential tourism I am sure we investors will not be too pleased with it.

Here is a German press release that allows us to glean some information about his plan.

Nationwide interviews about the Master Plan of Touristic Enduring Development 2007 – 2020 show great acceptance between the different sectors of the country

“The general view is positive and we are in a good way to be successful”, this is how the Minister of Tourism, Ruben Blades, explained it in a “Meeting of National Query” about the Master Plan of Touristic Enduring Development 2007 – 2020 for members of the private sector, the media and the public in general.

These “Meetings of National Query” organized by the Panamanian Institute of Tourism (IPAT) are trying to detect the discrepancies of all the sectors to unify them in the Master Plan, which tries to apply numerous quality parameters for the Panamanian touristic sector. “We hope to have al final reports for the plan at the end of the year so that we can present it to the National Assembly for its approval” said Blades.

In the first step the Master Plan schedules the creation of the Technical Office of the Master Plan, responsible for its coordination and control. One time established, there will be regional offices of tourism, which allow to develop provincial and local solutions in each existing touristic zone and in new areas which could be generated after the corresponding study.

The establishment of the Police of Tourism, the increase of the flight contingents, airports and airlines and the creation of specific visas among others, are just some of the proposals planned in the Master Plan, which is handled by the IPAT and the Minister of Tourism himself and which aims to ignite a mechanism to raise the national income and employment.

At the present time, projects like the Cinta Costera (restyling of a part of the coast of Panama City) and the construction of the Museum of Gehry are just some of the factors which help to push Panama into the big touristic destinations in the world. Business goes on and very soon there will be adorable news about new alliances with airlines, which allow direct flights from the