Meeting with Panama’s Minister of Tourism
“Sr. Halloran, this is Ruben Blades.”
The Internet, and the Blog phenomenon specifically never ceases to amaze me. Surely, plenty of companies and most politicians loathe them as it’s allowed schmoes like me a forum. How else could I land a meeting with Mr. Ruben Blades?
YES, it’s true. I am pleased and surprised to report that Mr. Blades was kind enough to call me personally and invite me to meet with him tomorrow. If you have a question you would like me to ask, please let me know. I will certainly report on the outcome.
My tentative agenda:
1. Apologize to Mr. Blades if I offended, which wasn’t my goal.
2. What exactly IS included in Panama’s Tourism MasterPlan?
3. How will Panama foster eco-tourism? Why did nobody from IPAT attend Costa Rica’s recent conference on that subject?
3. What is Mr. Blades measure of tourism success for Panama? What is his perfect-world vision of Panama tourism in 2015?
4. What is the plan to improve National Parks Services in Panama?
5. How can Panama attract more tourism investment OUTSIDE Panama City?
6. What can I do to help the future of Panama tourism personally?
I am genuinely looking forward to the meeting and anticipate that it will be positive and productive. I’ve heard that Ruben is a very likable guy 1-on-1. Let me know if you have any last-minute advice!
| Written by Casey Halloran |  |
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Filed under: News, Politics on June 16th, 2008
Where did you find that picture of your self? So cute and cuddley.
Ok my question is; Does Mr. Blades see the David airport going International and doing the same thing to Chiriqui as the International airport in Liberia did to Guanacaste, Costa Rica in regards to development. This can be a good thing for all that is IF the development has some guidleines to follow.
Good luck with your meeting.
jp
Hi Casey,
Thanks a lot for your efforts on this issue. Although technically I am not an ex-pat, I spent so much time in Panama (I am Chinese-born, lived in Panama for 20+ years before moving to Canada a couple of years ago) I developed a love-hate relationship with the country. Said that, I will appreciate if you could ask:
1) Mr. Blades wrote: “Currently, we are in the final stage of completing a new Master Plan, a national strategy for the development of sustainable tourism in Panama”. Can you provide a precise ETA for the plan? To be more specific, will it be implemented prior to the elections next year? I apologize if this is a loaded question but politics in Panama is a really funny thing.
2) This is a sort-of follow up to reply #6 of the “Panama Tourism Minister Responds” entry. Although it might be part of the “Tourism Master Plan”, I think it deserve its own question: Does IPAT have any plans to address issues related to Hospitality or that will be left to the businesses? I must
Though might be unrelated, I am curious about the countries this Master Plan is targetting. This question arises because of something I have observed. Most, if not all local travel agencies do NOT list Panama as a major destination, instead, it list Costa Rica. Check this page, as an example:
http://www.flightcentre.ca/destinations/
Again, thanks for your efforts.
Cheers.
My question is also in regards to tourism in Costa Rica vs. Panama. I am an investor in Panama and love the country. I prefer to have a future here tan in Costa Rica. However, There NEEDS to be improved training of those who work in the tourism industry in Panama. I am not necessarily talking about having everyone trained in English. I’m not that ethno-centric. However, smiling and having the common courtesy to help guests is something that is lacking in most hotels in Panama City. The women who clean my room have a much better disposicion. Sad but true, Ruben. What is his plan to improve the skills of those who trully want to work/or somehow eliminate those who simply don’t have the people skills to work in the HOSPITALITY field..Thanks Casey and good luck!
Thanks for the great feedback. I’m going in with a lot of great questions and am hoping for the best. Be sure, I’ll write a follow up article asap. I also have a pretty interesting meeting with the AMCHAM tourism board next week, so this will parlay nicely. Maybe it’s time to form a non-governmental tourism board of investors and operators?
Hi Casey,
So, were you able to meet with Mr. Blades and, if so, anything you could tell us?
Cheers!