Panama Real Estate – Retirement Wave Heading Here?

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI, the money foreigners invest in Panama) was up 21% in the first quarter compared to 2010. Port operations were up 30% in the same quarter and Canal activity was up 16%. Panama’s port activity ranks first in Latin America, including Brazil. Tourist arrivals from the US were up a modest 4.8% from 2010 in the latest report, but South America led the way with Peru up 49%, Argentina up 23%, and Brazil up 24%. Canadians increased by 10.7% and are accelerating. Asian arrivals were up 17%. Tourism should add a record $2 billion to our economy this year. KLM is adding another flight so we will have daily flights from Amsterdam as KLM’s utilization rate is already at 88%. Iberia expects to add another flight of its own later this year as well. But the big story is the rapid increase from Latin American nations. We are just much easier, quicker, and cheaper to visit than the US, Canada, and Europe. Plus our immigration lines are faster, simpler, and less insulting.