Ms. Raquel Buitrago, Manager of Cruceros Sirena, during the formal announcement of the new cruise service. She is accompanied, from left to right, by Martin Harrington (IPAT), Augusto Terracina (Manager of Aventuras 2000).

Panama will take a strong step towards becoming a "home port" for international cruise ships with the arrival of the Gran Victoria, a luxury liner which will offer seasonal, scheduled cruises departing from the Colón 2000 port, on Panama's Caribbean coast.

The vessel, which starts service December 17, will call Cartagena, Colombia, the San Blas Islands, Bocas del Toro and the islands of San Andres and Providencia.

Launched in France in 1966, the Gran Victoria is leased by Cruceros Sirena, a Colombian company which established a partnership with the Aventuras 2000/Colón 2000 Panamanian consortium to offer, in the words of Raquel Buitrago, manager of Cruceros Sirena "a cruise ship service targeted at the Latin American market".

Augusto Terracina, manager of the Aventuras 2000 tour operator, said "most Caribbean cruises depart from U.S. Ports and are owned by U.S companies, which requires many Latin Americans to obtain a U.S. Visa, travel long distances and force themselves to enjoy U.S.-style entertainment in English." Our concept" –he continued-- "will be more Latin in nature, featuring well-known regional entertainers and Hispanic cuisine. English, of course, will be a second language," he said.

The Gran Victoria will also visit San Blas, Bocas del Toro, San Andrés and Providencia.

The new cruise service will be the first passenger ship service between Panama and Colombia since "Crucero Express" plied between Colón and Cartagena in the 1990's. Extremely popular during its first years, Crucero Express (which was used as a maritime bridge for overland travelers between both countries) failed due to rising overhead costs and dwindling demand.

Although similar in some aspects, the new cruise ship will be a very different operation, as it will be marketed as a regional cruise among the middle and upper-middle classes of Latin America.

"This project has everything it takes to succeed. The regional economy is growing. Direct flights to and from the entire region are available through Copa Airline's hub at Tocumen Airport, no visas are required and the entire deal will be conducted in Spanish", said Augusto Terracina.

The Gran Victoria will offer three, four and seven-day cruises, offering a wide range of tours and entertainment options. It has seven decks with capacity for 580 passengers and 235 crew members and features 47 luxury cabins and 215 standard accommodations, in addition to swimming pools, bars, restaurants and theaters.

Transits of the Panama Canal will be a special bonus for passengers, either prior or after the main cruise.

New English-language radio show for expats

English-language radio is back on the on the Isthmus, but don't expect to hear the southern draw and the country-music shows of the defunct Southern Command Network.

This is the first time an all-English radio show has been aired on the isthmus since the departure of the last American troops in late 1999, but things are quite different from the days of the old SCN. "Sundays at the Metropolis", which is aired on 93.5FM every Sunday evening, is hosted by "Gerry D", (In real life, Mr. Gerry Dowden) a British expat who reflects the diversity of accents and origins of Panama's new and growing foreign-born population.

With music from the late '60's, '70's and '80's, "Gerry D" leads visitors through the musical memory of late baby boomers and early "generation Xers."

With two hours of music, including everything from the Rolling Stones to the Bee Gees, Gerry D chats with the audience every now and then with interviews, special segments and a short news cast. The program is aired every Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. by the Panama Broadcasting Corporation, S.A., formed by a group of British expats. The complete weekly show is available on www.on-the-radio.com

The unique 2007 Panama Calendar is now on sale. Published for the 21th consecutive year, the calendar is an informative publication of activities, events, concerts, exhibitions, religious dates, Jewish holy days, country fairs and national holidays of the Republic of Panama. The calendar also features Carnival and Easter dates through the year 2012, plus information on each of Panama’s nine provinces , flag etiquette and more.

The calendar is the creation of Panamanian journalist Carmela Lowe de Gobern, Editor of the Panama Cyberspace News. Price per copy is US$5.00. For more information, call 314-0398 , or send an e-mail to goberncl@cwpanama.net; www.panamacybernews.com

Regional businesses behind the initiative

Colonial church in Natá de Los Caballeros, one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.

Representatives of 10 companies of the province of Coclé have joined forces to form a "Tourism Cluster" with the purpose of creating a visible spot for their region in international tourist circles. The cluster, called "Coclé, tu mejor destino" ("Coclé, your best destination") is a byproduct of "Compite Panamá," a program designed to foster business competitiveness in various areas, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank and the government of Panama.

According to Antonio Hincapié, manager of Hotel Campestre, a country lodge in the mountain resort community of El Valle de Antón, "the province has great potential for bird watching and eco-tourism, apart from beach-and-sun tourism, which is being developed in the area of Farallón, on the Pacific." The cluster's concept –said Lesbia Benuzzi, of Tropic Tours-- is to establish a recognizable image for the province, such as the case of Cancún, in Mexico."

The potential for non-traditional tourism (cultural and agro-tourism) is also strong in the region, according Mr. Hermann Gnaegi, one of the founders of the Cluster. Mr. Gnaegi, who owns a cashew processing plant as well as shrimp and fish farms near the town of Natá, is organizing a circuit for tourists and students interested in tropical farming and food production. Located in the southwestern part of Coclé, and only 20 km apart from each other, the towns of Natá and Aguadulce have a large number of companies dedicated to the production of salt, sugar, and shrimp, among other crops.

Handicraft stand in Penonomé, Coclé.

The program, said the cluster's director, Jessica Lao de Velázquez, of Forestour Panama, will be implemented in a carefully-designed series of steps, the first of which is to hire a marketing consultant to develop the cluster's national and international promotion campaigns, followed by the placement of ads in international magazines and participation in foreign tourism fairs.

Esther María Carles, of Descubra Panama, explained that Coclé's tourism cluster also has a social aspect: the inclusion of rural communities into the program, with the purpose of providing more opportunities for low-income areas.

The cluster presently encompasses companies from a broad range of sectors of the hospitality industry, ranging from tour operators and restaurants, to boutique hotels, agricultural companies, relocation agencies and even a shrimp boat turned into ferry (“The Bubba Gump). Expectations about the project are high, but members acknowledge that there is a lot to be done in the province such as the construction of additional roads linking tour destinations in the province's mountain region, and the construction of an international airport for charter flights –already a much needed facility for the thousands of tourists who visit the province's beach resorts each year, who often face a three-hour overland trip from Panama City's Tocumen International Airport.