Friday, August 8, 2025.
To the Point
Forget long introductions… let’s get straight to what happened this week.
Brett Mikkelson
Director, B.M. Investigations, Inc.
TOP NEWS and TIDBITS:
They Launch a Project to Boost Ecotourism in Rural Areas with Low Employment in Panama
At least three rural communities in Panama, with high unemployment rates, will develop a project backed by two institutions to boost sustainable tourism and social innovation in those areas.
“The tourism that transforms is not an empty economic model. It is a tool for empowerment, for rebuilding the social fabric, and for activating hope in the most forgotten territories,” said the project consultant, Remberto Ortega, during his presentation this Thursday in Panama City.
The project named ‘Tourism that Transforms’ is an initiative promoted by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and executed by INNOBUC – Institute of Innovation and Business Culture to strengthen “the local capacities of rural and peri-urban communities,” according to official information.
Through “sustainable tourism, social innovation, and community participation,” the beneficiary provinces are Panamá Oeste (adjacent to the capital and turned into a bedroom community), Coclé (a forested area about 180 kilometers east of Panama City), and Colón (located in the Caribbean and also the entrance of the Canal).
For the project’s execution, it contemplates “the realization of three bootcamps (training sessions), the accompaniment of 15 local tourism ventures, the participative formulation of community tourism development plans, and the production of a testimonial video, as a living memory of the process,” highlights the organizations’ statement.
Specifically, ‘Tourism that Transforms’ is focused on seeking greater participation of women, youth, and indigenous peoples, linking the private sector and creating both regenerative tourism and a collaborative economy, among others.
Precisely, the provinces with the highest unemployment percentages were: Panamá (12.4), Panamá Oeste (11.2), and Colón (10.3), according to official figures as of October 2024 (the most recent update).
The tourism industry currently contributes 11% of Panama’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), representing about five billion dollars in foreign exchange annually; it generates 40,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs, according to information from the Panamanian government.
Since 2020, Panama bets on attracting more sustainable tourism that “generates an increase in employment nationwide, integrates communities, connects territories, and increases the industry’s competitiveness,” according to the document.
Panama Will Host Five International Fairs in March 2026
From March 10 to 12, 2026, the Panama Convention Center in Amador will host five international exhibitions specializing in trade, logistics, tourism, technology, and energy.
These are Expocomer, Expo Logística, Expo Turismo Internacional, Expotec, and Expoeléctrica Internacional, events that have established themselves as an important platform to promote business, investment, and jobs in the country.
These fairs will attract participation from more than 30 countries from Europe, Asia, and America, representing a direct opportunity for Panamanian entrepreneurs to establish connections and close international business deals.
“These exhibitions generate thousands of transactions, business opportunities, and also jobs. The economic impact for the country is significant,” stated Aurelio Barría, president of the Exhibitions Commission.
In the 2025 edition, the five fairs brought together 31,000 visitors, completed 20,000 business meetings, and recorded 156 million dollars in commercial transactions, which resulted in an economic spillover of at least 45 million dollars for Panama.
“It was 45 million dollars that we estimate stayed in Panama as a result of those 31,000 visitors. And the most important thing is the impact on tourism: we generated more than 10,000 hotel nights registered, which is one of the key metrics the government uses to measure tourism’s impact on the economy,” Barría emphasized.
For his part, Juan Arias, president of the Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the relevance of Expocomer, which in 2026 will celebrate its 40th anniversary in Panama. “It is our most important fair, not only for the Chamber but for all Panamanians. We invite more than 30 or 40 countries each year. This 2025 we broke all records with 31,000 visitors, and that is the new goal we have set to surpass next year,” said Arias.
Panama will also host the World of Coffee 2026
During the same announcement, another major international event was confirmed: the World of Coffee Panama 2026, which will be held from October 23 to 25 next year, strengthening the country’s position as a key destination for business tourism and international events.
International Book Fair 2025: When It Will Be and How to Buy Tickets
From Monday, August 11 to Sunday, August 17, 2025, the International Book Fair will take place in Panama City at the Atlapa Convention Center, with hours from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The Panamanian Book Chamber announced that the guest country of honor will be the Kingdom of Morocco, and attendees will be able to enjoy cultural activities representative of this nation.
How much are the tickets and where to buy them?
Tickets can be purchased through https://panatickets.boletosenlinea and at physical sales points located in Multiplaza and Felipe Motta in Marbella.
Ticket prices:
- Adults: B/. 3.00
- Children: B/. 1.00
- University students: B/. 1.00
- Retirees: B/. 2.00
- Cultural passport: B/. 18.00 (pass for all 7 days of the Fair)
- Children under 4 years old enter free.
- Child and student prices apply to ages between 5 and 17 years.
Retirees and university students must present their credentials at the box office to purchase their tickets.
Japan Hopes to Have Electric Flying Taxis by 2027
The Japanese airline ANA, which partnered with a U.S. startup, announced on Thursday that it expects to fly the first electric “air taxis” in Japan starting in 2027.
ANA and Joby Aviation, based in California, announced their intention to create a joint venture aimed at deploying more than 100 five-seat aircraft.
A spokesperson for ANA explained to AFP that the vehicles, designed to carry one pilot and up to four passengers at speeds that can reach up to 320 km/h, could enter service in 2027.
These flying taxis “will revolutionize our air mobility,” said Koji Shibata, CEO of ANA, in a statement on Monday.
The project mainly envisions trips between Tokyo and the international airports Narita and Haneda, which serve the Japanese capital.
Currently, a vehicle or train trip between central Tokyo and Narita takes more than an hour, but Joby’s five-seat vehicle can reduce that time to about 15 minutes, ANA said.
ANA and Joby will hold a public demonstration of these flying taxis during the Osaka World Expo in October.
“A place where ancient wisdom, legendary craftsmanship, and transcendent ambition meet: that is Japan,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation.
“And that makes it an extraordinary launch platform to redefine the future of air mobility.”
Joby’s vehicles take off vertically, like a helicopter, and then switch to forward flight like an airplane, “with minimal noise impact and zero operational emissions,” according to the company.
In December, the flying taxi startup Volocopter declared bankruptcy, days after another German company in this sector, Lilium, was rescued from bankruptcy.
Volocopter aimed to enter the market in 2025 with its two-seat electric air taxi model “Volocity.”
In particular, it suffered a symbolic setback in summer 2024 with the cancellation of scheduled flight tests initially planned in Paris during the Olympic Games, as its aircraft engine certification did not arrive on time.
Panamanian Coffee Breaks World Record: Boquete Geisha Sells for $30,204 per Kilo at Auction
Panama continues to conquer the palate and admiration of the world with its specialty coffee. In the most recent edition of the Best of Panama Private Collection Auction, a lot of Geisha coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda, located in Boquete, was sold for the astonishing price of $30,204 per kilogram, setting a new world auction record for this type of bean.
The president congratulates the Geisha coffee achievement worldwide
The announcement was celebrated by the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, who expressed his pride in the achievement of national producers and shared an emotional message:
“I studied with many young men whose children were coffee growers, whose parents worked hard to educate their children, and today they are successful producers and members of the global coffee community,” said the president.
Hacienda La Esmeralda is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the production of high-quality Geisha coffee.
Oil-Producing Countries Block Negotiations on First Global Treaty Against Plastic Pollution
Several oil-producing countries that reject any restrictions on plastic production are blocking efforts in Geneva to reach the first global treaty against plastic pollution, several sources involved in the negotiations told AFP.
“It is a dialogue of the deaf, with very few clues to land,” said a diplomatic source from a country in the so-called “ambitious” coalition, which wants to impose reduction targets for virgin (non-recycled) plastic production in the final text.
This proposal is rejected by another group of countries, mainly oil-producing.
The draft treaty, the first legally binding one on this issue, seeks to regulate globally the production, consumption, and end-of-life of plastic.
Each year, 22 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into the environment, contaminating soils, oceans, damaging biodiversity, and even penetrating human tissues.
A total of 184 of the 193 UN member countries are participating in this new round of negotiations, organized after the failure of the last one held at the end of 2024 in Busan, South Korea.
“The positions are crystallizing,” confirmed to AFP a source from an NGO that attended several closed-door sessions.
Documents presented by delegations show that Saudi Arabia, the Arab countries, Russia, and Iran, who say they “share the same ideas” in a group called “like minded,” reject any binding measures on plastic production.
These countries want the treaty not to include the fossil fuel origin of plastic but to focus only on the final phase, when it becomes waste, with measures such as funding collection, sorting, and recycling, especially in developing countries.
However, the initial text to launch negotiations covers the “whole lifecycle” of plastic.
Standoff
According to the diplomatic source, if the text only serves to help developing countries better manage their waste, “we don’t need an international treaty.” “We are facing a standoff with countries willing to have no treaty,” he/she says.
There is also no consensus on Article 3 of the future treaty, which establishes a list of chemicals considered potentially hazardous to the environment or human health, such as additives, colorants, “forever” contaminants (PFAS), or phthalates.
“Some do not want any list, or that each country can make its own list of hazardous products, which can already be done without an international treaty,” said the same source, who also expressed surprise “at China’s lack of openness.”
China is the world’s largest plastic producer and accounts for 34% of the four most common polymers — polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS) — according to British environmental consultancy Eunomia.
The world’s largest plastic producer is the Chinese state-owned group Sinopec, which manufactures 5.4% of these four molecules.
“What happened in the first two days of negotiations is not very surprising,” the positions are the same as in Busan, Rachel Radvany of the NGO CIEL, with offices in Washington and Geneva, told AFP.
A possible solution would be “to move to a vote” on the text, says an NGO observer who was able to attend the meetings.
But this would go against traditions, since most major treaties, except for arms trade agreements, have been adopted by consensus, following UN rules.
