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J U N E
 2 0 0 9Issue 29
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SUPERMARKET MAGNATE WINS PANAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
Conservative supermarket magnate Ricardo Martinelli won Panama's presidential election in a landslide while promising to guide the country through the world economic crisis and an ambitious expansion of the Panama Canal.
The win by Martinelli, of the opposition Alliance for Change, marked a rare center-right election triumph in a region that has seen a wave of leftist leaders. The U.S.-educated, pro-business Martinelli, 57, who owns Panama's largest supermarket chain, said he would work for a national unity government because "that is what the country is counting on." "Tomorrow we will all be Panamanians and we will change this country so that it has a good health system, good education, good transportation and good security," he said. Thousands of Martinelli's supporters carrying the green flag of his party filled the streets of Panama City to celebrate. The victor, whose five-year term starts July 1, will have to guide this poor Central American country through the global economic crisis and the $5.25 billion project to increase the Panama Canal's capacity and allow it to accommodate larger ships.  The canal is Panama's economic motor and both Martinelli and Herrera supported its expansion, but the world's economic woes have generated uncertainty over the project, which is receiving $2.3 billion in international financing. Approved in a 2006 referendum, the project is expected to create about 5,000 direct jobs between 2010 and 2011, when construction is at its peak, authorities says.
Panama's economy had grown at an average annual rate of 8.7 percent over the past five years and unemployment fell from 12 percent to 5.6 percent, improvements fueled by foreign and state investment by the Torrijos government. But growth has slowed, with economists predicting growth of just 3 percent to 4 percent for the year. Amid the growing economic gloom, Martinelli played up his business experience as owner of the Super 99 supermarket chain. He vowed to attract foreign investment and promote free trade, particularly with Panama's main trading partner, the United States. Panama has agreed on a free trade accord with the U.S., but the pact has been held up in the U.S. Congress by concerns over Panamanian labor rights and banking rules that could help tax evaders.  MEXICO CLEARED BY CDC AND GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL Travel companies with ties to Mexico have moved swiftly to begin rebuilding their business, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) modified its H1N1 swine flu travel alert a week ago.
The CDC downgraded its recommendation against nonessential travel to Mexico to a "travel health precaution," saying, among other things, that "the risk of severe disease from novel H1N1 virus infection now appears to be less severe than originally thought." The CDC recommended that travelers visiting Mexico take steps to protect themselves from getting the flu and suggested that travelers deemed "high risk for complications from any form of influenza" talk with their doctor and consider postponing travel to Mexico. Apple Vacations extended what it dubbed its "Biggest-ever Mexico Sale," with prices reduced up to 70%, through May 28. Only a few days after the alert was removed, Apple reported that Mexico sales were rebounding. The Mexico Tourism Board vowed to launch a marketing campaign soon after the travel alert was lifted. And already, the Riviera Maya Destination Marketing Office has launched a "Hola Riviera Maya" campaign to "to reactivate the flow of national and foreign tourists to Mexico’s Riviera Maya."  According to Javier Aranda, director of the Riviera Maya Destination Marketing Office, the campaign will continue until visitor levels return to normal. Elements of the campaign include testimonials from tourists currently enjoying the destination. Within hours of the change in language, both Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International said they would resume calls to Mexican ports, as early as this weekend.
Royal Caribbean said it would resume calls to Mexico starting with its Caribbean-based ships, which were to begin calling in Cozumel on sailings departing on or after May 24. Carnival said that once all its voyages with modified itineraries had been completed, most of which were scheduled through June 15, its ships would revert to their original routes. Gerry Cahill, president of Carnival Cruise Lines, said the line was returning to Mexico "after careful evaluation and consultation with the CDC" and pointed out that cruise ports had not been affected by the flu. Investors were relieved, as well: Both Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. shares shot up when the companies announced their return to Mexico. CARIBBEAN LEADERS SCHEDULE BRAINSTORMING SESSION AT MAJOR SUMMIT A high-level tourism “think tank” session is a new component of the Caribbean Tourism Summit, set for June 8 to 10 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. The business-focused summit is organized by the Caribbean Tourism Development Co., the marketing and business unit owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).
The brainstorming session on June 8th will include ministers of tourism, hotel and airline representatives, financial services members, tourism industry partners and representatives of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association. |
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BILL CLINTON TO BE NAMED THE U.N.’S SPECIAL ENVOY TO HAITI
It is with much anticipation that many await the final confirmation of Former US President Bill Clinton as special U.N. envoy to Haiti, an impoverished Caribbean nation that has been mired in political and social turmoil for decades.
Clinton is popular among many of Haiti's poor because as president in 1994, he used the threat of military force to oust a dictatorship in the Caribbean nation. U.S. Army troops and Marines then quickly arrived to pave the way for the return of elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who had been ousted in a coup. In March, the former U.S. president toured the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince with the U.N. chief to encourage investment after a year that saw a food crisis, destabilizing riots and four devastating tropical storms. "I've been following this country for more than three decades," Clinton said during a March 2009 interview with the Miami Herald.  "I think I understand what its shortcomings have been but I've always believed most of its problems were not as some people suggested; cultural, mystical. I think they were subject to misgovernment," he said. Clinton also attended an April donor’s conference in Washington that resulted in pledges of $324 million for Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. Because of his marriage to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, State Department lawyers must approve and review some of Clinton's international activities under an agreement between the U.S. Senate and Clinton Foundation. Officials said the State Department is aware of the appointment but could not immediately say if its lawyers have signed off on it. U.N. officials did not immediately comment on the announcement. ANTIGUA TO HOST CARIBBEAN TOURISM CONFERENCE In good news this week, the Caribbean Tourism Conference has been scheduled on the Caribbean calendar of events after a hiatus in 2008. This year’s event will take place in Antigua & Barbuda in mid-October. Specific locations and dates will be announced at a later date, according to Fernando Abreu, deputy director of marketing for the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
"CTC was not held in 2008 because the first annual Caribbean Tourism Summit had taken place three months earlier, and it was difficult to stage two major events that closely mirrored one another in terms of issues, participants and strategies," Abreu said. Caribbean Tourism Organization officials hope to attract between 650 and 800 attendees at the conference, according to Abreu. |
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| Related Articles | ||
| May 2009 | ||
| Hot Off The Press May 2009 | ||
| Donald Trump has sued the developers of a Baja California condominium development that went belly-up after developers ran out of money before beginning construction on the 525-room, mixed-use, luxury project. Filed in federal court in New York Trump`s lawsuit seeks $40 million in compensatory and punitive damages and accuses Los Angeles-based Irongate Development of failing to build the five-star resort, called Trump Ocean Resort Baja. Trump`s lawsuit against his developer partners comes one month after condominium buyers named him in a lawsuit accusing Irongate of squandering $32 million worth of buyers` deposits. ---> Read More | ||
| April 2009 | ||
| Hot Off The Press April 2009 | ||
| President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will attend the fifth Summit of the Americas held in April in Trinidad and Tobago…a group of leading Caribbean intellects is preparing for this Summit…a report from the World Bank describes the finance gaps facing developing nations such as those of the Caribbean…and the Caribbean countries are called on to safeguard free trade and stimulate their economies….the Haiti Education Foundation has initiated a fundraising campaign to further help feed and educate the children of Haiti… ---> Read More | ||
| March 2009 | ||
| Hot Off The Press March 2009 | ||
| The Caribbean has its own bank scare as the Sanford case causes a run on Antigua banks…meanwhile history is in the making at the 29th Annual Heineken Regatta in St Marten… after years of hosting the legends of the music industry as they recorded their albums, Montserrat has established a Wall of Fame to honor those musicians…and speaking of music, the legendary reggae band the Wailers plays again in March at St Maarten ---> Read More | ||
| February 2009 | ||
| Hot Off The Press February 2009 | ||
| Caribbean foreign affairs ministers will be meeting soon in Haiti for a summit on tourism, natural disasters and climate change… The Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival is estimated to have stimulated economic activity to the tune of J$1 billion (US $10.2 million) in three days…Antigua is ready to inaugurate Mount Obama….and there is still some hope toward repairing the Cuba – America political relationship. ---> Read More | ||
| January 2009 | ||
| Hot Off The Press January 2009 | ||
| The fabulous Montecristo development in Nicaragua invites you to a special event in January; Caribbean nations are urging U.S. President Elect Barack Obama to end the decades long American trade embargo on Cuba.; Caribbean nations are trying to blunt the impact of the U.S. recession on their small economies with various stimulation plans; Caribbean Local Government Ministers have approved the final draft of the Regional Policy and Co-operation Framework on Local Governance; Dominica has secured US$9.16 million from the Caribbean Development Bank to be used for the rehabilitation of its sea defenses and roads; the leaders of the Caribbean to work together to take steps to sustain their economies, in the face of the global economic turmoil. ---> Read More | ||
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