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Get Blog Posts As EmailsYesterday, George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies announced the results of their Adventure Tourism study. Dr. Kristin Lamoureux stated: “Instead of being seen as a small, niche market, the study shows that adventure tourism is a sizable market with the potential for significant economic growth opportunities,” Amble’s research showed that adventure tourism went [...]
Study Shows Adventure Tourism Benefits Local Communities
August 4th, 2010 by FrancesPress Release – Sustainable Resort Isla Palenque Wins Prestigious ASLA Award for Excellence in Resort Planning
April 28th, 2010 by TimCHICAGO, April 28, 2010 — After receiving a record number of entries, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has awarded The Resort at Isla Palenque an Honor Award in the Analysis and Planning category for its geo-responsible resort master plan. The Resort at Isla Palenque, a private island resort located in Panama’s sparkling Gulf [...]
Press Release – Beyond Green: Taking the Long View Toward a Truly Sustainable Resort
April 19th, 2010 by FrancesCHICAGO, April 19, 2010 — Many luxury resorts and hotels are currently touting their green initiatives: recycling, laundering towels less often, or using compact fluorescent bulbs. While these are important efforts, some are embracing a concept bigger than green: sustainability. Alex Pettitt, host of TV’s “Mainstream Green,” contends that sustainability must be ingrained in a [...]
New York Hotel Group Begins Construction in Casco
March 16th, 2010 by JerrodWe are pretty accustomed to the banging of steel and the roar of concrete trucks seeping through the windows of our office here in the old quarter of Panama City; construction is everywhere. But one new construction fence around the old Union Club a couple blocks away caught my eye, mostly because this is the [...]
The Treehouse Revisited
March 10th, 2010 by JerrodI was a lucky child: I had a treehouse. At times, I wish I still had one. The escapism that a treehouse affords is incomparable and there is something about being held high above the ground by massive living things that really connects you to nature, makes you feel like you’ve entered another realm of [...]
No Hurricanes
February 16th, 2010 by BenWhile reviewing the (near) construction drawings for our model home last month, it became clear that the (US-based) structural engineers were designing systems capable of handling hurricane-force winds. An understandable tactic, I suppose, since we are all used to hearing about hurricanes battering the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and much of the US’s coasts every [...]
Press Release – Progressive Luxury Resorts Make Walls Obsolete for the Traveling Elite
January 8th, 2010 by FrancesCHICAGO, Jan. 6, 2010 — Luxury travel has assumed a new meaning among vacationers looking to be submerged in their destinations’ natural environment. In response to a growing demand for close-to-nature vacation experiences, some progressive luxury resorts are eliminating the physical barriers between travelers and their ultimate destination: nature. These high-end resorts now offer open-air [...]
Scale
December 14th, 2009 by BenIsla Palenque is 400 acres, covered mostly with mature forests, lagoons and mangroves. It also has a highly varied topography, meaning that if you are in one corner of the island, experiencing its specific qualities, you don’t necessarily understand any other part of the island. This makes it a difficult island to get to know, [...]
Press Release: Geotourism Engages Travelers in Authentic Cultural Experiences
December 1st, 2009 by FrancesCHICAGO, Dec. 1, 2009 — Tourism has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years and many in the industry believe the change is permanent. In the past, American tourists sought familiarity in even the most exotic destinations. Today, the more sophisticated consumer seeks experiences as unique as their destinations. This industry-wide travel trend, called “geotourism,” [...]
Press Release — Backpackers Pave the Way for a Wide Variety of Tourists to Flock to Panama’s Gulf of Chiriqui
November 16th, 2009 by FrancesCHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2009 — Panama’s Gulf of Chiriqui is so wild and unspoiled it draws the most adventurous souls to its lush wilderness. Destinations such as Coiba National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Parque Nacional Marino Golfo de Chiriqui have coaxed trailblazing nature-lovers and water-sport enthusiasts to the area for years, [...]