Panama City is a fantastic location that combines a rich and diverse history with a modern business environment.
Serviced apartments in Panama City provide the business traveller with a private and flexible space in which to work. Each property has a comfortable bed, laundry facilities, and a fully-equipped kitchen. Many of Situ's serviced apartments in Panama City have housekeeping as well. If you want to dine out instead, you can go to any of the excellent restaurants in the city.
Serviced apartments can also be much more convenient than hotel rooms as places to do business. Guests have access to free Wi-Fi, plenty of space to work, and even to hold meetings. Aparthotels in Panama City also offer facilities such as a reception and often business meeting rooms. 'Choice' really is the keyword here – you choose a fully equipped, serviced apartment that offers what you want. Browse Situ's range of corporate accommodation, including luxury apartments, in Panama City.
As indicated by its name, Panama City is the capital and the largest city in Panama.
The nation of Panama is located right at the bottom of Central America on the narrow neck of land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, just above the South American continent. The city is home to around 880,000 people, and the larger Panama City metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1.9 million.
The capital is by far the largest city in Panama. Officially, the second largest city is San Miguelito. This has a population of around 320,000 and is just five miles north of Panama City’s centre. It is considered part of the capital’s metropolitan area. Costa Rica lies 323 miles to the west, while the country’s southern border with Colombia is 523 miles from Panama City.
The most famous thing about Panama is undoubtedly the Panama Canal, the 40-mile waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal reaches the Pacific just five miles south of the capital’s city centre. Panama City is a diverse city, with many of the locals able to trace their heritage to Europe or Asia.
The city is justly proud of its Metro rail system which opened in 2014 and is the fastest and most efficient way of getting around the city.
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Panama has the sixth-largest national economy in Central America and has been one of the region’s fastest-growing economies throughout much of the 21st century. It even continued to grow during the global economic crisis of the late 2000s. Forty-five per cent of the nation’s population live in the Panama City metropolitan area, so the capital inevitably dominates the nation’s economy.
Some of the principal industries are construction, sugar milling, and brewing. However, 80% of the nation’s economy is service-based. Significant business sectors include transportation and logistics, banking, insurance, tourism, and healthcare.
Around 40% of the nation’s GDP comes from revenues linked to the Panama Canal. With the recent expansion of the waterway, this income source is set The national government pursues free market policies, and the top rate of income tax is just 25%.
Multinational companies with a presence in Panama City include Dell Technologies, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Adidas, Red Bull, Johnson & Johnson, and McKinsey.
Business networking opportunities in Panama are offered by the following.
· The Panama Business Club. This seeks to foster links between local and international companies.
· InterNations Panama City Business Networking Group hosts regular English language round-table sessions.
· The British Chamber of Commerce Panama holds networking events and seeks to promote trade between the UK and Panama.
Panama does not have a central bank issuing its own paper currency, so the US dollar is the primary currency. Panamanian Balboa coins are in circulation as well, but the Balboa is pegged to the dollar in a 1:1 ratio.
Your business trip might take you to the modern part of the city, but a visit to the Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) is a must. Appreciate the superb architecture of the Inglesia de la Mer (Church of the Sea) and the Church of San Jose with its golden altar. Anotheru interesting place to visit is The Panama CanalMuseum. Several companies run guided tours which take in the Casco Viejo and the Panama Canal in one trip.
Not to be confused with the Old Quarter, the Panama Viejo World Heritage Site is where you’ll find the ruins of the original sixteenth-century city. Today the site is surrounded by an attractive modern park.
One of the most distinctive modern buildings in the city is the Biomuseo. Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, it looks like a jumble of multi-coloured shapes and has been described as ‘A pile of discarded Meccano’. Inside, you can find out more about Panama’s history.
Panama City has excellent local markets. Try the Santa Ana market for handicrafts, or the Paitilla food market. You can buy local produce here and cook in your fully-equipped kitchen, an advantage of choosing to stay in a serviced apartment in Panama City.
If you visit Panama City, at some stage you’ll inevitably find yourself on Avenida Balboa. It’s one of the city’s main thoroughfares and is also a breathtaking promenade along the Pacific shoreline. Some of the city’s best restaurants are also located here.
Whatever you choose to do here, you can be sure that selecting one of Situ's serviced apartments in Panama City will allow you to make the most of your trip.
Tocumen International Airport is 12 miles northeast of the city centre. It serves 85 destinations in 35 countries. While most of the flights from here serve other countries in the Americas, there are also direct flights from Amsterdam, Madrid, and Istanbul.
Marcos Gelabert Airport is one of the few airports in the world that is located right in the city centre. This airport primarily serves other cities in Panama, such as David, Changuinola, and Bocas del Toro.
Panama City’s Metro has 28 stations on two separate lines. Line 1 (the red line) serves destinations in and around the city and in San Miguelito. Line 2 (green) extends to Nuevo Tocumen, but does not go as far as the airport. Trains run every three minutes at peak times, and every eight minutes at other times. Services usually operate between 6am and 10pm.
The Panama Canal Railway largely follows the route of the canal. This runs from Colon on the Atlantic coast to Balboa, a southern suburb of Panama City. This journey across the country takes just one hour. There is typically only one train per day in each direction.
The Albrook bus station is the main hub of Panama City’s Metro Bus network. One of the main tourist routes is the service that goes to Multiplaza, Multicentro, Avenida Balboa, San Francisco, the Fish Market, Panama Viejo, and Atlapa. This bus should show ‘Panama Viejo’ as its destination and runs every 10 minutes. On other routes around the city, buses typically run every 15 minutes. Service E489 connects Tocumen Airport to Corredor Sur station on Metro Line 2. There is also a direct bus to the airport from Albrook. The journey takes two hours.
The city’s buses do not accept cash, so you need a Metro Card. Most outlets that sell this also have a machine where you can load the card. There are buses from Panama City to other cities such as Colón, Metetí, David, and Almirante. It’s also possible to catch a bus to Costa Rica.
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