PANAMA CITY, Panama , July 10, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Can you imagine 180 miles of untouched Caribbean, white sandy-beach coastline within hours of 20 major North American cities? Are you looking for a beachfront retirement property at a 10th of the cost of most beachfront property that is available today? All this and more is waiting for smart investors in the Republic of Panama.
"The helicopter tour of this coastline is unbelievable," stated the president of one of the largest resort development groups in the U.S. "I have never seen so much undeveloped, beautiful, Caribbean beachfront in my life! It is almost impossible to know where to even start and it is inevitable that the major resort players will begin staking out their territory in this developing region."
All indications are that this professional is right about Panama's Caribbean secret. Panama has primarily developed along its Pacific coast, due in part to the InterAmerican Highway that links North and Central America. The Pacific side is attractive to investors and travelers, but it also has temperamental weather patterns, a 15- to 20-foot tide change and the beaches simply can't compare to those on the Caribbean side. Despite the negatives, Panama has seen its Pacific beachfront property values escalate to over US$400,000 an acre in developments such as Coronado and El Valle.
It is only a matter of time before the tide turns to the Caribbean side of Panama. Panama mounted an extremely successful multimillion dollar marketing campaign through the BBDO and Ketchum Agencies in 2002, and, of course, Panama's Caribbean gold mine was featured prominently (www.visitpanama.com).
Panama has everything required to support its billion-dollar, Caribbean development. In terms of tourism, the country has four hundred years of Spanish history, one hundred years of international influence and 14 years of Democracy, a diversity that appeals to world travelers. It also has more varied destinations to travel to than most of the top tourist destinations in the world. In fact, Panama has "found its place" on the Caribbean tourist map in the past seven years in locations such as the Bocas del Toro Archipelago and the San Blas Islands. Panama has also been constantly recognized as one of the safest places to travel in the world.
But that's not all. Panama has modern air transportation and new, modern highways and tollways that are going to provide complete access to this Caribbean paradise over the next few years. Panama has the most modern and extensive banking center in Latin America, has earned the title of the fiber-optic hub of the Americas, has exquisite dining and five-star hotels, and the U.S. dollar as its main currency. With all this, full Internet traction and the prolific infrastructure that Panama has it should gain the recognition in five years that it took Costa Rica twelve years to achieve.
The combination of Panama's strong points spells opportunity for San Cristobal International (a private Investment Promotion Agency that helps individuals and institutional investors participate in the expansion of Panama's touristic zones), which has sold over 45 Caribbean, waterfront lots in the last eleven months. "We have seen a hyper-increase in our website traffic statistics and a steady flow of investors coming to Panama with their eyes wide open," stated Tom McMurrain of SCI (www.sancristobalsa.net). "We have worked 18 hours a day for the last year trying to keep up with the momentum that this country has, it is incredible!"
To sum up, Panama has the potential to become a world-class tourist destination and a dominant business center for companies looking to cash in on its Caribbean "Gold Coast" boom. Now is the time to make the move to Panama if you are interested in exceptional land prices and want to enjoy the unspoiled and undeveloped regions of this beautiful country.
For media information or to schedule interviews, contact media@sancristobalsa.net, 1-866-811-5324 (U.S.) or at +507-322-0913 (Panama).
About San Cristobal Land Development, Inc.
San Cristobal Land Development (SCLD) is a leading developer of Emerging Growth Real Estate in the Caribbean. Through SCLD, investors have access to a portfolio of international properties that have been hand-selected by a real estate and marketing team that has a proven track record of identifying emerging-growth destinations, properties and opportunities. These may have unique timing value, have suffered media damage or simply possess infrastructure improvement opportunities.
SCLD offers carefully executed programs that bring value to its investors. Investors benefit from a solid return on their money while it works, and SCLD offers tremendous upside potential that our customers benefit from before we do. This "customer-first" mentality has provided SCLD with a global network of real-estate purchasers seeking our opportunities.