Keith, as far as I know, you seem to be the best informed gringo in the area with respect to what's happening here in Boquete, so a question for you.
The former owner/manager of Restaurante Baru told me before he apparently lost/sold the business that Boquete's torn up streets had hurt his revenues very badly, a few other business managers have said the same to me, and others have told me that tourism in Boquete had dropped a lot due to the same problem, hurting hotels and restaurants and many of their employees.
I think I recall a meeting of quite a few (maybe a dozen?) business managers with President Varella here in Boquete at which they reportedly criticized the work's effects on their businesses, and he promised that the streets would be repaved by a certain date.
Now Restaurante Baru apparently has new owners, has been renamed Bamboo, has lost many of its former employees, and has come out with a much pricier menu, although we recently felt that the meals we were served were not as enjoyable as we previously experienced in Baru's better days.
Do you know of any public information about the scope of the economic harm (lost revenues, etc.) Boquete's tourism-dependent businesses have experienced?
Thanks.