NewsLady Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Reprinted from Newsroom Panama Boquete Flower Fair earns attendance bouquet Posted on January 21, 2018 in Panama WITH one day left to go, the organizers of the forty-sixth edition of the Coffee and Flower Fair in Boquete, Chiriqui (pop., 19,000) had already chalked up an attendance record of nearly 145,000, some 6,544 more than last year. When the show closed on Saturday, January 20, 144,618 people had passed through the various ticket offices and Sunday’s attendance has still to be added to the total. In addition to the central themes of flowers and coffee, visitors from across the country and abroad were entertained with folkloric performances, games, discotheques, artisanal and commercial exhibitions and a multiplicity of dining experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 I'm of the opinion that this many visitors, probably 150,000 or more before its over, is too many for a town of 19,000 to handle. Because of the traffic backups and feria bridge closures, it was difficult to impossible at times to get through town or into town. God forbid that there should be a medical or other emergency during those times. The weather didn't help, of course, but it always seems to rain during the fair, leading me to wonder every year why they don't change the date. I don't know what the solution is, or IF there's a solution at all. I live on the north side of town, and my life was disrupted so completely that I intend to just leave town next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 5 minutes ago, Bonnie said: I live on the north side of town, and my life was disrupted so completely that I intend to just leave town next year. That's probably not a bad idea. We are nowhere near as affected as you are Bonnie, but spending some days away last week was a great break from the inconveniences here, even though we were in the City where traffic snarls are part of the every day routine. Definitely helps the appreciation of small town life in that respect, but I do like the 'buzz' and the dining opportunities there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 The new Panamonte bridge should be open by next year and that will be a huge help for us on the Jaramillo side of town. I love the feria; I'm happy to see it come; I'm even happier to see it leave. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Report from ATP Tourism Authority on the success of this year's Feria. 24 Jan 2018 The Feria de Flores y Café, Boquete, which this year in its version 46 was held from 11 to 22 January, recorded an increase of 10 thousand 200 visitors more than last year and generated an economic impact of $12 million. In 2017 157,580 thousand people attended the fair compared to 167,780 this year. "National and foreign tourists from all over the United States and Europe visited the fair," said Reynaldo Serracin, president of the Feria board. The massive promotion through social communication media and support for presentations of national artists on stage sponsored by the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) helped to make this year's fair more crowded. Artists of the stature of the brothers Samy and Sandra Sandoval, Osvaldo Ayala, Lucho de Sedas, and Nenito Vargas, among others, were presented on stage. As a novelty this year was the First National Competition of Accordions " Marcelino Guerra", with competitors from all over the country; the walking path by the Caldera river; and a village built on a retaining wall with a perimeter fence and a garden that was a blanket of flowers. Serracin explained that during the 11 days of the fair local businesses benefit, "because it is when they receive the greatest economic injection in our district and the province. The hotel occupancy reached its maximum capacity." He went on to explain that the fair circulated around 12 million dollars, that permeated in the commercial activity: accommodation, transport, restaurants, tourist guides, shops. "It is a cycle of activities where there is the greatest movement of money," he said. For the board of trustees the underpinning of this fair every year are the national and foreign tourists, who seek a pleasant climate and the attractions of the fair. http://www.atp.gob.pa/noticias/feria-de-las-flores-y-del-cafe-impacto-economia-de-la-region-y-aumento-numero-de-visitantes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) Anyone else wonder about the significance or relationship of pink flamingos to Boquete? These two seem to make it to the Feria every year. Edited January 25, 2018 by Keith Woolford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundageba Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Better than the common vulture which I suppose is an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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