Q & A with Gloria Clavel de VelazquezIberia Manager in Panama

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Iberia has been doing great in the Central American region and for the front office, there´s no better hub than Spain for the company´s flights around the Old World, while Panama fits the bill when it comes to the isthmus.

Caribbean News Digital learned about these details in an exclusive interview with Iberia´s manager in Panama within the framework of the Second Central America Travel Market.

CND: What´s the current situation of Iberia´s flights over your territory and that must be detoured to the Costa Rican airport due to unfinished works in the Panamanian terminal? What kind of backlog is this situation creating for Iberia?

GCV: Basically, those jetliners are not landing in Costa Rica due to schedule and weather problems. The Costa Rican airport is perched on a mountainous region, contrary to Panama´s, that´s located at sea level and packed with possibilities, let alone great weather conditions all year round. It´s not indeed infrastructural problems but rather wicked weather and the kind of mountainous relieve there.

CND: how many passengers have you brought to Panama this year?

GCV: I´d say some 100,000 passengers.

CND: What about their nationalities?

GCV: Frenchmen, Italians, Germans and Spaniards.

CND: That means the Spain hub is doing great, and so is doing the Panama hub, doesn´t it?

GCV: Absolutely. The (Panama) hub is doing well and I wish there were more flights. Of course, that´ll always hinge on demand and as we speak, the most of that demand is clustered in Costa Rica. Yet we´d be happy to have three or four flights –better four than three- because Panama is a travel destination on the rise. It´s amazing to see all those environment-friendly hotels popping up across Panama´s mountains, fancy lodgings opening in the cities. The country is building an infrastructure that didn´t exist in the past and we´re now counting on that factor.

CND: What has this Travel Market meant to both Panama and Central America?

GCV: To us, this has been quite a tradeshow. It´s been simply superb to us because we´re now getting the attention of tour operators from Europe, South America and Central America. All of them are concentrated here in Panama and are well aware of the tourist offer that Central America has to offer, especially Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama.

CND: What do you make of CATA, the Central America Office in Spain? Do you see it as a useful tool?

GCV: I believe this office is a key factor, a great idea. CATA showed up three years ago and has been getting better with each passing year. At the onset, of course, it hit a few coordination snags, yet it now has the necessary experience and expertise. For all Central American nations, the Madrid-based CATA office plays a key role in selling the region on the world market.

CND: And do you make of multi-destination? Do you think it´s a good option for Central America?

GCV: I do, yes, I do. European tourists traveling to Panama are eager to visit other countries during that same trip. I´m sure a Central American multi-destination offer will sell like hotcakes. The downside is that the whole region needs better roads and highways.

CND: Do you have some kind of fare, for example, with the TACA Pass or any other connection that guarantees tourists a much cheaper trip around the area?

GCV: Sure. Iberia has implemented codeshares with TACA, by far the air carrier with the largest number of flights to Central America. Therefore, this codeshare agreement has made things easier for passengers moving from one destination to the other.

CND: Is there anything else you´d like to add?

GCV: Thank you for this interview and the kind of publicity this Q & A session will bring to Central America.