The project to use wireless technology to bring Internet communications to isolated rural communities has not attracted any companies.
No companies showed interest in the project to provide telephone and internet services to six Costa Rican Caribbean communities.
Nacion.com reports that "the Telecommunications Superintendency (Sutel) said that it did not receive any bids to develop the project of the National Telecommunications Fund (Fonatel) in six communities in Siquirres and Pacuarito.
In Panama, Desarrollo Golf Coronado has been accused of possible falsification of public documents and irregular use of tax exemptions for tourism.
An article in Panamaamerica.com reports that the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) found in the course of an investigation that Desarrollo Golf Coronado included in its list of beneficiaries of tax incentives for the tourism industry two farms that did not belong to the hotel project.
The foreseen work includes changing the carpets, installing new lighting and repairing the roof of the convention center.
Refurbishing the Atlapa convention center will cost about $2.5 million this year. It is the most ambitious of three projects that will absorb 75% of the budget approved in 2012 for the tourism master plan (2007-2020) which totals $4.1 million.
The creation of the National Tourism Fund and the adoption of a hotel classification system are some of the provisions that have been established.
Roberto Gonzalez writes in article published on Prensa.com, "One of the measures that was most expected by the private sector was the creation of Fonatur, a trust fund from which the resources for promotion campaigns, the execution of the Tourism Master Plan and the Project Management office will be obtained.
In the face of the global financial crisis, the government and private sector are betting on tourism which promises to exceed $2 billion in earnings for 2009.
Laestrella.com.pa reports: "The president of the Panama Chamber of Tourism, Jaime Capuzano, highlighted that there are several important tourism projects in development, and said that 'the most important' is the execution of the 2020 Tourism Master Plan, which is considered to be the pillar for development in the country in this sector.
The "Master Plan" should become the main tourism development tool in Panama in the next 12 years.
Along with the Tourism Law, the new offices of the institution and the publicity campaign, the preparation and execution of a Master Plan for Tourism was one of the strategic objectives established by the Ruben Blades administration of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP).
The document prepared by the Spanish consulting firm which won the contract, Tourism and Leisure, will arrive in Panama one month earlier than expected
The document will be analyzed by the Master Plan Follow-up Committee and presented to the World Tourism Organization, which collaborated in the design of the program.
One of the bases of the plan has been the elaboration of a map identifying 26 tourist destinations in the country, instead of the current 9. 21 programs have designed for these 26 destinations and, in practice, will be applied in 72 projects.