I need to find half a dozen or so comments about Panama from well
known International news or travel sources, i.e. CNN, Sydney Morning
Herald, Sunday Times (London), BBC, ITN, Washington Post, Asia Today,
Boston Globe, Daily Telegraph, Conde Nast Traveller, National
Geographic, Travel & Lesiure, New York Times, Chigago Tribune,
Observer (London), Miami Herald etc, etc, etc as well as lesser-known
tabloid & sensationalist press (any country)

I'm looking for an equal mixture of opinion on the country in "sound
bite" style, i.e.

"It's the new 8th wonder of the world" (Blah Blah magazine) or 

"Don't visit unless you're into hell holes" (blah blah news channel). 

I'm attempting to demonstrate how a first time visitor could arrive
completely unaware of what to expect, having read a dozen articles of
conflicting opinion.

I understand The Sun newspaper in the UK once described it as (I
think) "the very worst of South America and North America combined." If
you can find this accurately listed I'll take this too.

Please note: I do not require comment from travel guide books or
travel websites, just recognised news sources or travel news titles.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 05 May 2004 09:09 PDT

I've looked through stories from major news sources for the past two
years, and actually, I'm only finding very complimentary reports about
travel in Panama -- I might have to go there myself!

Do you want a sampling of the laudatory quotes?  

I know it doesn't jive with what you're trying to demonstrate, but
there just don't seem to be any trip-from-hell stories involving
Panama that I've been able to find in major sources.

Let me know what you think.

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by busybee-ga on 05 May 2004 09:54 PDT

Ok, you're right. It's not exactly what I'm looking for but it is, at
least, half of the equasion.

A sampling would be great - let's see where we go from there

Sarah

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 05 May 2004 10:54 PDT

busybee-ga,

Thanks for getting back to me.  

Before I answer your question, however, I'm going to leave it open to
other researchers, to see if any of them can find the "bad vacation"
stories you're looking for, in addition to the plaudits that I've
found so far.

If no one else answers the question in a day or two, then...if it's OK
by you...I'll post the material I have as an answer.

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by busybee-ga on 05 May 2004 11:28 PDT

Sounds ideal pafalafa-ga.

Any luck tracing the lambasting Panama received at the hands of The
Sun newspaper? (British tabloid) www.thesun.co.uk

Sarah

Dear Busybee,

Here are various comments:
Favor:
Panama is also "hot" because its new tourist infrastructure offers old
world colonial charm
Nandita Khanna
for National Geographic Traveler
December 10, 2003
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1210_031210_caribbeantravel.html#main

While Costa Rica continues to revel in its growing tourist base,
Panama has learned from its neighbour's mistakes. The result: more
land set aside for preservation (only a quarter of the country is
inhabited anyway), more wildlife and, for now, fewer tourists.
Guardian
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/countries/information/0,8766,-161,00.html

The most famous waterway in the world is quite an attraction, but
Panama offers riches beyond the Canal.
Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2001/02/27/etlat1.xml

I think Panama is a real rising star
Hot Spots: LP Staffers' Top Destinations for 2004 (Don George)
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/columns/6.htm

It is still considered one of the marvels of the world. More than 300
cruise ships a year go through the Panama Canal. According to Radio
Producer Rolando Arrieta, a trip through the canal is a mind-boggling
experience.

This is Panama, unspoiled, and if you could find the right guide it
could be the best vacation for any person who loves adventure.
Savvy Traveller
http://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/show/features/2000/20000226/panama.shtml
http://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/show/letters/2000/20000304/4.shtml

Violent crime in Colombia will spill into the countries that border
it: Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Err Travel
http://www.errtravel.com/erro/archive/20000112.htm

Kingdom of Amerindia
http://www.travelintelligence.net/wsd/articles/art_1471.html


Search strategy:
://www.google.co.in/search?as_q=Panama+News+Travel&num=100&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=e&as_sitesearch=panama&safe=images