Panama is a very impressive place

Panama City is as modern a metroplis as Hong Kong.

Just got back from my Panama visit and my first impression of this new kid on the block tourist destination is I'm very impressed.

Panama is much more than a canal - which, I must admit, is one of the most impressive man-made structures I've ever seen; right up there with China's Great Wall and Egypt's pyramids.

Panama City, the capital, is a fast-paced vertical metropolis that's as exciting as Hong Kong, New York or London - lots of great restaurants, brand new hotels (like the about to open Trump Tower), old world charm in its Old Town district and an exciting nightlife that's spiced up with lots of casinos and clubs.

The people of Panama are friendly - a bit shy and certainly not as in your face as Brazilians, but they are welcoming and always flash a smile.

Of course, as I discovered, Panama's ecology is second to none and its eco-tourism sector, that feature rain forest safaris and jungle walks that lead to breathtaking waterfalls even impressed a couch potato like me.

Some people are calling South and Central America the new Caribbean. I couldn't agree more. The Caribbean is too costly for me and the beach resorts one finds in Panama and the rest of Latin America offer much better value.

Okay, I know there's always a safety concern about Latin America. Get over it folks. The drug dealers have all moved north to Mexico from places like Colombia and the only thing you have to be afraid of in Panama is the giant-sized insects that look like jumbo jets.

Speaking of Colombia - a place I can't wait to visit - people in Panama were telling me their neighbour - Panama once belonged to Colombia - is the next tourist hot spot in this region.

I flew with Copa Airlines to Panama and the Panama City-based carrier, which will soon become a member of Star Alliance along with Air Canada, is superb in every way - service and reliability are right up their with the 5-star carriers.

Business is booming in Panama and my plane was full of Canadian business executives headed to Panama City to make big deals in mining and finance. One of the biggest banks in Panama is our own Scotiabank.

One of the fastest growing demographics in Panama is retirees, mostly from the U.S. and Canada. Here you can get downtown Pacific Ocean-view condos for about $140,000 and over on the Caribbean side of the country, Canadian developers are about to open condos along the Atlantic Ocean coast for about the same price.

I highly recommend Panama as a vacation destination and Copa Airlines is a great way to get there.