With the US economy on shaky ground many people are asking if Panama Real Estate and in fact the entire Panama economy as a whole will falter and crash now that many Americans can't unload their home to fund a move to Panama. Unlike many countries, Costa Rica for one, who rely very heavily on foreign tourism, Panama has an economy which is based primarily on much more than just tourism or retirement real estate. In fact both of these 'industries' combined don't even come close to generating the amount of revenue the Panama Canal does for the economy. So the answer is, Yes trouble up north in the US will have an impact on Panama and most other countries in the world however, Panama has what I like to call a 'Trump Card' - the Panama Canal. As long as world trade keeps moving so will the Panama economy. Just another reason you can Safely Invest in Panama Real Estate. Here's a great little example to illustrate my point -

PANAMA CITY, Panama: The Disney Cruise Line has paid a record US$331,200 for one of its ships to cross the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal Authority says the 964-foot (295-meter) "Disney Magic" made the crossing May 16.

Panama increased canal fees last year and now charges cruise liners according to number of beds rather than cargo capacity. The "Disney Magic" has 875 staterooms.

Canal authorities said Tuesday that the previous record fee paid by any ship was US$317,142, set on May 7 by the cargo vessel "MSC Fabienne." The high for a cruiser was US$313,000, set last October by two Norwegian Cruise Line ships.

The U.S.-built waterway earned US$1.76 billion in fees last year. A US$5.25 billion expansion is to be completed by 2014.