Alum's blog "The Panama Report" beckons tourists south
“I think the key is to find a way to make a living out of something you enjoy,” said Matt Landau, ’05.
When he couldn’t see himself working a 9-5 job in New York or D.C., Landau flew to Central America in 2005. After spending one long weekend in Panama, he found where he wanted to build his life. He now spends his days running a hotel in Panama City’s historic district and writing a widely read travel blog. From the look of things, Landau has taken his own advice.
When he was a senior at Richmond, Landau read an article in Richmond magazine about Casey Halloran, B’97, who had built a travel agency empire in Costa Rica. The story turned a light bulb on for Landau, who was finishing an international economics major and a Latin American and Iberian studies minor.
Landau contacted Halloran and the two kept in touch until Landau graduated and flew down to San Jose to work for Halloran. Landau quickly grew to love Costa Rica. Within five months, he had written a guidebook about the country.
“I was convinced that this was it—that what I was doing beat anything I could be doing at home,” said Landau. “But then some friends told me about Panama.”
He traveled to Panama one weekend for a short stay and felt as if he had discovered a hidden gem. He immediately saw the potential in Panama’s relatively undeveloped real estate and tourism industries and moved to Panama City shortly thereafter.
“I was amazed at everything I saw in Panama and for what I do, writing and the Web, it was just like an open canvas,” said Landau. “Moving to Panama was a crash course in how to be an entrepreneur.”
Landau saw plenty of business opportunities in Panama, but perhaps the best opportunity was just the chance to experience life in Panama City. Living in Panama paid off for Landau, literally. He began to write articles about his experiences—the restaurants, real estate, hotels, nightlife, investments, travel spots and the overall culture of Panama—and they quickly numbered in the hundreds, all of which beckoned other young Americans to come to Panama and do the same.
He published the articles in a travel blog called “The Panama Report,” which very quickly became widely read. Landau says that, through starting the blog, he became somewhat of an expert on investments and real estate in Panama.
Shortly after he launched "The Panama Report", another business opportunity came Landau’s way. A Dutch couple, friends of Landau’s and owners of a boutique hotel called Los Cuatro Tulipanes, asked for his help marketing the establishment. Los Cuatro Tulipanes, which translates to “the Four Tulips,” was the first hotel that Landau stayed in when he came to Panama. During his stay he had been charmed by the Casco Viejo, the 800-year-old historic district of Panama City, where the hotel is located.
“There’s no real tourism infrastructure in the historic district,” said Landau. “It used to be the cultural center of the city and in the last 10 years it has experienced a giant upswing. But there are almost no hotels and so the ones that are there are always full.”
Landau told the owners of Tulipanes that he’d be happy to help publicize the 12-room hotel, in which Landau, of course, saw a lot of potential. In 2007 they offered him the business, which he agreed to purchase.
Today, Landau runs Tulipanes with fellow Richmond grad Keenan Lee, B ’05. Lee is one of a growing number of Richmond alums who have come to Panama after hearing about Landau’s experience. Keenan had been working as a paralegal in New York before he came down to join his friend.
As for whether Landau will stay in Panama, he takes things one year at a time, understanding that things in Panama can change quickly. For now, Tulipanes is one of just two places tourists can stay in the historic district of Panama City and Landau is enjoying the fruits of what he modestly calls, “good timing.”
“Looking back at my time at Richmond, it wasn’t like I was given a specific piece of knowledge on how to be an entrepreneur, “ he said. “Instead, through a number of different classes, I was taught how to think differently; I was taught how to problem solve. The whole environment at Richmond helped to nurture this because I was challenged by my professors and peers alike.”
The classes that Landau says were most significant during his time at the University were upper level economics classes he took with professor Jonathan Wight, his international economics advisor. Wight favored assigning business plans over nightly homework, which had real world applications for Landau. Writing the plans helped Landau learn how to find niches in industries and he attributes part of his success in Panama to the fact that he still works with Richmond graduates who were taught to think in the same way.
“It’s a really neat time to be in Panama, both socially and professionally,” said Landau. And for his fellow alums and those about to graduate he added, “Come down here and see for yourself!”