It is no surprise that Panama is living in an unprecedented time in history with huge changes in the country’s infrastructure. Like the rest of the county, the tourism industry is experiencing a similar overhaul.
On Tuesday, April 24th a workshop focused on addressing these issues was hosted by the government of Panama and Panama Emprende.
The featured speaker of the workshop was Mr. Ruben Blades, the current minister of tourism. During his presentation he shared his knowledge and insights about the latest tourism projects across the country, offered suggestion on the best way to implement the new tourism law and discussed the structure of the new Panama Tourism Authority which will replace the existing one created 31 years ago.
Panama’s first tourism master plan was created in 1994 with the goal of attracting 1 million visitors. Minister Blades said this was accomplished in January 2005 and was the largely due to the construction of more hotel rooms in the city and along the Pacific Coast. Not satisfied with these results, the Panamanian Tourism Authority has set a goal of attracting even more tourists over the next 20 years by developing a strategy to promote other areas of the country, from the islands of Bocas del Toro, the mountain communities in the Chiriqui highlands and the Caribbean beaches of Colon and Kuna Yala.
According to Minister Blades, the government, local municipalities, real estate developers, tour operators and travel agencies must work together in order to accomplish this goal.
Minister Blades pointed out several critical issues that must be addressed in order for the tourism industry to reach it’s potential in Panama:
1. The promotion of an “open skies” policy with other governments.
2. The end of the transportation monopoly at Tocumen International Airport and a better public transit system.
3. Changes to the Panamanian labor law that will promote higher levels of productivity in the tourism industry.
4. Development of training programs for tourism workers
5. The addition of more tourism police with bilingual speaking skills.
6. Continued improvement of the tourism infrastructure.
Chiriquí and Bocas
Minister Blades predicted that the Pacific coast line of Chiriquí is about to explode with several new projects proposed along the coastline. As an example, he mentioned an American company that is considering an investment of up to $400 million for a new resort and marina complex.
On the Atlantic side another American developer is considering a possible investment of $700 million to build a resort hotel, residential complex, and new airport facilities in the Bocas del Toro area.
In the end, the minister of tourism was very optimistic about the future of tourism in Panama. To emphasize this, he pointed out that the Panamanian government has recently approved a 5 year advertising budget of $39.5 million for a worldwide marketing campaign. The proposed marketing plan will promote Panama as a world class tourism destination as well as a low cost and peaceful place to retire.
