Tourism provides employment for Panamanian citizens while contributing to maintaining an efficient economy.
Before visiting Panama, it would be beneficial to brush up on your Spanish skills in order to communicate more easily with both locals and tourists alike. Doing this will make their stay much simpler.
Panama is widely known for its canal, but there’s much more to see and do!
1. It creates jobs
As Panama tourism sector expands, it provides employment opportunities to local workers. This applies both to hotels, restaurants and transportation companies that cater to visitors as well as guides, photographers and marketers who promote Panama’s natural beauty and adventure activities.
Panama tourism industry also draws people with spending power into an economy focused on services. This creates jobs not only during their visit but for years afterwards as well.
At present, this is particularly significant during an emergency situation: tourism industry workers rely heavily on visitors coming in through their doors in order to keep their businesses going; but since the pandemic began visitor numbers have steadily dropped off.
Panamanian government and private sector must come together to develop a long-term, sustainable tourism strategy that can help the country recover from this challenging period. Such an effort should prioritize addressing concerns of tourism workers after state of emergency ends, while creating new circuits highlighting Panama’s various attractions to new markets. It is also crucial that this industry become more inclusive for workers and communities involved with it.
2. It helps to keep the economy stable
As Panama is home to abundant natural resources, its economy relies heavily on tourism for revenue generation. Tourism made up approximately 5.7 percent of GDP in 2021.
Panama tourism boom can be attributed to its stunning natural beauty, which draws visitors from all corners of the globe. Panama boasts one of the highest concentrations of bird species worldwide and features tropical fish species as well as an array of exotic plants and flowers; rainforests in particular feature vast populations of trees, ferns, plants and flowers while beaches and seas boast coral reefs, islands and even an artificial desert!
Panama’s rich biodiversity remains at odds with its poverty levels, leaving its poor unable to access basic services such as health, housing and education. Luckily, however, the construction of Metro Line I has helped reduce commute times while increasing local business activity.
Tourism is key to any healthy economy, which is why APATEL has requested the government implement two actions. First is an aggressive international marketing campaign to announce the country’s reopening; and secondly is to institute a vaccination program and collaborate with tourism industry members on making it sustainable once the virus has subsided. Doing this will bring back visitors with their spending power once the epidemic has subsided.
3. It helps to keep the people employed
Tourism in Panama is a significant employer, offering jobs in hospitality and transportation. Tourism guides account for roughly 3,000 jobs within this industry and many are in precarious positions due to a shortage of bookings; guides are uncertain when tourist flows will return as quickly.
Tourists bring not only visitors, but they also bring considerable spending power with them. This helps businesses that rely on tourists stay afloat, or expand their numbers year-over-year – benefiting not just hotels, hostels and restaurants, but the entire nation as a whole economy.
Panama’s capital city experiences heavy tourist traffic and this creates an enormous demand for drivers and service staff to drive and serve them during tours of tourist sites. Tourism provides much needed employment during pandemic outbreaks in Panama; in fact, this industry provides employment for more than 30% of its inhabitants!
Panama must keep jobs coming into the country to escape its current state of emergency and move toward prosperity. In order to do this, it needs to initiate vaccination programs as well as an international marketing campaign in order to promote itself as an attractive tourist destination again.
4. It helps to keep the local economy strong
Panama has experienced remarkable economic growth over recent years despite global financial uncertainties, especially during this recession. Many factors can be credited with this success: canal expansion and related banking/financial services operations as well as shipping logistics operations are contributing significantly. But tourism has made notable strides as an engine of local economic development.
Tourism has proven an economic boon in Costa Rica due to its diverse ecosystem and vibrant capital city; tourists visit and spend money on accommodations (ranging from budget backpackers to luxurious resorts), food, transportation and activities – spending that generates cash to keep businesses open or even stimulate rural economies that rely less on tourism for income.
Panama offers visitors more than beautiful islands, rainforests and beaches; they also give them an opportunity to gain an insight into its rich culture. Indigenous groups as well as Spanish settlers have left behind an important heritage which continues to be celebrated today through music festivals, dance performances and traditional cuisine.
Tourism made up approximately 5.7 percent of Panama’s Gross Domestic Product in 2021. This estimate doesn’t take into account business travelers, or crewmembers on ships or flights passing through the Panama Canal; nevertheless, tourism’s contribution will help maintain Panama’s growth and economy.