This plan builds on previous plans, particularly the 2007-2020 plan, and responds to the significant changes in the tourism market, including the impact of COVID-19.
Key Takeaways and Goals:
1. Vision for 2025: Panama aims to be recognized as a world-class sustainable tourism destination, leveraging its rich natural and cultural heritage and high-quality services. The plan emphasizes the “Tourism-Conservation-Research” (TCI) model to ensure that tourism development supports environmental conservation and scientific research.
2. Strategic Objectives:
• National Level: Strengthen tourism as a strategic economic sector, enhance institutional capacity, and ensure that tourism policy aligns with broader state policies.
• Sustainability: Ensure that tourism development is sustainable, benefiting the environment, local communities, and the national economy.
• Decentralization: Promote tourism across various regions, especially those with underdeveloped infrastructure, to distribute economic benefits more evenly across the country.
• Safety: Position Panama as a safe destination, particularly in the post-COVID-19 era.
3. Product and Market Strategy:
• Focus on high-value, sustainable tourism products rather than merely increasing visitor numbers.
• Develop and market unique experiences based on Panama’s natural and cultural assets, such as eco-tourism, cultural heritage tourism, and adventure tourism.
4. Post-COVID-19 Recovery: The plan includes a specific strategy for the rapid recovery of the tourism sector, with actions targeted at rebuilding tourist confidence and reviving tourism activities nationwide.
5. Action Plan:
• National Action: Includes initiatives to promote Panama as a tourist destination, enhance competitiveness, and decentralize tourism development.
• Destination-Specific Actions: Focused plans for key tourist destinations like Bocas del Toro, Boquete, Panama City, and others, each with tailored strategies to maximize their tourism potential.
6. Governance and Monitoring: The plan emphasizes the importance of continuous monitoring and the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, particularly in the volatile post-pandemic environment.
This plan is intended to position Panama as a leader in sustainable tourism while ensuring that tourism development benefits all Panamanians.
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