Panama reimagines sustainable and conscious tourism with its 2020-2025 Master Plan

The National Tourism Council (CNT), the main public-private body for the direction and consultation of the sector in Panama, unanimously approved the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism 2020-2025 (PMTS).
Through it, the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) presents the relaunch of the country as a tourist destination after the post-pandemic reopening, scheduled for September 28 at the national level and on October 12 for the international offer.
The Plan reactivates the Tourism, Conservation and Research (TCI) strategy, developed for the country by the prestigious ecologist, Dr. Hana Ayala, more than 20 years ago, with proposals that value the country's conservation and sustainability efforts and its differentiated offer of nature, culture and history.
According to Iván Eskildsen, General Administrator of the ATP, “the PMTS is committed to a differentiation strategy, through innovation and sustainability, highlighting the natural and cultural heritage of Panama, a safe value in the current uncertain world environment, which is he expects to be very competitive and to which our country responds with the strength of its authenticity ".
In this sense, the original TCI Heritage Routes scheme has been updated, now through three axes: Cultural Heritage, Green Heritage and Blue Heritage (marine).
The 19 circuits that comprise it were developed in workshops with the participation of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), the Biomuseum team, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Culture, among other valuable contributions. of the main tasks of the Government Plan of President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, which establishes as a priority the updating of the PMTS, whose strategies were not reviewed since 2007, under the administration of Rubén Blades.
The PMTS is also part of one of the flagship projects of the current administration, the Colmena Plan, which seeks to improve the quality of life of the poorest communities in the country, and specifically proposes the tourist circuits "Panama Indígena" and "Panama Afro ”, designed with the contribution of the groups directly involved, to turn tourism activities into effective tools against poverty and inequality.
The total investment budget for the described period (2020-2025) is calculated at B / .301.9 million, of which B / .169.3 million will come from the Tourism Promotion Fund (PROMTUR) and B / .100 million from the loan already approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and endorsed by the Comptroller's Office.
For Jorge García, president of the CNT, "the Master Plan is a fundamental tool as a roadmap for the sector, and for this the importance of updating it at least once a year has been determined. As representatives of the private sector in the CNT , we emphatically emphasize the importance of its execution and the measurement of its results, with objective indicators, "he said after recalling that according to Law 4 of 2008, the CNT is the body responsible for approving the goals, objectives and strategies that are developed in the Master plan.
The process of preparing the PMTS, led by the consultant of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Augusto Huéscar, had the participation and contribution of the tourism sector associations at the national level and was consulted with the leaders of the sector so that they could do their recommendations before the approval of the CNT. Ernesto Orillac, president of the National Chamber of Tourism of Panama (CAMTUR), highlighted the consensual nature of the PMTS, because it has a well-defined strategy and products that establish a five-year planning, which is to work in an orderly manner and with the support of private companies.
"CAMTUR is going to push for this to happen and embody the vision that Panama is recognized as a world-class sustainable tourism destination." The PMTS also takes into account the actions that are coordinated through the Tourism Cabinet, when it comes to infrastructure and services that depend on other state entities and are fundamental to guarantee the integral tourist offer. With the PMTS, Panama renews the country's strategy and the hopes of the sector in the progressive reactivation of the industry. The first international appointment for this relaunch of tourism will be the virtual fair Experience Panama Expo, which will take place from September 25 to 27.