Panama will not be another Cancun

According to Castro it is important to develop sites of interest, construct hotels and create restaurants, without losing the personality of the country or transforming Panama into another Cancun.

“We need to exploit the tourism industry carefully otherwise we run the risk of creating resorts similar to the ones in Cancun, in which the visitor could be anywhere in the world,” said Castro.

The Master Plan also contemplates the development of nautical tourism with supply centers, marinas and coast guards, to ensure the security around and within the coastline.

Talking about the homeport of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in Colon 2000 port, Castro said that it will greatly benefit that province.

However it would be necessary to strengthen the facilities in sites of interest such as Portobelo and San Lorenzo.

Castro added that in order to take advantage of the number of visitors the cruise ships will attract (around 4000 per week) it is imperative to make more investment in Colon especially in the transport sector.

It needs to be safe, comfortable and speedy. Small tourists enterprises should be created to sell souvenirs and organize tours.

He added that a possibility exist that of a second homeport will be created on the Pacific coast, that will take travelers to the Mexican coast and California, that unlike the Caribbean, do not have any hurricanes or storm problems. It will also make Panama more attractive as a destination.

Castro did not give any details about the location of the Pacific homeport or if any other cruise ships lines are interested in the project.

The Tourism Authority representative also stressed that Tocumen airport is not sufficient to cope with travelers’ needs and it is necessary to build a new one in the Azuero region to take full advantage of Panama as a tourist destination.

Castro concluded by saying that programs are in place to train personnel to take care of tourists, but Panamanians need to change their mentality and provide better customer service.