According to an article in Prensa.com, so said the tourism minister of Panama, Salomón Shamá, noting that "tourism ‘is the new cold war' between countries, and he stressed that it is not true that countries would share the foreign currency generated by international tourism. "

In 2012, Panama will spend $12 million on tourism promotion, and the Minister pointed out that the campaigns they are running intend to encourage tourists to stay in the country.

The border region between Costa Rica and Panama seems to have the right conditions for a tour package that includes stays in both countries, but attempts to do so from private operators have not been supported by the respective governments, and have not been as successful as hoped.

Source: Prensa.com

More on this topic

Panama and Colombia United in Tourism

October 2010

Tourism officials discussed offering both countries as a multi-destination.

Both tourism authorities and companies are realizing the benefits of this approach.

The director of the Commercial Office of the Government of Colombia for Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama (Proexport Colombia), Alvaro Gomez-Escalante, told Pa-digital.com.pa, "We have a common destiny, and considering our proximity and connectivity, Europeans can come to this part of America and visit Colombia and Panama.”

Central America relaunches its brand

December 2008

The Isthmus decided to relaunch the "Central America, so small, yet so big" brand and to strengthen its promotion as a multi-destination region for tourists.

The promotion includes the brand and pictures from each country that will be placed at the various airports.

Even though each country will have its own brand, they are seeking to position Central America as an area which offers a diversity of destinations and activities, said the aid to the director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat), Carlos Haase.

Central America promoted as tourist destination

October 2008

Countries in the region are trying to sell themselves as a tourism "multi-destination" under the banner "Central America, so small...yet so big,"

However, they still have some weaknesses to work on in order to strengthen this economic activity such as greater public investment for tourism promotion and integrating the various tourism offers such as volcanoes, beaches, colonial cities, Ricardo Martinez, Honduran tourism director, pointed out.

Tour operators seek to consolidate a regional brand

September 2008

"The colonial and volcanic route" which covers all the countries on the Isthmus is one of the first fruits of the recently formed Federation of Tour Operators Associations.

Representatives from the tourism entity met yesterday in Guatemala during the II Encounter of Central American Tour Operators to study in depth each one of the geographical destinations, as well as to define strategic business alliances.