Panama Travel Mart Showcases What’s New and Exciting in Panama

In addition to its strategic geographical location, Panama is a country with a complete tourist offer that includes places of rest and adventure on beaches, mountains, coasts, high-level services, and a sophisticated gastronomic variety that fuses local flavors with dishes of international cuisine.

To promote the tourist attractions of this Central American country, the Panama Travel Mart 2024 was held in the city of David, the capital of the province of Chiriquí. There, the leading service providers met with the continent’s most critical business buyers. “Chiriquí is an area of great potential because we have forests, flora, fauna, and different experiences that we must promote to receive more visitors. We have an international airport and road,” said Joaquín de León, mayor of Chiriquí.

The city of David is strategically located and has become a hub where visitors stay overnight and then go to enjoy experiences on beaches, the sea (whale watching), and the heights of the Baru Volcano. All this is an hour away.

The impressive old town of Panama City is a World Heritage Site. (Photo Credit: Valentín Fuentes)

Ernesto (Tito) Orillac, President of Panama Travel Mart 2024, explained that “80 percent of the country’s tourism infrastructure is located in the capital city and the Pacific area, while 80 percent of the tourist product is in the Caribbean and Pacific and wholesalers from more than 12 countries have been able to know these wonders.”

He highlighted that Panama Travel Mart’s priority destinations are the United States (with a connectivity of more than 20 cities), Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, France, Spain and Brazil.

Panama, widely known for its emblematic canal, through which about five percent of the world’s products pass, also has an extraordinary range of experiences for all types of visitors that start in the old town, a World Heritage Site, which has extraordinary colonial buildings, luxury hotels, and top-notch restaurants. “The trend is heading towards gastronomy with a great fusion of Afro-Antillean, Chinese, and Peruvian-Japanese, among others, and we already have three restaurants in the Latin 50 list,” says the President of Panama Travel Mart.

Panama’s gastronomic offerings display sophisticated dishes with recipes that fuse local and international flavors. (Photo Credit: Valentín Fuentes)

In another part of the city, the colorful Biomuseo, designed by Frank Gehry, Poin Panama, skyscrapers with the most enormous glass gazebo in Central America, and a zipline and swing for adrenaline lovers from the heights.

Added to this are tours of rum distilleries in the Panamanian provinces, coffee farms in the highlands, and a long strip of warm coasts. “We have an exciting mix that allows us to offer a great deal of tourism,” says Tito Orillac.

With this boost in the Panamanian tourism industry, hotels are expected to receive more guests and grow the value chain. “The average benchmark for a hotel room is 1.5 people, and we are below one,” said Luis Ricardo Martínez, VP of the National Chamber of Tourism of Panama.

Treasure of the Highlands

One of Panamanian tourism’s most outstanding products is the production of Geisha coffee, the most expensive on the planet. It is grown in the mountainous region of Boquete, Chiriquí Province (Valley of the Moon), at the foot of the Baru Volcano, a paradise for ecotourism lovers and those looking to do good business in the coffee industry.

“In 2004, the Geisha variety was discovered, and no better one has been found. Because of the height (6,500 feet approx.), the volcanic soil, the coffee-positive microorganisms, and the unique microclimates,” says Wilford Lamastus, Manager of Lamastus Family Estate. This farm adds four generations producing different types of coffee, of which the Geisha is stellar.

One of Panamanian tourism’s most outstanding attractions is the production of world-famous Geisha coffee. (Photo Credit: Valentín Fuentes)

He explains that the Asian market is the most important for the commercialization of the aromatic, which has reached a price of more than 10,000 dollars per kilogram in auction. Notably, the 20-kilogram Elida Geisha Natural Torre de Lamastus Family Estate lot set a world record by reaching the highest price at the 2024 Nest Panama annual electronic auction, acquired by the Japanese company Saza Coffee.

“Tours of the area include talks about the history of more than a century of the farm, observation of the different varieties, the drying and fermenting process, as well as visits to the coffee plantations by the Baru Volcano, and tastings where the wheel of aromas and flavors is shown to detect the level of acidity, citrus and herbal tones, among others,” says Wilford Lamastus, who stresses that the brand has won the Panama Cup four times for the best producer of the year.

On the other hand, Tito Orillac, one of the finest experts in the Panamanian tourism industry, comments that Geisha coffee, considered the most expensive in the world, has given Panama significant potential because it has made it a tourist attraction.

Visitors can tour the Carta Vieja rum distillery, which has been making the best rum in Panama since 1915. (Photo Credit: Valentín Fuentes)

Another very attractive tour for tourists in the region is the Carta Vieja rum distillery, which has been making the best rum in Panama since 1915. Visitors have the chance to learn about the process of manufacturing the drink and its aging and, ultimately, taste the different products of this iconic Panamanian company.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2024, the industry will contribute $13.5 trillion to Panama’s Gross Domestic Product, an increase of 19.5 percent over 2019.

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