My 6 Wishes for Panama Tourism


My 6 Wishes for Panama Tourism

(1 vote)

Written by Matt Landau

Friday, July 27 2007

The last time I made a wish, it was at my thirteenth birthday party and all my friends were there. I closed my eyes and blew out the candles, wishing I'd acquire the baddest collection of unusual gemstones on the block. That was the same year I broke my leg in two places and my mom accidentally ran over our dog. But here are my 6 wishes for tourism in Panama, however wistful they may be...

1. Because Panama is such a rich and vibrant country, you would think there would be more museums or cultural sites. In hot pre-Columbian areas like Veraguas, I wish Lord, for more monuments and historical centers where guests can better understand where they are and why it's so special. By creating this sort of educational outlet, visitors will then be encouraged to contribute back and support the work of specialists and conservationists.

2. The indigenous tribes of Panama have long fought for themselves, and boy do they have a story to tell, but I wish more of these groups started participating in the developing tourism industry. Granted Lord, not all of them have the means nor the insight to pull this off, so I wish things like organizational skills, decision-making, and economic/environmental repercussion will be introduced by experts. By helping create this framework, outsiders as well as the government will exhibit the nation's fascinating melting pot of history in a more mainstream sort of tourism.

3. Lord, if it's OK with you, this one is a four-part wish. Some argue that conventional tourism in Panama will be an extension of colonialism because from the start, the more advanced outsiders will be benefiting more than locals: that, at Panama's expense, foreigners will abuse the republic. I wish though that they will be proven wrong:
- The dollar economy will avert foreign exchange leakages which often limit the percentage of actual tourism revenue that really reaches local levels.
- Countries that have not experienced the effects of globalization can be susceptible to unfair negotiations with foreigners and poorly-managed industry growth. The government of Panama has had plenty of time to examine these effects and thus will not be taken advantage of in the evolution of tourism.
- Thankfully, tourism is not a quick commodity. Unlike the high-speed real estate progress, the natural time that it takes to build a structured tourism sector will be good for the country as it'll steer clear of frenzied exploitation.
- Because Panama is such a small country, it will be comparatively easier for IPAT to identify, compare, and rate the services and environmental impact offered by tourism businesses throughout the country. The size will also allow imported people/goods/services to be closely monitored, thus maintaining a true "Panama feel".

4. The World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." I wish that the various politicians will realize this and not get suckered into taking shortcuts or premature steps in the growth of the sector.

5. Lastly Lord, and I'm sorry I'm taking up so much of your time. You're a busy Lord. But lastly, I wish that tourism information offices strategically sprinkled throughout the country will be better kept and better prepared. To date, these offices are often manned by people who offer little to no information about the region, void a print out displaying the province of choice. I hope that with all the money being spent promoting Panama throughout the world, some of it too will be utilized to capture and amaze visitors once they are here: representing Panama as the gem that it is.

Those are my wishes Lord. I hope to see them come true in the coming years as Panama develops into the most unique travel destination in the continent. I don't know why I'm asking you these things Lord as I've never really prayed in my life. Plus this started off as a birthday party-style wish session. But Lord, it was definitely good talking to you and I'll see you, around or whatever.

Comments (1)

yamir: ...

GOD BLESS U!!!. . . we all panamenians really appreciate it. . .you touched very sensitive but important points and seems like you are more aware than most of panamenians are. Thanks tho smilies/wink.gif