Tourism is soon to reopen its doors and the uncertainty of how the industry will evolve in this new stage is deep after many months without receiving tourists or generating economic income.
However, to move forward it is important to know in depth our current reality, its implications and how it will affect us. Preparing ourselves as a country to take well thoughts measures and actions are vital to minimize the negative effects, and with a good vision elevate Panama’s tourism to the place it deserves.
The leader and adviser in tourism investments Jaime Figueroa Navarro analyzes the situation and thinks that tourism in general will not return to normal until there is a reliable vaccine that allows the normal displacement to which people were accustomed, an unknown challenge for all countries of the world.
A New Reality
The confinement of the population has generated new technological opportunities as well as negative effects, forcing a progressive adjustment in all areas of society. Jaime Figueroa points out these changes in the new work habits in companies that have seen the need to work from home. This being the new labor norm in the future, which is positive for technological development and employee empowerment, it would eliminate the need to travel to an “office”, lowering operating costs and related expenses such as real estate, electricity, leasing, among others. However, Jaime emphasizes the negative part, since it breaks with the normal economic cycle by eliminating links and collaborators in the support chain for the operations of businesses, which will ultimately result in higher unemployment and more companies closing.
Every Cloud has a Silver Lining
This new reality, although in some aspects may seem bleak, also brings positive challenges, new thoughts and the opportunity to improve the way we manage tourism. For Jaime Figueroa, our tourism depends too much on “shopping” and business trips, activities that will continue to be affected in the short and medium term. However, his analysis leads to the conclusion that now is the time to manage what really differentiates the country from the rest of the region. Every country in the area boasts lush ecology, delicious cuisine, and interesting customs, but Panama’s history stands out as a vibrant hallmark of distinction.
New Opportunity with Global Vision
In our country many see it as something far away to develop destinations that millions of people wish to visit each year. Jaime Figueroa thinks that the country has everything it needs to be a magnet for tourists from all over the world, if specific projects are developed with all the ingredients that a great world destination should have. This visionary shares with us the tourism projects that in his professional analysis would elevate Panamanian tourism to the place it has always deserved.
▪ Cocoli Great Viewpoint:
It is one of the projects that Figueroa proposes and is inspired by the premise that tourists want to observe the Post Panamax mega ships up close, something that is not possible from the Miraflores viewpoint. This project would be connected to the largest ecological park in the world in the canal basin. Project that would bring a million Visitors per year, half of the visits the country receives lately each year.
▪ Reconstruction of the Old Panama Ruins:
For Figueroa, recreating the most important colonial city during the 400 years of the Spanish empire, will allow the visitor to experience life during the colonial era like no other on the continent. Old Panama, seen in its best form, with its cobbled streets, carriages of the time, gastronomic spurs, luxury hostels, and even a Spanish galleon as a marine attraction, as well as shows that reflect colonial experiences, could easily aspire to 3 million visitors per year.
▪ Reconstruction of the Royal Path (Camino Real) from Kings Bridge to Portobelo:
Called the Golden Route, it is the path through which the largest amount of gold has passed in the history of mankind. For Figueroa, this great historical attraction will allow the Visitor the pilgrimage on foot, by bicycle or horse-drawn carts from ocean to ocean. He thinks that a well laid out path with impressive places such as the crossing of Lake Alajuela, with boats and characters wearing costumes from that period of time and safe to travel, it would be a refreshing sample of our ecology, and it would attract a million Visitors per year.
▪ The Pechito Parao Hill Trail at Darien: This is the point from whose summit Vasco Nuñez de Balboa first glimpsed the majesty of the South Sea reflected on the Gulf of San Miguel, the event that changed the course of world history forever. Jaime Figueroa believes that it would be one of the most attractive trails in the world for adventurers. Visitors arriving arrives in Santa Fe (Darien), spending the night in hostels on the slopes of Pechito Parao Hill in Quebrada Eusebio Town. Surrounded by cocoa plantations and a relatively easy climb to the peak lasting two hours, this trail would bring half a million adventurers annually.
It is true that the pandemic has disrupted plans and truncated projects, however, it has offered us the opportunity to look at life in all levels from new angles. Tourism is life itself and now a new reality begins where the vision of what we are looking for and how we are going to implement it will make the difference between a long recovery or a quick one with lights of greatness.
