Tourism plays a role in the Panamanian government’s plans to grow the economy according to Ernesto Orillac, vice minister of tourism authority. “We have three major industries,” he said, “logistics and the Panama Canal; baking and financial services; and tourism. Although tourism represents a little less than 10 percent of the economy, it is growing at a good pace.

We have many projects in the pipeline and intent tp position Panama as a major destination.

By Pamela McCourt Francescone

When you say Panama the word canal automatically spring to mind. And the Panama Canal is certainly one of the country´s main attractions and most important sources of income, standing in second place at 5% of the GNP after tourism, which is the number one eamer al 10.4%

Story and photos by Manos Angelakis

Panama City, the capital of Panama, is a blend of a very modern city and a Spanish Colonial town separated by a harbor that is the Pacific-side entrance to the Panama Canal. If you look across the water from the colonial to the modern side, it looks very much like the view of Central from Hong Kong’s Typhoon Harbor. You have to pass through Panama City to get to the airport for Bocas del Toro, as the airport serving Panama’s interior is separate from the larger international airport.

An interesting feature not found in any other country in my travels: if you are a tourist and have a medical emergency, the Tourism Authority of Panama gives you free medical insurance for the first 30 days from the entry stamp in your passport.