Özgür Töre
FT NEWS
The Panama Tourism Authority
(ATP), in alliance with the Ministry of Environment, has launched the “1,000
Kilometers of Trails” Project to preserve important ecological trails critical
to tourism, ecology, and scientific discovery.
Created within the framework
of the Tourism, Conservation and Research (TCR) strategy of Panama’s Master
Plan for Sustainable Tourism (PMTS) 2020-2025, this special initiative aims to
conserve nature and diversify rural economies through the development of the outdoor
recreation industry and green tourism in protected areas. It is also aligned
with the national government's Colmena Plan, which has among its objectives
that marginalized rural communities benefit from economic activities.
“Tourism based on Panama’s
Green Heritage is one of the fundamental areas of the economic reactivation
strategy and it is incredibly important we create and seek out these
opportunities,” said Ivan Eskildsen, Panama’s Minister of Tourism.
“As a result of the
pandemic, travelers are looking to make stronger connections with nature and
spaces where they can appreciate biodiversity. This project launches the TCR
strategy, an innovative model that creates synergies between tourism,
conservation, and research to appeal to the preferences of a growing market of
conscious travelers.”
There are 125 protected
areas in the country, of which 30% are terrestrial and 10% are coastal marine.
The 1,000 kilometers of trails will cover areas very close to communities and
private reserves, which are important for the connectivity of protected areas
at the national level. Through this partnership, the Ministry of Environment
plans to increase the protected coastal marine areas from 10% to 30% by the end
of 2021.
The first phase of the
“1,000 Kilometers of Trails Project" will obtain data on the location and
condition of the country's trails, as well as information on the interest and
capacity of community groups to incorporate themselves into a recreation and
tourism economy. In phase two, the information gathered will be used to develop
and validate work and training plans.
"Protected areas,
private reserves, roads between rural communities, beaches, mangroves, among
others, contain a myriad of recreational and tourist attractions, but they
require infrastructure. Therefore, a multisectoral effort is needed to improve
them. The project will begin with local volunteers who wish to support the
maintenance of these infrastructures, thus opening the way for the growth of Panama's
recreational and tourism sector," said Adrian Benedetti, coordinator of
the 1,000 Kilometers of Trails project with the ATP's product development
department.
This partnership is another
area showcasing how Panama is activating on the Master Plan for Sustainable
Tourism, which is committed to innovation and sustainability, highlighting
Panama's natural and cultural heritage. To this end, the TCR’s heritage trails
strategy was updated to focus on three core areas: Cultural Heritage, Green
Heritage (biodiversity) and Blue Heritage (marine).
To learn more about Panama’s
green heritage as well as the experiences around it, please visit:
https://visitpanama.com/things-to-do/nature/