Panama Tourism Authority Launches “1,000 Kilometers Of Trails” Project
by Matt Turner / Luxury
Travel Advisory
The Panama Tourism Authority
(ATP), in alliance with Panama’s 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 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, in a press
statement. “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 percent are terrestrial and 10 percent are
coastal marine. The 1,000 kilometers (roughly 620 miles) 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 percent to 30 percent 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," said Adrian Benedetti, coordinator of the “1,000 Kilometers of
Trails” project with the ATP's product development department.
“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.”
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).