“There is no future for travel and tourism if you’re not welcomed and embraced by the local community”
--Taleb Rifai, Former Secretary General of UNWTO
Panama Tourism has been generating a lot of attention the last few years for a strong and public commitment to community engagement and sustainability in tourism, and it has been an honor for the ATTA to be strategically involved in helping see this vision come to life. Tourism should be mutually beneficial for travelers and destinations, and it is encouraging and inspiring to see support coming from the very top via the Tourism Minister, Iván Eskildsen Alfaro. He leads a dedicated team that is working to prioritize community tourism and a more sustainable travel industry.
I was recently honored to have been selected to be a judge for the Innovative Community Tourism Experiences Contest along with Greg Takehara from Tourism Cares and Sofia Gutierrez from the UNWTO. The event was organized in partnership with the Panama Tourism Authority, Panama por Naturaleza, and the UN World Tourism Organization and held in Panama at the end of May.
Together as partners, companies paired with local communities and pitched their experiences to the panel of judges while we did our best to grade them on 12 different categories. Criteria focused on innovation and commercial appeal of the experience, community empowerment and benefit, as well as sustainability and conservation of cultural and natural heritage. Of an initial 41 applicants, 25 made it to this pitch stage. The air in the room crackled with electricity and excitement where all the communities and operators were practicing, rehearsing their pitches, and working together to tell their story. Being on the receiving and judging end was intense and inspiring as I felt the joy and weight of responsibility of the task at hand; to try to score such a breadth of incredible work felt sobering.
© ATTA / Autoridad de Turismo Panama
Each pair had five minutes with their own visual aids to pitch the concept. Then as judges, we had two minutes to ask for clarification and any additional questions that arose. There was a short break between each of the 25 pitches for judges to fill out our forms, and then it was on to the next one. The array of ideas, the passion present in each group, and the amazing projects led to more than four hours of absolute inspiration and feverish note taking to determine who would walk out with the highest scores. As judges, we did not communicate about the pitches during the exercise, but simply scored each of the categories between 1 and 10, covering a gamut of criteria – including innovation, technology use, sustainability, empowerment, economic impact, and more. The Tourism Minister, Iván Eskildsen Alfaro, was present in the room the entire time, listening to all the pitches and engaged with the process and outcome.
The top five winners – one from each category – received support from the Panamanian government and UNWTO and the ATTA to attend our upcoming AdventureNEXT Latin America event in Bogota, Colombia. The community/operator pair with the highest cumulative point score will travel to the Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido, Japan and receive funding for infrastructure for their project. The ATTA has also awarded Professional memberships to all 25 contestants (the full list of candidates is at the bottom of this article).
The overall winner was Eco Ruta de la Tortuga, the grand prize winner of the Innovative Community Experiences Contest from an alliance between the community of Mata Oscura in Veraguas and the tour operator Tourism Guide Services.
The leadership of Iván Eskildsen Alfaro was very apparent as a driving force for this powerful program and the years of working with ATTA and others to get to this point was vital. This model, I hope, will inspire other destinations to really move forward in sustainable community tourism activation! Without a doubt, Panama will see long term benefits from this and many other efforts toward developing sustainable tourism – including events in Panama next year with both Tourism Cares and ATTA.
The top five finalists according to each contest category – Bridge of the World, Multicultural Panama, Forests of Life, Birds of Paradise, and Ocean Wonders – are as follows:
- Bridge of the World: "Experience the Caribbean and More: Pirates, Connections, and Nature of the Panamanian Caribbean" presented by tour operator El Trip de Jenny and the community group Los Rapaces Ecotourism; Achiote, Colón Province.
- Multicultural Panama: "Panama Sand & Folklore" presented by tour operator Balaena Travel and the community group Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples ProTurismo; La Arena, Herrera Province.
- Forests of Life: "Crossing the Isthmus: The Crystalline Northwest" presented by tour operator Panama Heavens and the community group Cooperativa de Turismo Santa Fe R.L.; Santa Fe, Veraguas Province.
- Birds in Paradise: "The Secrets of Playa Muerto" presented by tour operator Ancón Expeditions and the community group Cooperativa de Turismo de Playa Muerto R.L.; Puerto Piña, Darien Province.
- Ocean Wonders: "Turtle Eco-Route" presented by tour operator Tourism Guide Services and the community group Fundación Agua y Tierra; Arena de Quebro, Veraguas Province.
Below is a list of the 25 semi-finalists listed by province. We encourage anyone interested or operating in Panama to reach out to these tour operators to learn more about the experiences they offer and their partnerships with community groups in the region.
BOCAS DEL TORO
Sand Sand Pond Sak: Wetland of Biodiversity | Operator: Isthmian Adventures | Community: San San Pond Sak
COCLÉ
Explore the Santa Marta´s Community and El Tigrero Circuit | Operator: Our Panama | Community: Santa Marta
CHIRIQUI
All You Need is Chiriqui | Operator: Ñeque Aventuras | Community: Boquete
Hidden Wonders of the Panamanian Pacific | Operator: Feel Free Panama | Community: Chorcha Abajo
COLÓN
Experience the Caribbean and More: Pirates, Connections, and Nature of the Panamanian Caribbean | Operator: El Trip de Jenny | Community: Achiote
DARIÉN
Expedition The Secrets of Playa Muerto | Operator: Ancon Expeditions | Community: Playa Muerto
Playa Muerto: A Paradise in the Darién Gap | Operator: Next Travel | Community: Playa Muerto
HERRERA
Azuero: Between Customs and Experiences | Operator: Panamá Al Natural | Community: La Arena
LOS SANTOS
Panama Sand & Folklore | Operator: Balaena Travel | Community: La Arena
Audioguided Mangrove Route | Operator: ICT Experiencias | Community: Islas Callas
El Caracucho Trails | Operator: Azuero Adventures | Community: Cambutal
The Mangrove Route Paddle Tour | Operator: Aventures 2000 | Community: Isla Cañas
Trekking on the Camino Real from Ocean to Ocean | Operator: Cultour | Community: Quebrada Ancha
PANAMÁ
Otoque Island: A Hidden Paradise | Operator: Tourism Guide Services | Community: Otoque
Zarco Experience | Operator: Panamazing | Community: Parara Purú
VERAGUAS
Turtle Eco Route | Operator: Tourism Guide Services | Community: Mata Oscura
Crossing the Isthmus: The Crystalline Northwest | Operator: Panama Heavens | Community: Santa Fe
Santa Fe: Hidden Jungle Cabins Uncovering the Heart of the Jungle | Operator: Traveling Souls | Community: Santa Fe
Cruising lnto The Wild | Operator: Balaena Travel | Community: Isla Leones
EMBERÁ WOUNAAN
La Chunga: Spirits of the Forest | Operator: Panamazing | Community: La Chunga
Rio Cañas, Custodians of Nature, Multiday Program | Operator: Isthmian Adventures | Community: Rio Caña
Discover the Communities of Rio Cañas and the Wonders of the Escudo de Veraguas Island | Operator: Our Panamá | Community: Rio Caña
NGABE-BUGLÉ
Crossing the Isthmus: The Natural West |Operator: Panama Heavens | Community: Soloy
Ancestral Connection a Community Experience | Operator: Viajes Auténticos | Community: Soloy
NASO TJËRDI REGION
The Route of the Ancestors | Operator: Tourism Guide Services | Community: Bonllik