The secretary of the Nautical Tourism Association (ATN), Alessandro Risi, said that Panama has the potential to further develop nautical tourism, an activity that has the ability to permeate the entire value chain of the industry.
Living the experience of traveling through the Panama Canal, diving and practicing water sports in the waters of Guna Yala, Bocas del Toro, Isla Perla, Isla Coiba, Golfo de Chiriquí, Isla Piña, where you can enjoy sport fishing, diving and land activities such as hiking, are among others, the attractions that this type of tourists or travelers are looking for.
According to Risi, nautical tourism can leave a stronger economy than congress and convention tourism, even cruise tourism, because yachts can anchor in the Pacific as well as in the Atlantic and stay up to six months in Panamanian territorial waters and in all that time their crew incurs multiple expenses.
He explained that for example, a yacht of approximately 150 feet in length has the capacity to carry 10 to 12 people on board, who spend on supplies, helicopter rental, hotels, shopping in shopping centers, consumption in restaurants, fuel, transit tolls through the Canal, among others. In addition, many of these people arrive in their private jet, and then embark and go sightseeing.
Activities around nautical tourism could be generating from US$100,000 to US$200,000 in revenue, permeating almost the entire industry.
“When we talk about nautical tourism we are talking about boats and yachts that come from all over the world, which is what we want them to arrive and stay here and spend,” he said.
He added that Panama has 22 marinas distributed in the Atlantic and the Pacific, with the capacity to receive large, medium-sized boats and assured that nautical tourism is not an exclusive activity of people with purchasing power.
“In these marinas there is availability to rent yachts to celebrate 15 years, bachelor parties, family trips, among other events,” he said.
Risi explained that there are even records of recognized figures, including actors and businessmen, who have visited the country on several occasions to enjoy its beautiful beaches, including tycoon Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.
His most recent journey through the country was in Cébaco Island and Coiba Island. “Gates has been to Panama on several occasions and has recounted his experience during transit through the Canal.”
The businessman believes that Panama needs to copy the Florida business model, but for this he assures, it is necessary to show internationally what Panama has. In Florida, nautical tourism is the number one business, with revenues of trillions of dollars each year, he said.
He assured that there are scenarios in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean such as the International Boat Fair, the Yacht Fair in Florida, Miami, Minneapolis, the Old Rubber Fair, among others, where Panama can show its potential for nautical tourism.
World tourism is recovering
It should be noted that international tourism continues to show signs of a strong and constant recovery of the impact of the pandemic despite economic and geopolitical challenges.
According to the latest World Tourism Barometer of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), there was an upturn in the first five months of 2022, with almost 250 million international arrivals recorded.
This compares to 77 million arrivals from January to May 2021 and means that the sector has recovered almost half (46%) of the levels prior to the 2019 pandemic.