It has been announced that the German tour operator TUI Group will include Colon province among its destinations starting from November this year.

From a statement issued by the Tourism Authority of Panama:

Berlin, October 19, 2016. The main tour operator in the world, TUI GROUP, has informed President Juan Carlos Varela of its decision to include the province of Colon among its tourist destinations starting from November.
During a meeting in Berlin, Thomas Ellerbeck, an executive from the German group, explained that 10 cruises run by the tour operator will dock in Colon as part of their service in the Caribbean.

“This great news means the arrival of more than 30 thousand new tourists to Colon,” said Varela.  He added that the announcement by TUI is a good indication of what will happen in Colon once the infrastructure projects that the Government is developing have been completed.
“Renovation of the city of Colon and Colon Puerto Libre will increase the tourism potential of the province significantly,” he said. 

At its Berlin Corporate Office, TUI Group hosted a reception for Juan Carlos Varela, President and Head of Government of Panama, and his delegation comprising the Minister of Economic Affairs and Tourism Minister as well as Panama’s ambassador to Germany. The discussions with Thomas Ellerbeck, member of the Group Executive Committee, centred on the further development of tourism in Panama. Panama is a small but attractive holiday destination in Central America.

RIU, a TUI company, operates two hotels in Panama –in Panama City and in Playa Blanca. The ships operated by TUI’s subsidiary Hapag Lloyd Cruises cross Panama Canal; the schedule for the forthcoming 2017/18 season comprises six cruises. TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff and Thomson Cruises call at Colón. The two sides agreed to continue their close dialogue to pursue and, wherever possible, jointly develop Panama’s growth opportunities.