These last few years, the Panamanian tourism market has been growing quickly, and by following the steps of neighboring Costa Rica, the country has started to make a name for itself in the global community. Due to its tropical climate, attractive geographic location and use of the American dollar, Panama has become a top tourist destination. It’s a popular destination for backpackers and other travelers, even if the country is perhaps a little bit expensive for those with the tightest budgets.
One of the main competitive advantages of Panama (and Latin America in general), are the beauty of it’s landscapes. From the thick aggresive jungle of Darien to Boquete in the highlands; from the magnificent San Blas islands to our Valley property in Tres Brazos, this country would appear as the place to be for sustainable tourism and eco tourism.
This new kind of tourism is one of the fastest growing segments, while other tourism packages such as the classic “sun package,” are slowing down. Travel behavior and motivations are changing; travelers are becoming sensitive to the impact they have on the places they visit and on local population.
Kalu Yala is determined to seize this opportunity, and become a hot spot for adventure and ecotourism. Everything we need is already there: beautiful landscapes, rivers, thick jungle, clearings, hills and a great variety of wildlife. We need to capitalize on these resources. This is why the spring 2012 business intern team decided to set up the first daytrips to San Miguel and the Valley. The primary aim is to communicate about Kalu Yala’s, objectives, visions and values. Customers will discover the Valley and will learn about nature and ecotourism. Secondly, daytrips will create short term revenue, which will be reinvested in the company. Finally, it will bring us a better idea on the Valley’s ecotourism potential and on the impact it will have on the community of San Miguel.
