News

The Panama Canal is considered one of the wonders of the world, attracting visitors from around the globe. But there are still limited opportunities to experience the Canal from along the waterway.

To help improve the tourism options, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has finalized the terms of a tender to recruit a firm to develop a master plan for private tourism investment along the Canal. The plan would develop guidelines for tourism activities and infrastructure, which might include more tours, parks and visitors centers. Plans also call for improvements to the fishing and boating options on the lakes, according to coverage in La Prensa.

As most visitors to the Panama Canal know, it’s a spectacular site, but the opportunities to enjoy the Canal are limited. The ACP has been looking at ways to improve the tourism infrastructure, without impacting the working canal, for years, Abdiel Antonio Gutiérrez, vice president of corporate communications for ACP, told the paper.

“There are ideas inside the ACP and private sector proposals of what can be done to attract more visitors, but it was decided to hire a master plan to chart the route to follow,” he told the paper.

While the plan is being developed, the ACP is targeting a list of short term improvements.  The list include a new entrance to the Miraflores locks, which is currently the main tourist center; new landscaping to help with the “industrial” look; an IMAX theater; and a new restaurant. A new visitor center has been proposed for Cocolí to offer better access to the new locks.

“We will build facilities that will allow us to develop circuits and routes from Miraflores, but we will not replicate the same thing that exists in the current center,” Gutiérrez told the paper.

The specifications for the tender should be done within three months and the plan ready by the 2018, the newspaper reports.