The Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) announced the official launch of a tourism promotion campaign focusing on domestic travel during 2016-2017.
The campaign is divided into two stages "Your Panama, Do You Know Her?” and “Tourism Starts with You," both targeting the local market to boost tourism in different parts of the country.
The tourism promotion campaign highlights various attractions in the capital, in Colón to the north, the Pacific beaches, the Azuero Peninsula, Veraguas, Boca Chica, Tierras Altas, Bocas Del Toro and other destinations in the country. Surfer Gary Saavedra, singer Karen Peralta, jazz musician and composer Danilo Pérez, and actor Robin Durán became Panama’s ambassadors promoting the top destinations through social media.
"This product should boost domestic tourism and send an important message to the whole society, to all communities and to all of us living in this great country: tourism is all of us," stated Gustavo Him, administrator general of ATP, who also noted that the way to go is to create a culture of service, which has been one of the country’s weaknesses.
According to the government of Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, 80 per cent of tourist attractions in Panama are in the interior of the country, with a wide range of tourism products, including folklore, culture, beaches, nature, cuisine and extreme sports.
In April this year, the advertising group Team Tourism 16-17 won the contract to design and implement the national campaign for two years at a cost of 4.5 million dollars, according to official information.
ATP expects to launch the international tourism promotion campaign later this year through the overseas advertising agency VML, Inc. for two consecutive years, with an investment of 20 million dollars.