Panama Tourism

From the sophisticated capital, Panama City, to beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, to the lush green mountainous regions, Panama offers visitors a wide range of activities and entertainment. For those interested in Eco-Tourism, the country has one of the most diverse tropical rain forests on the planet. In fact, the Smithsonian Institute for Tropical Research is located in Panama. Furthermore, Panama is home to some of the world’s best golf courses as well as world-class fishing, sailing, diving and rafting.

Natural Beauty and Great Climate All Year: Panama is a tropical paradise with temperatures fluctuating between 22 (71.6 F) and 30 (86 F) degrees Celsius. Due to its proximity to the equator, Panama does not experience any hurricanes that afflict the Caribbean and the southern US coast.

Diverse Ecosystem: Panama is home to an astounding number of plant, bird and animal species. More types of birds live in Panama than in all of North America combined! Panama is also home to a large quantity of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and marine species, resulting in one of the most unique ecosystems in the world.

Medical Facilities: Panama has world class health care with some of the best hospitals and private clinics in the world, many of which are affiliated with major hospitals in the United States. The newly built Hospital of Punta Pacifica, for example, (in affiliation with John Hopkins Medicine International), offers the highest quality standard of care, security and technology.

Along with providing a state-of-the-art diagnostic and medical care, many of Panama’s physicians are almost all U.S. or Canadian trained and fully bi-lingual. Medical insurance is available for approximately $600-$800 a year per person (depending on individual health and needs), and the average cost of common treatments is nearly 50% less expensive than in the U.S.

Safety: Visitors will find a country that is safe and secure, with extremely friendly people. PINKERTON GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE gave Panama the highest possible rating for tourist safety. Tourists need not worry about strolling the streets as crimes are relatively uncommon.

Political Stability: Panama’s political environment has been very stable with a democratically elected government and an emphasis on the rule of law. Economically, the country has experienced sustained growth with low inflation, below 3%. This is largely due to its currency linked to the U.S. dollar.

Economic Stability: Panama is the second most important private banking center in the world, after Switzerland. There are over 40 international banks offering world class financial services, similar to those in New York, London and Zurich. THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE stated, “Panama has stood apart, sustained by its canal, banks and free trade zone.”

Panama’s economy is growing each year and most of that is a result of general master plan that combines commercial expansion along with the tourism and construction boom happening around the country. The key geographic location of Panama means that its wealth mainly stems from a well developed services sector which includes the Panama Canal, banking, the Colón Free Zone and tourism. Of course, real estate market is helping the economy achieve strong growth. The services sector accounts for nearly 77% of the country’s GDP, which has the highest growth per capita in Central America.

Modern Infrastructure and Communications: Panama has an extensive road network linking virtually every corner of the country. A drive to the airport, which used to take upwards of 1 ½ hours, has been replaced by a modern expressway, reducing travel time to 20 minutes. The telecommunications sector is managed by a number of telecommunications companies which offer state of the art local, long distance and high speed internet services. If you want to catch the latest programs from back home, cable TV and DirecTV are available.