Spaniards are finding Panama to be an increasingly attractive destination. The number of Spanish tourists who visited the country in 2012 increased by 22.6%, based on a figure of almost 40,000 visitors, according to figures furnished by the Panamanian Tourist Ministry and compiled by the website, supartnerenpanama.com. Direct air connections from Madrid, together with the high-quality tourism opportunities available, have boosted the number of Spanish travellers who visit the country, according to the Tourism Promotion Agency of Central America.
As a whole, the number of visitors who travelled to Panama from around the world increased by 4.1% in 2012, whilst the number of European travellers from the Old Continent increased by 9.7%. This is not surprising, given that Panama is a spectacular destination that offers more than 1,770 miles of coastline and 1,800 islands dotted throughout the Caribbean Sea in the north and the Pacific Ocean in the south.
In the exotic waters of the Caribbean visitors will come across deserted beaches and coral reefs packed with multi-coloured fish. Within this idyllic setting, Bocas del Toro is one of the favourite destinations throughout the country, offering natural expanses such as Isla Zapatilla and Bahía de los Delfines. The warm and crystal-clear waters full of starfish at Guna Ayala, in the Archipelago of San Blas, complete the astonishing natural settings offered by the Panamanian Caribbean.
Within this context, the Panama Canal, one of the engineering marvels of the world, is preparing to celebrate its One Hundredth Anniversary in 2014. In this respect, the country will begin its celebrations for this historic event within the framework of FITUR 2014. Furthermore, the Canal is currently undergoing an expansion process for its locks and water basin.
Located just six miles outside Panama City, each year hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Visitors Centre of Miraflores, a former administrative building that houses the information centre, restaurant and shop for the Canal complex. But now visitors can also learn about the new Canal works at the Canal Expansion Observation Centre in Colón. Another of the key events for next year consists of the inauguration of the Bio-Museum, an initiative devoted to science and bio-diversity designed by the architect, Frank Ghery, who created the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
