EQUALITY
DISCOVERING JUNGLE GEMS AND DREAMY BEACHES
PANAMA
Go off the beaten path for an unforgettable experience. Find community-led tours that can let you step into a world few outsiders ever see. A program in Panama invites you to take guided adventures from villages in the mountains to the oceans.
What's
changing
Tourism is crucial to Panama's economy, especially in popular cities like Panama City. In 2022, nearly 2 million international tourists visited Panama. Rural areas that lack major attractions and money to buy ads struggle to draw visitors, missing any economic benefits from tourism.
What's already
possible
The SOSTUR Network in rural Panama connects visitors with adventure tours led by local communities, showcasing the area's natural and cultural wonders and supporting local conservation. Run by small organizations and microenterprises, these tours bring income to local communities.
Seizing
the opportunity
The SOSTUR Network’s digital platform launched in 2022 with support from the Panama Tourism Authority. It partners with select rural communities to offer sustainable activities that highlight natural beauty and cultural heritage. For example, tourists can enjoy indigenous cuisine, guided hikes and sea turtle releases as part of an adventure experience. The network promotes nature-based tourism, adding a new source of employment and income to these rural communities. Currently, 10 communities are featured on the platform: Achiote, Bastimentos, Bonllik, Isla Cañas, Jurutungo, La Pintada, Mata Oscura, RÍo Caña, Santa Fé and Soloy.
Standout
tactic
To be part of the network’s adventure offerings, potential tourism sites and activities must meet criteria for sustainability, authenticity and community benefits. For example, all activities must have a waste management plan, have community approval and not disrupt the peace of a community.
How
it helps
Since joining the network, small villages have seen more tourists. In Bonllik, women-run Posada Media Luna has benefited from this increase, enabling local Naso women to pursue formal education. Some of these remote places are also getting boosts in awareness for their critical conservation work, such as the sea turtle conservation efforts on RÍo Caña.
Diving
deeper
How will rural areas unaccustomed to accommodating tourists ensure that tourism activities do not negatively affect the larger community, even if the community initially supported it?
Increasing
impact
Expanding the SOSTUR Network beyond 10 communities and including diverse cultures and landscapes could change perceptions of Panama and bring attention to more of the country’s 1,400 tropical islands.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
