Panama: Cruising Toward Profits

The cruise season in Panama has ended . . . and has been a huge contributor to Panama’s tourism growth.  235 cruise ships stopped in Colon and Cristobal ports on the Caribbean and Amador in Panama City this past season, bringing 450,000 visitors and pumping $47 million into the local economy.  The cruise line business represents 30% of Panama’s overall tourism. 

 

These numbers do not include the cruise ships passing through the Canal but not stopping to disembark passengers, so that part of the industry also makes a contribution to Panama from the tolls paid to the Canal Authority. 

 

This is expected to grow as we move into the 2008-2009 cruise season.  The popularity of Panama is causing ships to start visiting earlier.  Some cruise lines, like Holland America, will be using larger ships.  Holland America will be using the ZUIDERDAM on its 10-day Canal series which carries 400 more passengers than the VOLENDAM, it used this past season. 

 

The big news for the coming season is that Royal Caribbean will homeport the ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS in Panama, departing every week from Colon.  Part of Royal Caribbean’s strategy is to attract European passengers who resent the hassle and intrusion of US Homeland Security procedures in South Florida.  The new KLM flights now offer direct service from Holland to Panama and the field at the former Howard US base has been opened to charter flights alleviating potential congestion at Tocumen the primary international airport.  My prediction is that more cruise lines will begin moving ships to Panama IF Panama can develop an infrastructure that supports tourism in the Colon area.  [See my previous post, “Is Panama Ready for Tourism?”]

 

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Let me just say how much I appreciate your comments!  If you’ve not previously commented, have your say.  WordPress uses a pretty sophisticated spam filtering system which filters out all those wonderful emails offering my Viagra, cheap car insurance, African bank accounts, and work-at-home schemes, but occasionally snags a legitimate email in error.  Please, just try again, maybe using a different email.  WordPress has also changed some functionality that makes it harder for me to respond within your comments to specific questions.  I have another way to accomplish that, but will be unable to implement it while I am on the VOLENDAM When I get home I promise to respond.