Carlos Ribeiro, coordinator of the Tourism Committee at the Chiriquí Chamber of Commerce, indicated that the development of tourism demands public infrastructure and skilled labor that is currently suffering a shortage nationwide.

"Tourism has great potential in the country's interior provinces and the idea is to not substitute it with other activities, since it generates the service economy and an increased consumption of foods that can be supplied by local production," he underscored.

The Portuguese businessman warned that to the degree that new hotels are built, the deficit of skilled labor grows, as does the dispute over such personnel. "This deficit and this cannibalism affects the entire industry, not only hotels but tourism in general," he stated.

The regional manager for tourism, Anabela Palma, highlighted the participation of 25 hotels in the current campaign, "Chiriquí, an adventure", in which the government has invested $200,000.

The Panama Tourism Authority has invested an estimated $1 million in the current trimester for promotion of tourist destinations within the country's interior provinces.