Ángel Ponce, Regional Director of the Tourism Authority of Panama, stated that “projects are carried out by means of agreements made with the municipalities, in which a part is assigned to the Mayor, who is responsible for making bids, hiring the company, monitoring the progress of the project, and consequently, following up once the work is completed.”Another project is currently taking place in Playa Las Lajas, in the District of San Felix, whose main purpose is to work on the conditioning of the structure and services offered to the public who visit said place. 200,000 has been designated for the first stage of the project, being that this a beach recognized by authorities as the most visited in Chiriquí.

The region is positioned as the third main entrance for foreigners into the country, and according to authorities, this is because it’s privileged geographical location, which allows Panama to perceive the economic and tourist boom that visitors generate. According to calculations by the ATP, 60,000 foreigners are expected to enter in January 2012 through Paso Canoas (borderline between Panama and Costa Rica). According to Ponce, more than 2 million tourists nationwide visited Panama in 2011, which is a great achievement—reason why efforts should not stop. For 2014, a 10% growth was expected. “What amazes us is that the estimated growth rate was met in terms of tourist traffic,” Ponce said. The ATP informed that it is important to know that during the low season, when the weather changes, the influx of people dropped to 38,000 foreigners last year.