Backpackers Blaze Trail for Mainstream Tourism to Panama

The most adventurous souls are drawn to the wild and unspoiled lush wilderness of Panama’s Gulf of Chiriqui, and destinations such as Coiba National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Parque Nacional Marino Golfo de Chiriqui have coaxed trailblazing nature-lovers and water-sport enthusiasts to the area for years, where they find “dozens of uninhabited islands surrounded by healthy coral formations and excellent conditions for surfing, diving, and fishing,” according to Fodor’s.

These trend-setting backpackers are served by the area’s low-budget hotspots, including the notoriously eclectic Hotel Boca Brava in Boca Chica, known commonly as “Frank’s Place.”

Now that backpacking travel pioneers have laid the foundation, experts expect an influx of mainstream tourism to the emerging Panama market. Frommer’s calls the Gulf of Chiriqui “one of the fastest-changing regions in Panama. As retirees and expats move in by the thousands and ecotourism takes off, the landscape is changing at breakneck speed.”

This phenomenon has already occurred in popular tourist destinations around the world, such as Costa Rica. Now a wildly popular travel destination, Costa Rica started as a backpacker paradise but rapidly began to attract mainstream travelers.

To stay ahead of the curve, developers must prepare for a new kind of customer, a concept Benjamin Loomis, president of Amble Resorts, understands well. Loomis is developing a Panama real estate project, The Resort at Isla Palenque, an eco-friendly, luxury resort and residences in the Gulf of Chiriqui.