Panama celebrated the opening of a new cruise terminal at the mouth of the Panama Canal on Tuesday, amid a drought and with hopes of boosting tourism in the country.
The terminal, located in Panama City, was built by a consortium led by China Harbor Engineering Company with an investment of more than $200 million, according to President Laurentino Cortizo.
“This cruise terminal will generate new tourist routes… attracting more visitors to our country,” Cortizo said during the inauguration ceremony.
Capable of receiving two cruise ships simultaneously, this terminal is the first on Panama's Pacific coast, complementing the existing one in the Caribbean city of Colón.
Denise Guillén, from the Panama Tourism Authority, reported that the country received approximately 320,000 cruise ship visitors in 2023, doubling the previous year's figure. "The growth is exponential," Guillén emphasized.
The opening of this terminal comes at a time when authorities are facing record low water levels, which have disrupted ship traffic through the Panama Canal. Ricaurte Vásquez, the Canal Administrator, expressed hope that traffic will return to normal by February of next year.
Follow cruise news at Cruisesnews.es
