There is a saying that Panama is a paradise to discover, but in the recent years this country is causing a sensation as one of the most attractive tourist spots.
We are so popular that the famous Lonely Planet travel guide, recently published their new book “Best in Travel 2011″, which includes Panama, in the fourth place, among countries that travelers should visit in 2011.
Albania, Brazil and Cape Verde are the only ones over our country. After are Bulgaria, Vanuatu, Italy, Tanzania and Japan who complete the 10 best places to visit.
The publication notes that “For Panama, the global economic crisis was a perfect excuse to redesign or press the button and reset. After an unprecedented growth which provided a large number of casinos, private communities and buildings such as glass towers, the pothole has forced investors to return to basics.”
Visitors to Panama have a return to the real thing. Traditional festivals in the countryside, trails in the forests, sand-floored huts in places such as Kuna Yala. In addition, a large part of the country is composed of virgin forest, real adventures are just a bus fare or boat away.
Additionally, it is estimated that in 2012 Panama City will promote sustainability with the future opening of the Museum of Biodiversity, a new space designed by Frank Gehry which celebrates the country’s ecological diversity.
Another attraction is the coastal strip (Cinta Costera) in Panama City, a waterfront strip ends in Casco Viejo the Old Quarter, a historic neighborhood that is restored after decades of neglect.
It also highlights the biodiversity of Panama, it states that climate change and habitat destruction which has had effects on small frogs an inch long, who have been victims of a global epidemic, but the Darien region, considered one of the wildest places on the planet, they still remain untouched.
Countless islands which are nameless and uninhabited, are more reasons to place us as one of the world’s favorite tourist spots in 2011.
Yalena Ortiz | VIVA for La Critica Newspaper in Panama
