Speeches 2004
September 8, 2004
Ambassador Watt's Welcoming Remarks at Panama's Amcham 4th Annual Tourism Forum, Miramar Intercontinental Hotel
I am proud to say that I am Panama’s “number one tourist”!
It has been my great privilege to travel all over this country, meet warm and friendly Panamanians, and to enjoy this country’s traditions and natural beauty. I’ve become a bird-watcher, a collector of Embera and Wounaan baskets, a rainforest hiker, an amateur guide at Miraflores locks, a Gatun Lake boater, a tropical biologist-wannabe at Barro Colorado and Isla Galeta, a fan of the mejorana, a student of Fort San Lorenzo, a self-appointed honorary Chiricana, a laid-back snorkeler in Bocas del Toro, a handicraft shopper at the YMCA, and a passionate supporter of Darien.
And from this experience, I have four pieces of advice. First, “market, market, market”! Panama has many advantages for the tourist, but if you don’t get the word out, no one will know. Panama has an almost incomparable combination of natural beauty and ethnic diversity, with all the traditions and folklore and art forms that the peoples of Panama have developed over centuries as a crossroads and “crisol de razas”. And the Panama Canal is a great tourism draw. But competition for the tourist dollar is keen. Keep telling your story!
Second: improve tourism infrastructure, and find the right balance between the role of the public sector and the role of the private sector. For example, I see by the roadside government-operated handicraft stores. They are often closed, poorly lit, not well-supplied, have a dingy uncared-for appearance, and are staffed by poorly motivated employees. Why is the government trying to run a retail business? Instead, you might look for public-private partnerships. Maybe a business would like to support a local museum, like the very nice one on the square in Los Santos. There are many areas of the country where tourism infrastructure is lacking, but where opportunities are great – Pedasi and Isla Iguana, and Santa Catalina, and Kuna Yala, and La Palma de Darien. Should the government provide incentives for the construction of small first class inns in these and other places? And you have to educate your young people in the hospitality industry, customer service, ecology, and in foreign languages, especially English, but also German and Italian and French and, why not, even Japanese. These are the types of issues that need government and private sector discussion and consensus.
Third: Boost Panamanian internal tourism! I can’t tell you how many Panamanians have told me that they haven’t been to Bocas del Toro, much less Darien. “Panameño, conozca a su pais!” People are amazed that I’ve seen so much of Panama. I’m shocked that so few Panamanians know their own country. I’ve started telling people, “did you know that Meteti is closer than Chitre? That you and your family can take a Sunday drive to Darien province, have a picnic, and return? That there are terrific tours of Lake Gatun where you can delight your teenagers with animals that people come from all over the world to see? That you can hire a very nice motorized cayuco just off the highway to Colon that will take you across Lake Alajuela and up the Upper Chagres into pristine rainforest?” I could go on and on, but you get my point.
Fourth: Please, I beg you, before it’s too late, protect your environment. As tourism increases, responsibly managing development and protecting the environment will be a major challenge. Just look at how much forest has been lost in the Darien. The Bay of Panama is polluted. Fish and turtle populations off Panama’s coasts—near Coiba Island, for example-- have been depleted rapidly. National Parks are unprotected. And these are just a few examples. If visiting tourists increasingly encounter these problems, they won’t come back, and they’ll tell their friends not to come. Obviously there have been environmental successes, such as the Camino Ecologico, which I have hiked myself. And special praise should go to the many NGOs, private businesses and other organizations like my wonderful friends at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for their efforts. Also, I’m proud to say that the United States Government has made an important contribution to those successes to protect the environment, via two debt-for-nature swaps and through the great work of USAID in the Canal watershed, and the Peace Corps all over the country. The US government, you may be interested to know, is the primary supporter of the Peregrine Fund’s Harpy Eagle project here in Panama.
But of course, Panama and Panamanians have the prime responsibility for taking care of this beautiful country. Given Panama’s geography, biological and geological diversity, and the importance of water resources to its future, I believe that environmental stewardship is key to Panama’s future. The tourism industry, in partnership with the government, should lead in the development of a culture of conservation that supports the well being of all Panamanians, provides opportunities for safe, ecologically sensitive tourism, and protects and preserves this country’s incredible beauty.
As Panama’s number-one tourist, and someone who has developed a deep affection for this country and who hopes to return someday with my grandchildren, I thank you both for this opportunity to speak and for your strong commitment to Panama’s future.