Meaningful Travel with Panama
The Tourism Cares with Panama Meaningful Travel Summit took place from June 1-6, 2024, and explored the crossroads of community, connection, and conservation within the travel and tourism industry. Situated at the intersection of two American continents and two oceans, Panama is a robust region full of diverse landscapes, vibrant cultures, rich heritage, and vast biodiversity, attracting travelers from around the globe. As the country works to expand its tourism sector, Panama has embraced a sustainable tourism model that places its local communities and the environment at the center of its future growth. Check out Panama’s Sustainable Tourism Master Plan to learn more.
The Meaningful Travel Summit showcased best practices in sustainable travel development by highlighting examples of Panamanian changemakers working to make a difference through tourism. Through hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and meaningful experiences, participants learned how different segments of the travel industry contribute to community empowerment and environmental stewardship, ensuring that tourism is a force for positive change in Panama and beyond.
Tourism Cares' 2024 Global Meaningful Travel Summit
Meaningful Travel Map of Panama
The key objectives of the Summit included:
Empowering Communities – Demonstrating how residents can actively participate in the development of tourism products that are mutually beneficial for their local communities, the industry, and visitors.
Encouraging Cultural Exchange – Exploring ways to facilitate authentic cultural experiences that promote understanding and appreciation amongst travelers and local communities.
Safeguarding Assets - Showcasing how connecting community-led tourism, conservation, and meaningful travel can help protect a destination’s natural, cultural, and agricultural resources.
Fostering Collaboration – Identifying opportunities between various stakeholders, including government agencies, tour operators, NGOs, and local communities, to generate long-term success within sustainable tourism initiatives.
Inspiring Collective Action - Asking Summit attendees to make a commitment, a pledge to take action, make a change, or drive an initiative forward that will make a positive impact for the people and places of travel. Learn more about commitments, here.
Program Partners
This program helped to further the following Sustainable Development Goals:
Thank you to our Host Destination
Thank You to Our Sponsors
SPOTLIGHT: THE PEOPLE + PLACES OF TOURISM CARES
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre | Tourism Cares Grantee
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre was provided support on behalf of Globus Family of Brands to support ongoing mentorship, build capacity and foster resiliency for Indigenous community members through meaningful employment. The grant funds will also be used to develop a new guided tour called ANCIENT MEDICINES, enriching and connecting the cultural identity of the Indigenous Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Ambassadors the Centre works with.