Meaningful Moments: Reflections from Panama

When you work for a mission-driven non-profit, it is often the little signs of progress that help your organization reach larger, longer-term goals. At Tourism Cares, we certainly have experienced these smaller victories, which continue to drive us forward and ensure that travel is a force for good.  

Over recent years, we’ve set a course for our industry partners to advance their sustainability journeys, and to support this, we built our Meaningful Travel Map to connect local impact organizations with the travel trade. Changing the way travel and tourism foster positive impact for communities requires patience to see these efforts come to fruition. This year in Panama, I encountered examples of impact that were both immediate and in need of nurturing, illustrating the diverse and ongoing nature of our work. 

Putting Meaningful Travel on the Map  

Jenny Ceballos, owner of El Trip de Jenny, greets participants in Achiote, Panama.

To prepare for our 2024 Global Meaningful Travel in Panama, Tourism Cares worked with its destination member, Visit Panama, to build out a Meaningful Map of Panama, which consists of Impact Partners from local communities that are focused on Panama’s thriving biodiversity and culture. The initial seeds for this effort were planted when Tourism Cares board member, friend, and industry colleague, Shannon Stowell of the Adventure Travel Trade Association and I were asked to judge the country’s Innovative Community Tourism Experience contest, organized in partnership between the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), Panama por Naturaleza, and the UN World Tourism Organization. More than 40 proposals were submitted from local community experiences representing all 10 Panamanian provinces, from 4 out of 5 Indigenous regions of the country.  

Under the category of “Bridge of the World,” our panel chose El Trip de Jenny from the Colon Province, and its tour “Experience the Caribbean and More: Pirates, Connections and Nature of the Panamanian Caribbean,” as one of the five semi-finalists. While it did not win the ultimate prize, the tour became part of the Meaningful Map of Panama and was one of the community experiences highlighted at the Global Summit this year. 

Bringing the Map to Life in Panama  

A man cuts up yuca with a local chef from Achiote, Panama.

The El Trip de Jenny’s experience, supported by the community group Los Rapaces Ecotourism Achiote, was truly an eye-opening moment during the Summit. The community opened its arms to us, with such exuberance. We were served a special blend of local Panamanian coffee and food, and our group of 45 attendees strong, was mesmerized. El Trip de Jenny could be renamed Jenny es El Trip (Jenny is the Trip). She is a natural master of ceremonies, introducing us to local customs, and has the energy that gets everyone dancing, literally! 

But the true impact was revealed a day later, when Jenny recounted her team’s excitement, relief, and subsequent adrenaline high from hosting us. Once again, I felt fulfilled that we had done our job with an Impact Partner coming full circle in its journey to see tourism as a force for good.    

Days later our group witnessed the power of community again when Efrain of Movimiento Identitad and Victor of Localinpty told the story of the importance of retaining community roots in the historic district of Casco Antiguo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While boutiques and artisanal stores continued to shine, its historic skyline had changed, and quietness on the streets was evident, as local community citizens were no longer present.   

The tour stirred the souls of our attendees, helping us all better understand how we as an industry need to find the right balance between progress and change. It was evident that this work would require additional diligence and time.  

A Call to Act 

Small victories, signs of progress, and full-circle moments are some of the driving forces behind our work at Tourism Cares. Celebrating Jenny’s achievements and witnessing the connections that could transform the livelihoods of community members where she works was truly inspiring. Hearing about the struggles faced by Efrain and Victor and recognizing the potential of the tourism industry to fuel economies and protect cultural heritage from the risks of gentrification, only strengthened our commitment to sustainable tourism. 

We invite destinations and local enterprises to collaborate with us, with the hope of bringing both immediate and long-term positive impacts to their communities.