Panama to Host Adventure Next Latin America 2022

Taking place in Central America for the first time ever, the event will be held in Panama City from February 9 to 11, 2022. As the host destination, Panama will be highlighted, showcasing the potential of adventure experiences that the country has to offer to more than 100 international companies and more than 30,000 tourism service providers in attendance, all committed to tourism that contributes to the economy and has a positive social and environmental impact.  

 

The experiences showcased throughout the event in destinations across Panama will be narrated by Adventure Travel and Trade Association’s (ATTA) storytelling team; this is a group of content generators who will oversee documentation, production and broadcasting of all the experiences during the event. To better familiarize themselves with tourist attractions, it will spend four days visiting locations prior to the event. To strengthen business alliances, it will also host meetings with Panamanian suppliers to conclude the program.  

 

The Adventure Elevate event, where the announcement was made, is a commercial and educational conference of the ATTA. The event welcomed more than 250 participants, who were very were interested in promoting Panama; among them were adventure travel buyers, media, entrepreneurs, leaders, and specialists in adventure tourism. 

 

During Adventure Elevate, Panama highlighted its tourism model, which focuses on the empowerment of local communities through tourism, contributing to the conservation and regeneration of its biocultural legacy and surrounding nature. Also discussed was Panama's recent participation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, and the agreements reached between the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the government of Panama and the NOAH business group to establish Panama as the first pilot country to support the implementation of the United Nations Climate Neutral Tourism Fund. 

 

Travel and tourism make up the world's most important business services sector. In 2018, the sector employed 1 in 10 people on the planet. According to data compiled by ATTA, adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing segments in the world, generating approximately $683 billion a year. 

 

Any tourism activity has a high impact on the economic well-being of people and the environment. Adventure tourism, dominated by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises working in rural or wilderness environments, depends even more than other forms of tourism on human contact and nature. The conservation and orderly promotion of these resources is crucial to the continued success of adventure tourism, and to the social, cultural and environmental integration of any destination. 

 

Adventure tourism is beneficial for tourist destinations, as it creates jobs, generating income and a strong incentive for the regeneration of ecosystems and culture. At the same time, it raises awareness among the general population about the many goods and services provided by biodiversity and the need to respect ancestral knowledge and traditional practices.