Now that the pandemic is finally winding down, the cruise ship industry is finally starting to bounce back and Panama is getting ready for it. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, Panama is heavily investing in brand new infrastructure to support the cruise industry, on the Atlantic side on colon’s free zone a massive 70,000 square-meter shopping center that will house international and local stores with attractive tax-free prices, it will be position right by the cruise port where passengers, crews members, and foreign visitors can have a place to spend an extra hour or two off the ship, without having to worry about transportation or safety, and this will be just another way Panama can maximize its profit from the cruise ship industry. On the Pacific side Panama has been investing heavily in its brand-new state of the art cruise port at the Amador causeway, with a cost of 165 million dollars, this port is set to be finished at the end of this year and it already has reservations though 2024, when it is finished it is expected to be able to fit two Neo Panamax ships at the same time, these two important projects are expected to be a boost for the economy as well as position Panama as an attractive cruise destination.

The cruise industry has been one of the most affected by the covid-19 pandemic, in the US for example the CDC issued a no sail order in march 14 of last year, after many incidents where covid-19 outbreaks where being reported aboard cruise ships, the no sail order meant that no cruise ships could sail on US waters, the no sail order was lifted on October of last year, however, the industry has been slow to pick back up, in part because of government as been slow to issue official guidelines on safety measures to cruise ships and on the other hand there simply wasn’t enough demand, however, as recently as a few days ago the cruise ship industry has been giving strong sign that it is ready for a come back, for example on oct. 1, the Port of San Diego said the Disney Wonder and Grand Princess will be the first cruise ships to be sailing out of downtown San Diego’s Cruise Terminal since the pandemic forced the industry to shutdown, on Saturday, the Brazilian government announce that the cruise industry had permission to restart its operations as well, and many more countries are joining in, everything seems to indicate that the cruise ship industry is in for a strong come back, and Panama is getting ready for it.

Panama seeks to become an important cruise ship destination, by expanding its infrastructure such as the Amador cruise port as well as the brand new Colon 2000 Duty-free plaza mall, with the hopes of making Panama a more attractive destination for cruise-goers.

Amador Causeway: this state of the art cruise port has an investment of 165 million dollars will be able to help around 25,000 people a day, and with enough capacity for two Neo Panamax ships, with this Panama hopes to position itself as a tourist destination, and an attractive destination for cruise goer, as well as an easier way to reach the cruise port because the Amador causeway is right in Panama city and now cruise-goers won't have to travel all the way to Colon, the Amador cruise port already has reservations through 2024.

Colón 2000 Duty-Free Plaza: this beautiful commercial complex will have the very first commercial stores that will operate under law 7 of April 24, 2016, this commercial complex will be located right next to the Colon cruise port and will enjoy the benefit of selling tax-free products at very attractive prices, this way the cruise-goers will spend some leisure time in this beautiful complex buying whatever they may want without worrying about security or transport, this way Panama hopes to add value to the cruise experience and become a more attractive cruise destination