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BATHED BY THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN, PANAMA IS A COUNTRY FULL OF INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YACHTING TOURISM, A KIND OF TRAVEL THAT BRINGS HIGH CONSUMPTION AND LONG STAYS

A growing country as a travel destination that’s now beginning to storm the world this way, looking to all untapped tourism markets possible. Yachting is a good case in point. These sailors arrive in the country aboard their own boats, and even though they don’t outnumber cruise passengers, they do stay longer and their spending in land is way bigger.
Panama has 2,490 kilometers of coastlines and over 1,800 islands. There’s sea galore and on both oceans! That position makes yachters keep the country in sight, a nation that boasts what no other land has: the Panama Canal.
In 2003, there were only four marinas in Panama. Today, there are 15 all along the country, now better outfitted for the different services and conditions required by tourists who dock in their own boats. If you’re looking for a safe port to dock in Panama and get to know the country, or just revel in its lavish nature for a few days, take a look at the places where you can do that and the details you need to know.

Yachting Tourism & its Possibilities
An assessment of this niche yields promising and outstanding figures that call for further encouragement within Panama’s travel and tourism sector.
• Approximately 1,200 yachts arrive in Panama every year, with some 1,000 of them as long as 25 feet or more. This contributes somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000 to the nation’s GDP.
• Half a million yachts in the world can get to Panama in their trips.
• In Eastern Caribbean, yachts and marinas account for the second income source for the local travel industry, after the hotels. They are more important than cruises.
• They encourage the development of a beach tourism designed for nautical activities and sustainable sport fishing.
• The offer will be part of the nautical and cruise travel system on the country’s Pacific coast (Pedasi – Las Perlas – Panama – Montijo Gulf – Coiba – Sona – Veraguas’ south coast – Chiriqui Gulf).
• Sunbathers stay an estimated one or two weeks in the country, while yachters and boaters stay for approximately three days in average.

Panama’s Yachting and Marina Conveniences

• No hurricanes
• Superb multidestination air service
• Assorted nautical attractions
• Amazing options for shore excursions
• One of the sought-after shopping destinations with very affordable prices
• Lots of options for world-class anchorage
• 2,490 kilometers of coastlines
• Living indigenous cultures

What should you bear in mind when docking in Panama?
Depending on the length of your stay in Panamanian waters, two different visas are issued: one for stays no longer than 72 hours and another one for a full year, which requires a valid sailing permit for boats that are either anchored offshore or docked in seaports or marinas.
When registering, you’ll need the boat’s documentation and those of the crew, as well as a sailing permit issued by the previous seaport.
During your stay, you’ll also need a sailing permit if you’re traveling from a zone controlled by a Panamanian port authority to another.

Marinas in the Caribbean Sea
• Bocas Marina
• Red Frog Marina
• Green Turtle Key Marina
• Shelter Bay Marina
• Panamarina
• Carenero Marina
• Linton Bay Marina

Marinas on the Pacific Ocean
• Balboa Yacht Club
• Club de Pesca David
• Club Náutico
• Club de Yates y Pesca
• Diablo Spinning Club
• Flamenco Marina
• Pearl Islands
• Vista Mar Marina
• Isla Viveros