Panama inaugurates new cruise terminal amid Canal drought

30-03-24

Panama expands its tourism infrastructure with a new cruise terminal amid Canal drought to attract more tourists to the Central American country.

Panama on Tuesday inaugurated a new cruise terminal at the mouth of the drought-stricken Panama Canal in hopes of attracting more tourists to the Central American country.

The Panama City facility was built by a consortium led by China Harbor Engineering Company with an investment of more than $200 million, according to President Laurentino Cortizo.

"The cruise terminal will generate new tourist routes...attracting more visitors to our country," Cortizo said at an inauguration ceremony.The terminal, which will be able to receive two cruise ships at a time, is the first on Panama's Pacific coast.

Panama welcomed about 320,000 cruise ship visitors in 2023, double the previous year, according to Denise Guillén of the Panama Tourism Authority.

The opening comes at a time when authorities are facing record water levels that have limited the number of ships that can transit the Panama Canal, which normally handles about six percent of the world's maritime trade.

Canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said last week that he expected traffic to return to normal next February.