These experiences allow visitors to understand the deep relationship between cacao cultivation and cultural identity, participate in harvesting and processing activities, and appreciate the symbolic value of a crop that has often been described as “black gold” for its economic and cultural importance.
The tourism offer built around cacao goes far beyond simple chocolate tasting; it is made up of hands-on experiences that blend education, culture, and sustainability. Visitors walk through the plantations accompanied by local guides and learn about every stage of the production process: from planting and harvesting the pods to fermenting, drying, roasting, and grinding the beans. At the end of these tours, tourists can take part in making finished products such as handcrafted chocolate bars, which creates a deeper connection with the raw material and with the ancestral practices that have characterized Panama’s indigenous communities for centuries.
This focus on cacao as a central element of gastronomic tourism aligns closely with the growing global demand for more authentic and sustainable travel experiences, where visitors are not only consumers of a product but also immerse themselves in its history and in the cultural roots that sustain it. Gastronomic tourism built around culturally meaningful products like cacao generates direct economic benefits for local communities and helps preserve traditional agricultural practices that might otherwise be at risk due to the pressures of modern development and land-use change.
The importance of Panamanian cacao has not gone unnoticed among international chefs and experts. A notable example is the attention garnered by the organic cacao produced by Ngäbe-Buglé associations, known under the “Örebä” label, which has attracted the interest of leading figures in the global culinary scene. This kind of recognition not only highlights the quality of Panamanian cacao, but also helps position the country on the global map of culinary destinations that prize sustainability, artisanal production, and meaningful connections between producers and consumers.
In addition to strengthening the international profile of Panamanian cacao, these tourism initiatives have a direct impact on the local economy. Integrating cacao into tourist circuits supports more than 1,500 families who depend on this crop, generating additional income through rural and community tourism. Visitors spend not only on cacao-related experiences, but also on accommodation, transport, gastronomy, and local products, thereby reinforcing the tourism value chain in regions such as Bocas del Toro, where the offer was once focused almost exclusively on natural landscapes and beach activities.
The rise of gastronomic tourism centered on cacao is closely tied to Panama’s cultural and natural diversity. The country, already recognized for its increasingly acclaimed cuisine and for being a crossroads of indigenous, Afro-Antillean, Spanish, and Asian influences, has found in cacao a common thread that connects past and present. This approach appeals not only to food-minded tourists, but also to travelers seeking meaningful experiences that link history, territory, and sustainability.
The consolidation of Panama as a gastronomic destination that celebrates cacao and its indigenous heritage represents a major opportunity to diversify the country’s tourism offer and to reinforce the role of community-based tourism as a driver of sustainable development. As more visitors discover the cultural richness embodied in Panamanian cacao, a more inclusive tourism model gains strength—one in which local communities become the protagonists of their own stories and where the value of ancestral traditions is translated into unforgettable experiences for travelers from all over the world.
