Bill 385.

Summary.

The bill proposes to develop community tourism through heritage conservation, improved services and infrastructure, training for tourism service providers and local participation. It creates the Paraísos del Istmo National Tourism and Heritage Development Program to identify, certify, strengthen and promote communities with historical, cultural, natural and social value in Panama. Its provisions would apply nationwide to communities meeting its requirements.

The Panama Tourism Authority (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá) would develop the Program’s official brand and logo. It could authorize certified communities to use the brand; the logo would belong to the Panamanian State, and its use or alteration would be subject to intellectual property rules. The Authority would prepare a strategic plan binding on applicant communities and review it every six (6) years. The plan would cover assessments, alignment with public planning instruments, heritage conservation and tourism development objectives, and participation by Indigenous, Afro-descendant, farming and coastal communities.

The Panama Tourism Authority would assess and certify communities based on their heritage, services, improvement projects, participation, capacity and protection of their surroundings. It would issue public calls for applications and receive applications submitted by mayors exclusively through a digital platform. Each application would include an inventory of attractions, a local tourism plan, socioeconomic assessments, conservation plans, accessibility measures, identification of local participants, training strategies and a mapped proposal for the tourism area. The Authority would have sixty (60) calendar days to verify compliance and could admit a community to the Program by a resolution published on its website.

After certification, the Authority could seek public funding for projects supported by technical documentation. Certification would last five (5) years and could be renewed for equal periods, subject to mandatory annual evaluations. Communities would monitor tourism indicators and address recommendations; the Authority could coordinate evaluations with municipalities, academic institutions and specialists. Breach of obligations, heritage deterioration, failure to submit reports, specified violations and voluntary withdrawal endorsed through community consultation would be grounds for revocation. A motion for reconsideration could be filed against revocation or annulment.

Funding would include five percent (5%) of municipal Decentralization resources, transferred to the Panama Tourism Authority; one point five percent (1.5%) of its investment budget; municipal revenue linked to the Program; access to national and international financing; and other resources permitted by law. Funds would support tourism and heritage projects in certified communities, with investment proposals agreed annually, a technical file, monitoring, and reports on spending and results.

The Authority would publish an annual report and maintain a free public platform containing certifications, plans, calls for applications, audits, resolutions and participation channels. False or concealed information could lead to revocation and referral to the competent authorities; other transparency breaches could result in administrative sanctions or suspended transfers. The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información, ANTAI) would oversee these mechanisms. The bill asks the Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo) to prepare the national plan within six (6) months and provides the same period for implementing regulations; it proposes that the law take effect upon promulgation. Its scope includes urban and rural tourism activities, including coastlines, beaches, mountains, parks, protected areas and Indigenous communities. It also concerns municipalities, the Municipal Council (Consejo Municipal), tourism providers, state banks, and the lodging, food service, craft and cultural sectors.