Bill 707.

Summary.

The bill proposes a special framework to promote, develop, organize and strengthen sustainable ecotourism in the Santa Fe district, Veraguas province. It provides for coordination among public bodies, community participation, environmental protection, conservation of natural and cultural heritage, and investment and enterprise consistent with sustainable development. It declares the promotion and planning of ecotourism, rural tourism, scientific tourism, adventure tourism and coffee tourism to be matters of public and social interest and a strategic priority for regional development. It defines each form of tourism and defines tourism carrying capacity as the maximum number of visitors a place can accommodate without harming environmental resources or endangering health and safety. It would recognize the district as a Special Sustainable Ecotourism Development Zone of the Republic of Panama.

The bill creates the Ecotourism Activity of Santa Fé as an integrated national tourism offering. Its activities would operate under a Sustainable Ecotourism Strategic Plan prepared with the Panama Tourism Authority (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá), the district municipality and local communities. The Tourism Authority, together with the Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente) and the Municipality of the Santa Fé district (Municipio del distrito de Santa Fé), would set tourism carrying capacity so visitor numbers remain compatible with ecosystem conservation. That capacity would be reviewed periodically and would bind operators, guides, service providers, visitors and entities administering or managing tourism areas. The Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura) would promote the inclusion of cultural, historical and ethnographic values through local heritage committees, community museums, fairs and festivals.

As the tourism authority, the Panama Tourism Authority would prepare the plan with the municipality and communities, and grant, renew, suspend or cancel operating permits or licenses under existing legislation and the plan. It would advise prospective operators on registration in the National Tourism Registry, include ecotourism programs in its institutional plan, promote the district’s tourism offerings nationally and internationally, and coordinate programs with other public bodies. Those programs would aim to provide economic benefits to communities near ecotourism areas. The Authority would train public and private entities in community tourism and develop training for operators, local guides, communities and entrepreneurs with the National Institute of Vocational Training and Training for Human Development (Instituto Nacional de Formación Profesional y Capacitación para el Desarrollo Humano, INADEH) and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Authority (Autoridad de la Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, AMPYME). It would also oversee compliance with the proposed framework.

The municipal community boards would create channels for organized communities to participate, adopt local promotion policies, establish or strengthen local ecotourism offices through municipal regulations, care for public spaces and routes, and promote fairs, markets and cultural activities. The Ministry of Environment would contribute to planning concerning protected areas, biodiversity, water resources, forests and buffer zones. It would set technical guidelines and acceptable change limits, issue environmental authorizations, provide environmental education, enforce applicable environmental rules, and coordinate conservation and restoration. The Ministry of Culture would promote artistic, culinary and folk traditions, the participation of artisans and tradition bearers, and preservation of local cultural heritage.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Authority would advise and assist tourism entrepreneurs and businesses, promote their formalization, coordinate agreements with the Municipality of Santa Fe (Municipio de Santa Fe), and support training, financing, marketing and sales outlets. The Panama Tourism Authority could include the district in tourism campaigns and promotional strategies. The bill provides for regulations no later than ninety days after promulgation and would take effect on the day following promulgation in the Official Gazette. Its provisions concern the named public bodies, local communities, tourism operators, coffee producers, artisans, and providers of lodging, food and related local services.