The National Government has so far invested $144 million in tourism projects in the province of Colón, as confirmed by an inter-institutional team made up of officials from the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Culture and the Tourism Cabinet.

The statements came at a meeting the team held in Portobelo, Colón, to present to local authorities and members of the private sector the progress of the projects, among which are:

According to the inter-institutional team, these programs are based on improvements in infrastructure, public services, connectivity, enhancement of historical heritage and conservation of the protected area and its biodiversity, as well as the priority of empowering locals, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship, generating jobs, promoting community development and economic growth by enhancing the cultural and natural heritage of the area.

The ATP administrator, Iván Eskildsen, together with a work team, went to one of the foreign tourism investment projects, located in the Linton Bay Marina on the Costa Arriba of Colón, where the company Ocean Builders is building floating houses that contribute to the generation of corals and other species of marine life in the area. There are 60 local people working on the project.