The Panama Canal visitor centers surpassed one million visits during fiscal year 2025, confirming their role as one of the country’s main tourist attractions.

In total, 1,003,911 people toured these facilities between October 2024 and September 2025, representing a 22% increase over the previous fiscal year and a 37% increase compared to 2023, the first full period without restrictions after the pandemic.

“We received more than one million visits, and that number significantly represents an increase in tourism to the country and in the interest in visiting the Canal,” explained María Gabriela Ávila, administrator of the Panama Canal Visitor Centers.

Foreign visitors lead the influx

Although the centers maintain a strong connection with Panamanian schools and communities, most of the public comes from abroad.

According to Ávila, about 75% of visitors are foreign tourists, driven by the dynamism of tourism activity and the international visibility of the Canal.

“We always try to have that connection with the communities and with the educational centers, but most of the people who come to the visitor centers are foreigners,” he noted.

Direct and indirect economic impact

The influx of visitors has not only cultural and educational value, but also economic value. Visitor centers generate direct income through ticket sales, shops, restaurants, and complementary services, in addition to stimulating other sectors of national tourism.

“The average consumption of a foreign visitor is between 20 and 22 dollars, while that of nationals ranges between 3 and 5 dollars per person,” Ávila explained.

Added to this is the indirect impact on hotels, transport, museums and other destinations that are part of the tourist experience.

In this regard, the Canal works in coordination with institutions such as the Interoceanic Canal Museum and the Biomuseo to offer integrated packages that extend the stay and spending of visitors.

A growing network of centers

Currently, the visitor center system includes Miraflores, Agua Clara, the Gatún Lookout and the Santiago Interactive Center, the latter geared especially towards communities in the interior of the country and with free access.

“The Santiago Interactive Center allows us to bring the Channel to the interior, especially to students who cannot always travel to the city,” Ávila explained.

The administration is considering replicating this model in provinces such as Chiriquí.

Miraflores, the most emblematic center, is undergoing an expansion process to become an integrated complex with greater capacity and new experiences, without closing its doors during construction.

New projects and projections

Among the future projects are the development of a cruise ship pier in the Atlantic sector, which will allow safe disembarkations on Lake Gatun, and the transformation of the historic Administrator’s House in Altos de Balboa, which will have a section dedicated to a museum.

“We want to transform it into a space for preserving heritage and living memory, with exhibits that tell more than a century of the Canal’s history,” Ávila stated. These projects, already approved by the Board of Directors, could be ready by fiscal year 2028.

An invitation to the Panamanian

Ávila concluded with an invitation to Panamanians who have not yet visited the facilities. “We invite all Panamanians to come and see their Canal. We are ready to welcome you on the Atlantic, the Pacific, and also in the interior of the country.”

With rising numbers and an expansion agenda underway, the Panama Canal visitor centers are consolidating themselves as a strategic showcase of the country’s main asset and as a key driver of national tourism and education.