Panamanian tourism gets fired up by Miss Universe pageant

Hotels, airlines and other Panamanian transportation companies are welcoming the upcoming Miss Universe beauty contest scheduled for June 3 because, in their view, it could help boost the destination and jack up the number of travelers visiting the country for the world-class event.

The sale of travel packages linked to the pageant is on the rise, execs from such Panama-based companies as Panama Star Tours, Fantasy Tours and Gamboa Tours reportedly told Financial Capital, a Panamanian weekly publication.

There are expectations to sell at least 100 travel packages. For one particular travel agency, for instance, a double-room stay sets visitors back between $377 and $785.

Travel agencies have snared 80-people groups from Canada and Mexico in packages that include ecological tourism and tours around the nation’s capital and the Panama Canal. The lion’s share of reservations for Gamboa Tours hails from Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica, while Fantasy Tours has made a killing in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the United States.

Panamanian authorities expect the coming of over a million visitors to the country for this year’s Miss Universe contest. The beauty pageant was last held in Panama back in 1986.