{"id":243726,"date":"2026-04-21T15:04:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/?p=243726"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:04:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:04:48","slug":"cata-and-lets-meet-panama-an-agreement-to-integrate-accessibility-into-the-tourism-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/cata-and-lets-meet-panama-an-agreement-to-integrate-accessibility-into-the-tourism-offer\/","title":{"rendered":"CATA and Let\u2019s Meet Panama: an agreement to integrate accessibility into the tourism offer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For some travelers, choosing a destination remains an open decision; for others, it depends from the outset on a simpler factor: the ability to access it, move around, and enjoy it under suitable conditions. This reality, long considered secondary, is now beginning to have a more direct impact on how destinations position themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is in this context that the <strong>Central American Tourism Promotion Agency<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/catacentroamerica.com\/cata-y-lets-meet-panama-firman-acuerdo-para-promover-el-turismo-accesible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">CATA<\/mark><\/a>) and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/letsmeetpanama.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Let\u2019s Meet Panama<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> have signed an agreement aimed at integrating accessibility into regional tourism development, in line with the growing importance of the MICE segment in the country\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>An agreement aligned with market evolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s Meet Panama<\/strong> is an initiative linked to the meetings and events sector, working to bring together MICE stakeholders and strengthen Panama\u2019s positioning in this segment. Within this dynamic, the organization has gradually incorporated accessibility into its priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The memorandum of understanding, signed by <strong>Boris Iraheta<\/strong>, <strong>Secretary General of CATA<\/strong>, and <strong>Patricia Puentes<\/strong>, <strong>founder and director of the initiative<\/strong>, establishes a working framework to integrate these criteria into the tourism offer in Central America. The objective goes beyond physical adaptations, extending to the design of services and experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWC8gNtmEiN\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWC8gNtmEiN\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">Ver esta publicaci\u00f3n en Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWC8gNtmEiN\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">Una publicaci\u00f3n compartida por CATA Centroam\u00e9rica (@cata_centroamerica)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The actions include training for professionals, awareness programs, and the development of tools aimed at improving service quality. This is complemented by the exchange of best practices between countries, with the goal of strengthening the consistency of the regional offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Panama as an anchor point<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The agreement comes as Panama refines its positioning toward higher-value tourism. By 2026, the <strong>country expects to welcome between 3.1 and 3.2 million international visitors<\/strong>, after surpassing 3 million in 2025, with the goal of increasing average spending and length of stay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, <a href=\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/mice-at-the-heart-of-panamas-tourism-strategy-for-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">MICE tourism is emerging as one of the main drivers of sector growth<\/mark><\/a>, supported by the country\u2019s air connectivity and infrastructure. The integration of accessibility criteria fits into this strategy by broadening visitor profiles and strengthening the destination\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The approach is also based on a simple idea: these standards should not remain limited to a single country, but be replicable across the region\u2014and even beyond\u2014by aligning with international standards and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What accessible tourism entails<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"592\" src=\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/panama_accesibel.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-243720\" style=\"width:260px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/panama_accesibel.jpg 800w, https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/panama_accesibel-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/panama_accesibel-768x568.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Accessible tourism goes beyond removing physical barriers. It also involves adapting communication, services, and hospitality to enable a wider range of people to access the experiences offered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The scale of the market explains the growing attention to this topic. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">World Health Organization<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>, around 1.3 billion people (nearly 16% of the global population) live with a significant level of disability. In addition, population aging is expanding this segment further: according to the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/fr\/desa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>, nearly half of people over 60 are affected.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond the social dimension, the economic impact is also significant. These travelers often travel accompanied\u2014between two and three people on average\u2014and in many markets have strong purchasing power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The regional scope of the agreement reinforces the goal of positioning Central America as a combined destination. Integrating these criteria aims to ensure continuity not only in connectivity between countries, but also in the quality of hospitality and overall experience. In a context where sustainability and responsibility are gaining importance, these issues are increasingly becoming an integral part of the tourism offer.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Photos: CATA | <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tourismpanama.com\/places-to-visit\/panama-city\/?_gl=1*bqn0d4*_ga*OTQ0MDU3NDkuMTc3NjMyMDE1OQ..*_ga_HM8V89JVZK*czE3NzYzMjAxNTkkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzYzMjAzOTUkajYwJGwwJGgw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Visit Panama<\/mark><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A regional agreement led by CATA and Panama integrates accessibility into tourism development in Central America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":243718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16783],"tags":[19276,39031,19212,39025,19587,11945,19694,7555,39026,39030,39027,36433,32425,39029,38622,17211],"class_list":["post-243726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-accessible-tourism","tag-cata-2","tag-central-america-tourism","tag-disability-tourism-market","tag-inclusion-tourism","tag-inclusive-tourism","tag-inclusive-tourism-en","tag-international-tourism","tag-lets-meet-panama-2","tag-panama-tourism-strategy","tag-regional-tourism-development-2","tag-sustainable-tourism-central-america","tag-tourism-accessibility","tag-tourism-inclusion","tag-tourism-trends-2026","tag-tourisme-international-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243726"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243732,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243726\/revisions\/243732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}