---
title: "Panama Canal History Could Become a Bigger Tourism Draw"
date: 2026-05-09
modified: 2026-05-10
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/2026/05/09/panama-canal-tourism-heritage-defense/
categories:
  - "Business"
  - "Culture"
  - "Travel"
tags:
  - "Amador Causeway"
  - "canal history"
  - "Colón"
  - "heritage tourism"
  - "military sites"
  - "Panama Canal"
---

# Panama Canal History Could Become a Bigger Tourism Draw

## What Happened

The Panama Canal already stands as one of the country’s most important assets for global trade, logistics and international business. Beyond that role, the canal and the places built around it hold potential as a tourism product tied to history, migration, military defense and family heritage.

That broader opportunity centers on visitors who may want to trace the footsteps of relatives who worked on the canal, as well as travelers interested in the structures that once protected the waterway. The idea is that Panama can market not only the canal’s famous locks and transit operations, but also the human stories and military sites connected to its century-long history.

## Heritage Tourism Around the Canal

The canal’s construction brought workers from many countries, including Barbados, Spain, Italy and the United States. That legacy could appeal especially to descendants of those laborers, many of whom still keep family memories of the role their ancestors played in the project.

Spanish participation has been documented in **Una Historia Compartida**, written by historians Wendy Tribaldos Eisenman and Susana Cabezas Fontanilla, with support from the Nosa Terra Foundation led by businessman Ricardo Gago and the participation of cardiologist Daniel Pichel. The presence of Spanish workers also inspired a monument on the Amador Causeway, which now stands as a visible reminder of that chapter in Panama’s history.

Italian participation is another historical thread that could support tourism. Around 2,000 Italians were reportedly hired for the project, and the book **Panamá, Italia y los Italianos en la época de la construcción del Canal (1880-1915)**, by Diego Delboni, covers that experience. The passage of Dr. Alfonso Lo Monaco through Panama in the early 20th century, after being appointed by the Italian government to examine working conditions, is also part of that historical record.

Workers from Barbados are likewise part of the canal’s story, and family memories tied to those laborers remain present in Panama. These connections point to a tourism niche built around archives, family history and visits to places where ancestors lived and worked.

## Military Sites and Canal Defense

Another untapped area is military tourism linked to the defense of the canal. Panama received back several military installations built to protect the waterway, and some still contain air-raid shelters, bunkers, tunnels and batteries.

Examples include the tunnel on Naos Island, carved into the rock and ending in an elevator that once led to the top of the island. Other abandoned installations in the former Canal Zone, including some in the Amador area, could also be adapted for visitors if rehabilitated.

These places could attract veterans’ associations and travelers interested in military history, especially given the large veteran community in the United States. The same logic applies to the broader story of canal defense, which has been documented in books such as **Guarding the Crossroads** and **Panama Canal Security and Defense** by Charlie Morris Brooks.

## Why It Matters

Panama has a tourism advantage that few countries can match: a globally famous waterway with a unique historical footprint. The canal’s construction, the communities that helped build it and the military sites that defended it offer themes that are distinct from beach tourism, which many countries in the region already promote.

That uniqueness gives Panama room to develop more specialized experiences, from guided visits for descendants of canal workers to heritage tours and historical routes focused on former defense sites. Aerial tours over the locks, Colón, the Free Zone and the ports could also add another layer to the country’s tourism offer, especially for visitors already passing through Panama under the Stop Over program.