Panama, June 16, 2026. The Latin American Art Gallery (GALA) inaugurated an artistic exhibition "Ecos de Panama. Seven looks" at the Casa de la Municipality, located at the historic centre of Pana

The event was supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), PROMTUR Panama and the Mayor's Office of Panama. In addition to the art show, a discussion was held entitled "Cultural Tourism as an International Development and Integration Strategy."

During the opening event, Cultural Minister María Eugenia Herrera emphasized that cultural tourism is a strategic tool to show the world about Panama's heritage and artistic wealth. He noted that every cultural demonstration represents an opportunity to preserve national identity, to boost the creative economy and to offer genuine experiences to both national and international visitors.

The event was attended by leading panelists, including the Director of the Latin American Art Gallery, Alex Sanguine, Turkey's ambassador to Panama, Armağan İnci Ereso, the Assistant General Manager of the Panama Tourism Authority, Jorge Correa, ProMTUR Panama's President, Demetrio Maduro and Camtur Panama's President, Nackyi Duque.

During his intervention, Sanguine emphasized that cultural industries generate important income from different countries and held that Panama should strengthen cultural management and cultural diplomacy to turn culture into a true engine of development. "We have extraordinary assets as our historic heritage, ballet, the National Symphony Orchestra and the talent of our artists, that have to be more strongly projected in international markets," she said.

The Ambassador of Turkey, for her part, shared his country's experience with cultural tourism and noted its sustained investment in international promotion, tourism education and heritage valuation and emphasized that today's travellers are looking for true experiences related to the culture, traditions, gastronomy, purchases and heritage of each destination.
 
The ATP's co-manager emphasized that Panama has sustained growth in tourism activity and mentioned initiatives such as "The Mil Polleres Parade," religious tourism and national fairs as examples of events that strengthen the country's cultural offer.

Meanwhile, the president of PROMTUR Panama emphasized the importance of continuing to place Panama on international markets by promoting groups, conventions and cultural experiences that distinguish Panama from other destinations in the region. He added that the work articulated between PROMTUR and the ATP has been instrumental in strengthening positive results for the tourism industry.

The entrepreneur Nadyi Duque emphasized the need to have information and statistics to measure the impact of cultural tourism and to design effective strategies. Also, she emphasized that commercial centers can become important complexes to visualise national artistic talent and bring art closer to new audiences.

One of the summit moments of the event was the intervention of the well-known Panamanian painters Arístides Ureña and Olga Sinclair, who emphasized their role as cultural ambassadors of the country through their exhibitions abroad.

The exhibition "Ecos de Panama. Seven looks," composed of 14 works by seven artists, of them five are Panamanian. The show brings together different technologies, styles and contemporary views that reflect the cultural, historic and human diversity of the country.

The exhibition will be open to the public until June 30, 2026, at the Casa de la Municipalidad, giving both nationals and foreigners an opportunity to appreciate an artistic proposal that makes art a window to discover the essence of Panama.