Panama’s principal cruise ports received 243,075 passengers during the first half of 2026, an increase of 21.6% from the same period last year.
The total represents 43,201 more cruise passengers than the 199,874 recorded between January and June 2025. Cruise passengers accounted for approximately 14% of all visitors registered in Panama during the six-month period.
The figures reinforce the cruise industry’s growing importance within Panama’s tourism sector, particularly in Colón, where passenger arrivals support excursion operators, transport providers, restaurants, shops and other local services.
The latest activity included the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas in Colón on September 13. The vessel carried 2,396 passengers and 791 crew members.
According to figures reported by La Prensa, 1,055 passengers disembarked to participate in tourism activities in the province, while 1,341 remained in transit. More than 1,000 passengers later boarded the vessel before it continued its Caribbean itinerary.
The ship’s route included stops in Cartagena and Santa Marta in Colombia, Curaçao, Aruba and Limón in Costa Rica before returning to Colón.
Panama benefits from a strategic position between the Caribbean and Pacific, but the economic value of cruise tourism depends partly on how many passengers leave their vessels and spend money locally. The number of passengers recorded at ports therefore does not necessarily correspond to the number entering the country for excursions or overnight stays.
The growth was registered outside part of the industry’s busiest period. Panama’s principal cruise season generally runs from October through April, when more vessels operate Caribbean and Panama Canal itineraries.
The first-half figures provide an encouraging signal ahead of the 2026-2027 high season. They also underline Colón’s central role in Panama’s efforts to expand tourism beyond air arrivals and establish the country as both a cruise destination and a regional embarkation point.
Sources: La Prensa, Panama Tourism Authority
