Bocas del Toro Province
Bocas del Toro's Caribbean islands blend banana 'green gold' with coral reef tourism and Afro-Caribbean culture, though incomes lag Panama's urban core.
Bocas del Toro represents Panama's Caribbean face—the archipelago and coastal province where banana plantations, coral reefs, and multicultural communities create an economy unlike the Pacific-oriented mainland. The 'green gold' of banana cultivation established the province's economic base, the United Fruit Company's historical presence shaping land ownership and labor patterns that persist.
Tourism now competes with agriculture for economic primacy, the islands attracting visitors whose spending supports hotels, restaurants, and guides. Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park and the La Amistad International Park (shared with Costa Rica) provide the ecological assets that ecotourism monetizes. Afro-Caribbean culture, music, and cuisine distinguish Bocas from Panama's Spanish-mestizo mainstream.
Per-capita incomes remain noticeably lower than Panama City or Chiriquí, the infrastructure deficits and limited formal employment that characterize peripheral provinces constraining income growth. Whether tourism can sustainably develop—or whether uncontrolled growth degrades the reefs and communities that attract visitors—tests whether natural beauty translates into shared prosperity.