By Margot Thomas
AS PANAMA’S Tourism authority looks for new ways to increase the flow of visitors to the country, local language schools are at work developing strategies to encourage people to obtain a double reward combining the understanding of a new language, with a boots on the ground opportunity to explore the country and increase the enjoyment of their trip with the ability to communicate with its people.
Schools like Español en Panamá (EPA)  have taken a proactive role in promoting “language tourism” - fast growing segment of the tourism industry combining travel with study, and a hands on introduction to the culture, history, food and traditions of the country, with participants coming to the country not just for days, but often weeks and sometimes months.
The “discovering the people” approach is also applied to a constant stream of newly arrived business executives from the likes of Phillips, P & G, Halliburton and Samsung, many arriving with families and anxious to get to know not only the language of the country, but its culture and traditions.
Arlyn Perez, of EPA says that since the school’s founding in 2007, the center has provided students from all corners of the world with “discovery tours,” experiencing the country, its food and culture and meeting people , initially within the city and later as their language proficiency increases, to destinations further afield.
The school backs up its educational program with assistance in arranging accommodation through a host family, shared apartments, or individual apartments or hotels, at less than 30 minutes walking distance from its home in Paitilla.
New arrivals in Panama including many retirees, who want to acquire at least the basics of the language while settling in, can join small group classes or have one on one tutorials. If you still can’t ask where they keep the corn flakes when you go to the supermarket, maybe you might want to give it a shot. The ROI (Return on Investment) lasts a lifetime.