Are Crimes Against Tourists Common?
Statistics Support That Panama is Safe
Real estate developers and retirement magazines are constantly trying to push the notion that foreigners are rarely the victims of crime in Panama. Recent statistics released show this is actually pretty true. Panama’s tourism ministry says that in the last five years, nearly 6-million tourists have set foot in Panama, 395-thousand this January and February alone. With such a high number of visitors, it has to be expected that there will be some crimes committed against foreigners.
The data was released by the Panamanian Tourism Institute (IPAT) and indicates that in 2005 there were 265 reported cases of crimes against tourists. There were 330 such cases in 2006 and in 2007 the amount of reports rose slightly to 429. Even with the annual increase in reported incidents, the percentage of crimes against visitors remains at 0.03 percent.
The areas with the highest number of reported crimes against tourists are (in order):
- Bella Vista
- El Chorrillo
- Ancon
- San Francisco
- Santa Ana
- San Blas
- Colon
- Darien
It is certainly not surprising to see some of these names on the list. El Chorrillo and Santa Ana are hot spots for locals running in to trouble so it’s not much of a surprise to hear of tourists having problems there as well. One surprise is Colon. Colon has a notoriously bad reputation as being a dangerous city with gun fights common among locals. However, it appears relatively low on the list for crimes committed against tourists.
Some people may be surprised (or worried) or see Bella Vista at the top of this list. The main point to keep in mind is that Bella Vista has the most amount of tourists than any other area in Panama City. Bella Vista consists of a number of the many tourist hot spots including El Cangrejo and Obarrio. This is also where most of the popular casinos and nightclubs are located. The uber-popular nightlife district Calle Uruguay is also situated in Bella Vista.
Tourists can be victims of crimes in any country. Panama is not exempt. People visiting Panama can take comfort in knowing that though crime does exist here, you are far less likely to be a victim of it in Panama than in nearly any other Latin American country.
| Written by Rebecca Tyre |  |
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Filed under: News on June 9th, 2008
Stats aside, I personally feel about 20x more safe as a “tourist” in Panama than in Costa Rica.
Well…As to why Colon is not high on your list, just take into account your speculation as why there are so many crimes against tourists in Bella Vista. There are so many tourists. There are not many tourists in Colon. Most cruise ship passengers don’t leave the ships out of fear. Colon 2000 was a bust. There are really no tourist hotels in the City of Colon. Washington Hotel is considered the best and it is not considered safe to leave the grounds after dark. Isla Grande and Portobelo are often day trips. Not as much opportunities for crimes against tourists. Just my thought on the low ranking of the Province of Colon..