Castillo San Lorenzo, Panama: Concepts for Interpretation and Site Planning

Castillo San Lorenzo (CSL) is a site of global importance. It was one of the original UNESCO World Heritage sites, designated in 1980. Its discovery as a tourism treasure has just begun. But it is a fragile resource, one that must be protected and preserved. A growing tourism industry must be balanced with site preservation. Careful planning is needed to accomplish this goal. This report provides a vision for tourism development for CSL and a framework to achieve that vision. It is not intended to be in-depth management planning, but rather to serve as an intermediate step and generate thinking for master planning. It contains: • a vision of what CSL can become as a tourism goal • suggested immediate action items addressing interpretation and site planning issues for short term management of the site • a description of the master planning process for long range management