Copa Airlines Trains Over 400 Tourism Entrepreneurs in Artificial Intelligence and Customer Service. Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines, a subsidiary of Copa Holdings and member of Star Alliance, hosted the second edition of its Tourism Training Forum in Panama City under the banner “Tourism Evolves: Technology That Transforms, Experiences That Connect.” The day-long educational summit gathered more than 400 participants, including micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) owners, local tour operators, and hospitality leaders, delivering accessible digital and management tools to elevate service standards and business resilience across Panama‘s travel industry.
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The forum convened amid challenging circumstances following recent seismic events that caused infrastructure damage in multiple Panamanian regions, particularly across communities in the Azuero peninsula that rely heavily on travel revenue. Opening the conference, Pedro Heilbron, Chief Executive Officer of Copa Airlines, stressed that corporate priority must focus on supporting displaced families and working alongside national authorities in disaster relief. Heilbron underscored that as impacted communities rebuild, the broader tourism infrastructure must be technologically prepared to drive commercial recovery, market destinations effectively, and welcome back international travelers with elevated hospitality standards.
The workshop agenda placed a strong focus on practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI), addressing how generative tools and predictive algorithms are rapidly reshaping traveler behavior during trip research, accommodation choices, and itinerary design. Participants were introduced to low-cost digital platforms designed to streamline customer inquiries, automate reservation handling, and improve content marketing. Furthermore, discussions addressed modern cross-border financial technologies, led by Santiago Rega, Senior Director of Cross-Border Business Development for Visa Latin America and the Caribbean, who explained that integrating seamless and secure contactless payment options is essential to converting visitor interest into local commercial spending.
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The initiative received institutional backing from the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) and the Tourism Promotion Fund (PROMTUR), alongside sponsorship from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the National Tourism Chamber of Panama (CAMTUR), Magic Dreams, and Global Brands. Gloria de León, General Administrator of the ATP, highlighted the expansion of the Panama Stopover program and the nation’s updated brand platform, “Hosts of the World,” while Gloria Lugo, IDB Representative in Panama, outlined active financing facilities established with the National Bank of Panama to assist small tourism operators in modernizing and growing their operations.
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