The future of Panama's Bio Museum

It has been a year and a half since the Bio Museum opened its doors to the public in Panama City. Today it is one of the countries most popular tourist attractions, receiving over 200,000 visitors last year, aiming to double that number by 2018.

The center was a costly endeavor of $90 million designed by renowned Canadian architect Frank Gehry. The colorful structure can be seen from the bridge of the Americas, standing out from the other, less striking buildings on the causeway.

The surrounding area however, which once promised to be a vibrant tourist center, had deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. Furthermore for the last year access has been limited by the widening of the Causeway, which will soon be expanded to six lanes.

Museum administrators are optimistic that the widening of the causeway will be completed soon and that work will resume on the new convention center in order to increase the flow of visitors to the area. Currently the project still needs external funds to operate, as the $2 million generated over the last year amounts to only 54% of the operating expenses.

In addition to donations from benefactors the  Biomuseo has deals with government institutions the Ministry of Education and the Tourism Authority (ATP), who use the site for training and special events.

In 2018 the the second phase of the bio museum will be launched. The second part will include two aquariums 11 meters deep, with a combined capacity for 300 marine species. The preparation for this addition will take time. In the coming month the area where species will be quarantined to determine the ability to adapt to captivity will be built. The capture of the marine species is set to take place in early 2017.

To mark  the second anniversary of the project a 30 meters long and three meters deep cave featuring Panama’s orchids will be opened to the public.