Keeping the Dream Alive: Why Bocas International Deserves Our Support

“Panama A Tropical Dream” is the new official title of this movement and its first move has been the production of Bocas del Toro’s annual bodyboarding festival. Debuting in 2022 as “Bocas Invitacional,” the event is now known as Bocas International.
Artículo en español
“We changed the name to avoid confusion. With the original name, some athletes that wanted to participate thought they had to be invited” explains Ruben VIllegas, co-founder of the event.
Though the organizers have invited and successfully hosted legends on the international bodyboarding scene like Jeff Hubbard and Mike Stewart, the competition is open to all athletes who register and can make the journey to Bocas del Toro
The festival has been well attended during its first three years, with its participation growing and primed to grow even more this year with the inclusion of the “Best Barrel Division” which allows riders of traditional surf boards to participate, expanding beyond the bodyboarding niche and opening Bocas International up to a wider market of surf fans.
Each year has seen the participation of local, national and international bodyboarding talent, consistently hosting 60-80 athletes. Bodyboarders are traveling from all over South America, Europe, the USA, even as far as Hawaii and New Zealand, all coming with their families and friends and everyone bringing back epic stories and stunning images of the islands to share with their communities; not to mention the large and engaged social media audiences of many of the professional bodyboarders, broadcasting the benefits of the island in real time to surf and tropical island enthusiasts around the globe.
According to their vision statement, Bocas International aims to position Panama and Bocas del Toro as a 5-star international surfing destination through a festival that combines sports competitions, music, and gastronomy, highlighting the cultural richness of the islands.
In three short years, the one week festival has reached nearly 700,000 social media users and its global broadcast amassing over 32,000 streams; with 49.2% of the audience in Panama and the other half engaged internationally, with USA, Chile, Spain, Portugal and Brazil the top countries with its eyes on Bocas del Toro.
Now aptly named Bocas International, the festival has succeeded in garnering the attention of bodyboard and surf fanatics around the globe dreaming of their next visit to the tropics.
Economic Impact and Projections
The event’s first three years have generated over half a million dollars for Panama’s economy. The team at Panama A Tropical Dream projects that the 4th edition will see $288,150 in terms of total economic injection to the country of Panama. This includes Panama City-based companies like Copa Airlines, FlyTrip, and Air Panama. When you subtract the airfare, ferries and ground transport to the island, the event has generated over $60K for the Bocas del Toro archipelago in its debut year, then consistently over $80K during the last two years and its organizers project the upcoming 2025 edition to generate $120,500 of revenue that stays on the islands. This is the money spent on hotel stays, restaurant visits and all economic activity that caters to visitors, benefiting businesses and employees that participate directly and indirectly in the activity of tourism.
Financial Challenges
Bocas International is a winner for the island, though it has yet to win the battle of how to sustainably fund itself. Though the event has proven to generate a healthy income for the area, it costs $62,500 to produce. The first three editions each received some business sponsorship and competitors do pay a registration fee to participate, however after paying out cash prizes to the winners, professional streaming, staff and all the logistics of the one week activity, the organizers have been left in the red. They have attempted to make it up with merchandising, but it’s not enough to break even yet.
It is a nonprofit initiative and though the organizers currently carry a debt, they are optimistic because of the growing support from businesses in the community choosing to dedicate annual marketing dollars toward sponsorship opportunities and increasing interest and participation of authorities, including Bocas del Toro Mayor Wilbur Martinez:
“This high-level event has been a success that highlights Panama and the province of Bocas Del Toro on the international stage of water sports, especially in bodyboarding. We, from the Mayor’s Office of the District of Bocas Del Toro, will support this event that greatly helps national and international tourism and sports. And that is why we urge the tourism industry, hotels, restaurants and those who are part of the chain of tourist services to be part of this great event.”
A Dream That Needs Our Support
The vision of the Panama A Tropical Dream team is one where the Panama Tourism Authority, Pandeportes (Panama Sports Authority) and the Ministry of Culture begin to consider Bocas International in its plans for annual budgets, given its proven track record as an activity that benefits the country of Panama economically, and let’s not forget its destination marketing value. Through social media and professional livestream, Bocas International has spent three years broadcasting the benefits of visiting Panama and living your best life on the Caribbean side of Panama. This tropical dream is definitely winning the hearts, minds and future visits of an untold amount of international travelers.
Apart from the economic injection and tourism publicity, there is a ton of value in celebrating bodyboarding and surfing for the sake of athletics and as a cultural institution for the islands. The Bocas Breeze interviewed Bocas International co-founder Ruben Villegas during the closing ceremony of its debut edition and one the things he mentioned that touched him about the event was Bluff locals and other Bocas youth becoming interested in bodyboarding and surfing for the first time. With all economic, business and tourism benefits aside, it is also worth appreciating any event that motivates the island’s natives to connect more with ocean sports. It’s a healthy activity that bonds people across cultures. It is to be celebrated and promoted!
Though we cannot celebrate and promote this event if it ceases to exist. The organizers are optimistic for more support from authorities to cover production costs, however until then the event has to continue with some grass-roots support and that’s where you come in. Together we can keep this dream alive!
I urge the community to at least attend one of the competitions on Bluff or any of the associated events February 10-16, 2025.
Another free and easy way to support this movement is to give this article a share and follow @panamaatropicaldream on Instagram, engaging with the posts when you see them.
If you have business in Panama, especially in Bocas del Toro, consider dedicating some of your marketing dollars toward this event. There are great sponsorship packages available where your brand is featured in traditional banners, commercials during the live stream and shout outs on social media. The organizers are open to creative collaborations as well. The event has a lasting impact on the branding of Bocas del Toro as a destination and its visibility among potential travelers. If you are operating in the Bocas del Toro tourism sector, your business benefits, even if it’s indirectly.
If you don’t have a need to put any logos on banners or air a commercial during the livestream, but you still want to make a meaningful contribution toward these efforts, you can donate directly to the production costs of the 2025 edition. The organizers are prepared to run a skeleton crew and make the event happen one way or another. However they are short of what they need financially to operate the festival optimally. Any amount that can be collected will help toward production costs like the payment of staff, flights and travel costs, competition and event infrastructure, marketing and other logistical costs that make the festival run smoothly and provide an unforgettable experience to the attendees
I opened a GoFundMe for anyone who would like to make a contribution toward the 2025 Bocas Invitational. Click here to help keep the dream alive.
If you are interested in the corporate sponsorship options, please contact Ruben Villegas wearebootike@gmail.com or +507 6315-5971.
A special thanks to the businesses that have supported the 2025 edition so far, some of which you can see in the image below and others mentioned in posts on the official Instagram @panamatropicaldream.

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2 Comments
I look forward to this event. Where can we find a schedule of times and exact locations?
We will publish the official schedule on social media and our WhatsApp groups. They are making some final confirmations.