Modest in size and vast in remit, the Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama is an intermediary ready to facilitate dialogue and commercial connections between Barbados and the Latin American nations bordering our shared Caribbean waters. Brimming with potential for greater bilateral commercial engagement, trade and investment, the Embassy of Barbados in Panama City maintains concurrent accreditation to eight dynamic Latin American countries: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and, of course, Panama.

The Barbados Mission first opened its doors in 2019 with two broad objectives: first, to engage the large and diverse community of Panamanians of Barbadian descent, whose ancestors travelled from Barbados more than a century ago to assist in the construction of the Panama Canal and Railway. These Barbadians, estimated at roughly one-quarter of the island’s total population at the time, departed their homeland and helped lay the literal foundation for the development of the multicultural society and commercial hub that modern-day Panama has become. Secondly, the Mission sought to advance commercial relations and deepen South-South cooperation among Barbados and the countries within its jurisdiction.

Early on, the Government of Barbados saw the strategic importance of expanding its diplomatic footprint in Latin America. Hemispheric neighbours with shared values and similar challenges, the eight nations within the Embassy of Barbados’ remit are non-traditional trading partners to whom our doors and shores remain open for business amidst evolving global challenges and changing geopolitical landscapes.

Barbados and Panama – two distinct smart hubs in their own right – seemingly lie at the centre of a regional commercial relationship defined by untapped potential and promise. Serviced by four direct passenger flights a week via Copa Airlines, increasing to five weekly in January 2026, the jet bridge connecting Barbados and Panama, and consequently the wider Caribbean and Latin America, continues to expand. These flights bring thousands of Barbadians and other Caribbean nationals, largely from our Eastern Caribbean sister isles, to Panama seeking to discover ancestral connections, shop and sightsee, and transit onward to other Central and South American destinations. Similarly, this air service brings scores of Latin American visitors to Barbados’ beautiful shores, eager to explore an unrivalled tourism product and keen to tap into our nation’s growing economy, welcoming climate, desirable lifestyle and bold vision for a more resilient and sustainable future. Increased airlift between Barbados and Latin America, namely a daily passenger flight between Bridgetown and Panama City and the launch of direct flight options to other Latin America markets like Colombia, remain priorities for Barbados in the year ahead. With the September 2025 addition of a weekly Copa Airlines Cargo flight, Barbados-Panama air connectivity continues to trend in the right direction, as trade by airfreight presents myriad new possibilities for Barbados’ commercial sector and the expansion of trade ties across the Latin American region.

Over the past year, Barbados has fortified its relationships with key Latin American partners bilaterally and through multilateral fora. In August 2025, both Panama and Colombia officially opened (or reopened in the case of Colombia, having closed its previous Embassy in 2002) their diplomatic missions in Barbados with formal ceremonies attended by high-level dignitaries, including Panama’s Minister of Foreign Relations and the Vice President of Colombia. Within the same month, the Barbados Port Inc. and the Panama Maritime Agency finalized a Memorandum of Understanding intended to create new opportunities for economic growth, promote technical cooperation and knowledge exchange, encourage sustainable maritime practices, and position Barbados as a vital transshipment hub, connecting Latin America with Africa. Moreover, the Barbadian government, through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), remains actively engaged in discussions with Colombia on strengthening trade relations and the expansion of preferential market access under the CARICOM–Colombia Trade Agreement, with Barbados hosting the third round of these negotiations in November 2025.

In the years ahead, Latin America’s diplomatic footprint in Barbados is poised to expand further – undoubtedly bringing with it new trade and investment opportunities – with the Cabinet of Barbados approving Mexico’s request to establish a diplomatic mission in 2024. As the second largest economy in Latin America prepares to enhance its physical presence in the Caribbean, Barbados, once again, serves as a strategic hub for deepening hemispheric engagement, demonstrating, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Hon. Kerrie Symmonds, M.P. once stated, “a growing of confidence and interest in doing business in Barbados and with Barbados”.

Increasingly, Barbados is looking towards non-traditional partners, including its closest Latin American neighbours, to address the current challenges and unique vulnerabilities it faces as a small island nation, such as supply chain disruptions, unstable prices, and rising shipping costs. To this end, the Embassy of Barbados in Panama City continues to work closely with diplomatic counterparts, government agencies, and private sector associations. The Barbados Mission remains intent on exploring new connections with local, regional and international innovators, influencers and changemakers with the aim of strengthening existing commercial ties; fostering innovative academic partnerships, language exchange programs and cultural cooperation agreements; and identifying new, mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities across targeted sectors.

Now in 2026, the year in which Barbados celebrates its Diamond Jubilee, the Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama does so with a renewed commitment to advance the Government of Barbados’ commercial diplomacy mandate, serving as a single bridge – Un Solo Puente – between Barbados, the Caribbean and Latin America.