Given the tourism industry’s economic importance and rapid growth, various international organizations have advocated for the sustainable development of tourism. A core piece of this focus on sustainability is the use of protected areas (PA) as conservation vehicles to simultaneously satisfy tourists demands for nature-based experiences and to provide the governance structure needed to protect important biodiverse ecosystems while providing the desired socioeconomic and community livelihood benefits to stakeholders living in close proximity to PAs. Participatory PA governance systems are now globally widespread and accepted while non- participatory policies are seen as ineffective, illegitimate and undemocratic. Empowerment has become a prerequisite for addressing the needs and the participation of marginalized people, and understanding the construct is considered essential for for facilitating sustainable policies. Using a deductive qualitative analysis, this study seeks to integrate a multi-dimensional conceptualization of empowerment in the evaluation and analysis of protected area governance quality in the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park in Bocas del Toro, Panama
