For now, the platform only offers the public accommodation in the interior of the country, the most popular destinations being Bocas del Toro, Río Hato, Boquete, Chiriquí and Playa Gorgona.

You may be interested in "Threats to 'Traditional' tourism"

Carlos Muñoz, Airbnb's general manager of Public Policies for Central America and the Caribbean, told Prensa.com that they want "... to work with the authorities to allow them to transform local legislation and authorize the operation of the lodging platform in Panama City, because it is currently limited to the interior of the country."

Muñoz added that "... There is a ban on short accommodations like the Airbnb model in the capital city, outside of Panama City, lodging is perfectly allowed and what we are looking for is to eliminate that ban in order to forcefully invest in Panama with promotional and tourist campaigns."

Also see "New Attempt to Regulate Airbnb"

At the beginning of the year, Airbnb executives reported that between 2017 and 2018 the number of visitors who demanded its services in Panama increased by 65%. This situation contrasts with the decline in hotel occupancy recorded in recent years in Panama.

Source: Prensa.com

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More on this topic

Threats to "Traditional" tourism

March 2019

Given the growing use of its vacation rental platform in Panama, Airbnb plans to offer other services such as ticket purchase, tours and paperwork management for tourists.

Airbnb executives reported that between 2017 and 2018, the number of visitors who demanded their services increased by 65%. This situation contrasts with the decrease in hotel occupancy registered in recent years in Panama.

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January 2017

Already more than 1000 homes are available to rent through the web platform Airbnb, and most of them are centered around the Pacific coast.

The increasing supply of houses and apartments available for short stays is forcing hotels to change their methods of attracting guests in order to survive. In the case of Nicaragua, where the hotel supply is relatively nascent and not as developed as in other neighboring markets, the efforts that businesses in the tourism sector have to make to compete with Airbnb is even greater.

Airbnb Could Operate Freely Outside of Panama City

January 2017

The government has proposed that Airbnb offer its services only in the interior of the country where the supply of hotels is lower and where the legal prohibition of vacation rentals is not in effect.

Authorities at the online rental company met with representatives from the government and the private sector, after a group of tourists were affected by an inspection by the ATP in an apartment which was rented out using the platform. 

Panama: Hotels vs. AirBnB War Continues

March 2016

Besides trying to formally regulate housing rentals used for tourism, the DGI is planning better controls on the payment of income tax and ITBMS.

The battle between hotels against vacation rentals made via platforms such as Airbnb continues, and so far the only measure taken by the government has been to collect fines of up to $50,000 and a promise to accelerate the process of imposing these sanctions.