In the first nine months of the year, tourist spending in the country grew by 2.7% compared to the same period last year, well below the 11% increase registered between 2015 and 2016.
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Figures from the Comptroller General of the Republic show that at the end of the third quarter of the year tourists who visited Panama spent $3.499 billion, while in the same period in 2016 theses expenses amounted to $3.407 billion.
"...Arrivals of North Americans (United States, Canada and Mexico) fell by 12% up until the month of September, while the movement of Europeans, which up until last year remained one of the main markets for Panamanian tourism, decreased by 7.7 %, with 619,000 people."
Ernesto Orillaca, president of the Panamanian Association of Tourism Operators, told Prensa.com that "... connectivity of the country with the United States needs to be increased, but through airlines whose final destination is Panama. He explained that Panama is attracting tourists who stay for two or three nights, when the sector needs medium and long stay travelers."
According to entrepreneurs in the sector lack of promotion of the country is the reason why one million tourists came into the country between January and May of this year, 4% less than in the same period in 2017.
The Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) reported that 1,091,008 tourists arrived in the first five months of 2018, registering a fall of 3.8% in relation to the 1,134,573 visitors registered in the same period in 2017.
Private companies and the municipality of Panama City are developing a plan to offer tourist activities in the capital to passengers who are in transit through Tocumen airport.
While tourism and hotel operators are still looking for alternatives to improve the sector's sluggish figures, the municipality of Panama intends to develop a plan that encourages passengerswho are waiting for connections at Tocumen airport to go out and visit some tourist attractions in the city. Routes related to religious tourism, others focused on the history of Panamanian athletes who are famous worldwide and thematic shows that show how life was during different periods of Panamanian history, are some of the ideas that have been suggested so far.
The revenue generated by tourist arrivals is almost two times higher than the income received by tolls at the Canal.
The growth in the number of visitors to Panama and the amount of money they spend in the country has been so rapid that it already far exceeds the revenue generated by tolls on the Canal.
In the first half of the year tourists arrivals to the country nearly doubled compared to the same period in 2010.
Expenditure by the approximately 1.2 million visitors was $908.8 million, a 10.3% increase compared to last year.
An article on PAdigital.com.pa’s website reports, "Solomon Shamah, the Minister of Tourism Authority (PTA), said he was pleased with the figures and predicted that they could reach the sum of 2 million tourists by December.
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