Last year, hotels in Panama City reported an average daily occupancy of 4,571 rooms, 1% less than in 2018.
Reports from the General Comptroller of the Republic indicate that in December the daily average of occupied rooms did not register significant changes with respect to the same month last year, going from 4,307 to 4,281.
Although in the first semester the average number of occupied rooms in Panama City remained unchanged with respect to the same period in 2018, the figures are still far from what was recorded in the first six months of 2017.
According to the reports of the General Comptroller of the Republic in June the daily average of occupied rooms did not register significant changes with respect to the same month of the last year, product of growing from 4.488 to 4.490.
During May of this year, hotels in Panama City reported an average daily occupancy of 4,293 rooms, 4% less than the same month in 2018.
The figures of the General Comptroller of the Republic detail that in May the daily average of occupied rooms registered a decrease with respect to the same month last year, product of decreasing from 4,479 to 4,293.
After Selina opened its first establishment in Antigua, Guatemala, the international chain announced that next year plans to open five new hotels in different parts of the country.
The chain's representatives informed that for the opening of the new hotels, which will be in the departments of Solola, Escuintla, Guatemala, Alta Verapaz and Peten, an investment of approximately $6 million will be made.
The Guatemalan association of small hotels has announced that they have started operating a web application that allows tourists to make reservations online and for hoteliers to publish their promotions.
María Renée Cárcamo, President of APEHGUA pointed out that "With this measure, the first step is being taken to make an active association and at the same time the aim is to encourage small hotels to optimize processes and services of the association towards hotels".
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.
Three out of four hotels reported not having shown an improvement in their operations in 2015.
Results from the study "Tourism sector 2015, challenges to overcome, "prepared by the Association for Research and Social Studies (ASIES), underscores the need to modernize industry, improve strategies for promotion and attracting tourists (50% of the hotel respondents claimed to have no website).
Lack of international promotion is the cause indicated by entrepreneurs of the fall in the average rate in the capital, which has dropped by 40% in the past five years.
The union says the problem of oversupply of rooms in the country began to get worse in 2012, when the international tourism promotion agreement which the government signed with an advertising agency ended.They argue that "...While Panama disappeared from international markets, other countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic increased their spending on advertising. "
For the first time in two years, Panama will achieve a hotel occupancy rate of 60% during the days of the Summit of the Americas, which will have an economic impact estimated at between $50 million and $80 million.
The visit which will be made by 35 presidents of the Americas and 25,000 people who make up their delegations have changed the landscape, at least for a few days, of the Panama hotel sector, which expects to achieve an occupancy rate of at least 70% from 6 and April 11.
Despite recovery since the years immediately following the crisis of 2008, the average hotel occupancy rate for 2013 stands at only 55%.
From a report by the Association for Research and Social Studies (ASIES):
"... In Guatemala, the average age of a hotel is ten years old. However, there are several hotel companies over 30 years old, denoting their ability to transcend time. "
In the past 20 years hotels have had to adapt to much more informed clients, who are less loyal and have broader interests.
An article on Hosteltur.com reviews the evolution of the hospitality industry, in times of globalization and most of all the possibilities offered by the Internet.
The Secretary General of CEHAT, Ramón Estalella, notes that "...
The average occupancy rate in 2013 in the country's hotels was less than 50%, the lowest in the last five years.
Figures from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute indicate that the average occupancy rate during 2013 was 48.7%, the lowest since 2009, when the international crisis started, resulting in a significant reduction in the flow of foreign tourists coming to the country.
Beach hotels recorded the highest occupancy of 74.1%, local mountain hotels had 70.24% and those in the city had an occupancy of 69.23%.
Although the expectation of 78% occupancy projected by the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) was not reached, it was the highest average level in the last four years.
From a press release by the National Chamber of Tourism Canatur:
During the first four months of 2013 the convention and congress sector revived the hotel sector which recorded an average occupancy of 61%.
Prensa.com reports that "in total, between January and April 831,593 visitors were reported, which is an increase of 4.4% with 34,893 additional travelers compared to the same period last year."It is estimated that during this period about $847.7 million entered the Panamanian economy.
The act of holding conventions in Panama has intensified areas such as transportation, lodging and shopping, and its contribution to GDP is projected for this year at $32 million.
According to the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), the IX World Congress and celebration of 50th anniversary of the World Missionary Movement's work, held at the Figali Convention Center, generated 20,000 room nights and provided $5 million.