The Cabinet Council approved several impact measures for the reactivation of the tourism sector and the economy, including the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism 2020-2025.
The Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism (PMTS) 2020-2025 will focus on strengthening the institutional capacity of the ATP, investing in the country's tourism promotion, improving the tourism products offered by Panama and in infrastructure, maintenance and basic services.
From May 24-25, 160 wholesalers from Europe, North America and South America will meet at the ATLAPA Convention Center, with tourism companies from the region to explore business opportunities.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama and the Chamber of Tourism of Panama with the support of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), organize the 10th version of International EXPO TOURISM to be held in Panama City.
In accordance with what was reported during 2018, in the first seven months of the year Panama received 1.48 million tourists, 2% of those reported in the same period of 2017.
According to the latest figures from the General Comptroller, between January and July 2017 and the same period of this year, the number of visitors with tourist purposes who arrived in the country fell from one million 504 thousand to one million 475 thousand.
To learn about the tourist destination and hold business negotiations with local businesses, on September 13, 10 tour operators from Beijing will be arriving in Panama.
The Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) reported that "...this will be the first official contact with local tour operators, following authorization from the Chinese government to start commercial relations with 66 Panamanian A-type companies (tour operators) who met the requirements established after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between both nations to facilitate travel groups from China to Panama."
In order to facilitate business in the sector, the Tourism Authority now publishes on its website a list of agencies, lodgings and tour operators operating in the country.
From a statement issued by the Tourism Authority of Panama:
Starting from Monday foreign tourists and nationals will be able to consult a list of tourism companies nationwide who are registered with the Tourism Authority of Panama by searching in the information tab of the entity's website.
In a fair held in Guangzhou, more than 200 business appointments were held between tourist entrepreneurs in Panama and buyers and travel agencies in the Asian country.
From a statement issued by the Tourism Authority of Panama:
The Tourism Authority and 9 companies certified with the seal of quality, which presented Panama as a modern country, with excellent infrastructure for congresses and conventions, air connectivity and tourist sites, managed to arrange more than 200 appointments, during the three days of exposition and business negotiations, at the Travel Fair in the province of Guangzhou, China.
In 2017, 42 operating licenses were authorized for tour operators and travel agencies, and 75 hotels throughout the country also began operations.
Among the licenses processed, 41 are type A (tour operators) and one type B (travel agencies). The province of Panama reflected the highest registry with 24 licenses, and the province of Chiriqui with 8.
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.
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.
In Panama companies dedicated to the activity are complaining about the absence of a state policy or strategy to help promote the country as a destination for medical tourism at the international level.
Although Panama has all the necessary characteristics to make it a relevant market for medical tourism, a specific policy to promote the activity led by the Tourism Authority could encourage much more development of the activity in the country."...'The only disadvantage Panama has as a destination for medical tourism is that this sector has not been recognized by the state as a tourist product or a real feature of its organizational infrastructure,' said Luis Santamaría, general director of Panasalud S.A., to Prensa.com."
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.
A decline of 4.6% in the flow of visitors has been attributed by tour operators to the fact that in recent years the country did not have sufficient international promotion.
An article on Prensa.com reports that "according to the National Migration Service and the Comptroller General's records, 2,432,641 visitors were registered last year, down 4.6% compared to 2015."
From May 26 to 27, 170 wholesalers from Europe, and North and South America will be meeting with Central American tourism companies to explore business opportunities.
From a statement issued by the Tourism Authority:
The Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) and the Chamber of Tourism of Panama (CAMTUR) announced this Thursday that as part of the celebration of Expocomer, the Eighth Edition of International Tourism Expo-2017 will be held from May 26 to 27.
A tender is being launched for the design of a master plan that will define how private tourism investment can be made within the grounds of the Canal and its area of operations.
The aim is to better exploit the tourism potential of the waterway and generate more income through tourism activities in the Canal area. The Panama Canal Authority is analyzing creating a tourism concessions scheme, so that private companies that meet the conditions required by the ACP can make investments in the Canal area.In response to interest shown by the private sector, the ACP plans to launch a tender for a master plan to define how this private investment scheme would work.
The number of tourists who came into the country in the first half of 2016 increased by 1.2% compared to the same period in 2015.
It is hoped that this un-encouraging result will be reversed once the international marketing strategy starts, a project which was awarded to the American company VML Inc. and whosecontract was recently approved.
A $20 million contract has finally been approved for the company VML Inc. to develop a marketing and communication strategy to promote the country internationally.
The implementation of the international tourism promotion campaign will take place between 2016 and 2018, and will consist of a comprehensive promotion strategy, both online and using traditional advertising, public relations and trade marketing (activations) to promote Panama internationally.