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.
Fifty seven travel agencies and Panamanian tour operators submitted their applications to the ATP to be included in a list of companies authorized to do business in China.
The requests that were received by the Tourism Authority were sent to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, so that these in turn can be sent to the Chinese authorities.This means that all that remains is for the Asian country to grant approval so that these tourism businesses can start to negotiate with Chinese wholesalers.
Businessmen from the Panamanian tourist sector welcome the arrival of Air China flights in March 2018, but consider it will be a challenge to attract a type of tourist that seems to prefer very different destinations than those offered by Central America.
In a region which for many years has specialized in serving North American tourists and more recently Europeans, preparing to provide the attention demanded by tourists from China will be a challenge, according to the Panamanian tourism entrepreneurs themselves.
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.
Between January and April the number of visitors arriving in the South was 13% higher than in the same period in 2010.
The economic strength of countries like Peru and Brazil as well as the appreciation of their currencies against the dollar are two of the reasons for the increase in tourist arrivals from these countries.
For example, the increase in visitors from Argentina and Peru was 24% and 49%, well above the 4% increase in American tourists. Despite this, the U.S. remains the largest source of tourists to Panama.
Immigration sources pointed out that in order to travel throughout the Panamanian territory a foreigner must carry documentation to prove that the stay is legal.
Rafael Perez wrote in Prensa.com : "This information comes as a result of criticism led by the Panamanian Association of Hoteliers, who have complained that immigration staff has detained tourists and fined them for not carrying a respective passport.
The Panama tourism sector is protesting the 10 euro fine that is applied to foreign tourists who do not carry their passports on them.
They say, that on the contrary, it is normal for hotels to advise tourists to leave their passports in their rooms in order to prevent robbery, and recommend that they carry a photocopy instead.
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