The rise of the Internet as a means of organizing and booking travel is generating headaches for companies in the sector, which agree that the strategy should be to focus on marketing complete packages in very specific market niches.
The difficult financial situation that the agency Viajes Colon is going through in Costa Rica is just one example of the problems that have affected travel agencies for several years.
During 2019, 5.36 million foreign tourists arrived in the country, a figure 5% lower than that reported in 2018, a drop that can be explained by the news published in the middle of the year regarding the death of several American tourists in the hotels of Punta Cana.
The Dominican tourism sector was the focus of an unfortunate media campaign about unfortunate events that occurred to some tourists from the United States of America in some hotels in the country during the first half of 2019, which generated a high volume of cancellations in air bookings scheduled by travelers to the Dominican Republic, reflected in a year-on-year drop in the number of foreign visitors, reported the Central Bank.
In Panama the government estimates that in 2020 the economy will grow between 4% and 4.5%, a rise that would be determined by the behavior of construction, tourism and exports.
According to estimates from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), by the end of 2019 the increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could fluctuate between 3% and 3.5%, while by the present year 2020 it will be between 4% and 4.5%.
During 2019, tourist arrivals to Guatemala increased 6% over the previous year; however, the average stay decreased slightly, from 6.63 days in 2018 to 6.56 days in 2019.
Figures from the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT) show that in 2019 2,559,599 tourists entered the country, a figure 6% higher than the 2,405,902 visitors reported in 2018.
The U.S. government decided to raise the security alert level for travel to the Central American country from 1 to 2, arguing that violent crimes are occurring that can affect tourists.
The North American country maintains four categories that classify the degree of danger that tourists face when visiting a destination. In the case of Costa Rica, it went from category 1, which tells travelers to take normal precautions, to category 2, which warns that greater caution should be taken.
In Panama, a bill was approved that will grant tax exemptions until 2025 to those who make investments in hotels and recreational activities.
On December 31st, President Cortizo sanctioned the bill that provides tax incentives to the tourism sector by modifying some of Law 80 of November 8th, 2012.
Salvadoran authorities estimate that the income left by tourists who visited the country last year reached $1.777 billion, 16% more than that registered in 2018.
Estimates made by the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) indicate that between 2018 and 2019 the number of tourists visiting El Salvador increased by nearly 4% from 2.5 million to 2.6 million.
Taking measures to reactivate the productive sectors, make better use of public-private partnerships and boost tourism is part of what the private sector expects from the Panamanian government in the coming year.
Six months before the Cortizo administration takes office, Panama's business sector is asking it to make the decisions the economy needs to be able to continue on the path of development, and above all, not to lose competitiveness both domestically and in relation to its peers in the region, and to be able to continue to attract foreign investment.
The Panamanian government's optimistic projections are based on the publicity that finally began this year at the international level, with the injection of $20 million into the Tourism Promotion Fund.
The campaign to promote Panama as a tourist destination in the main international markets began in November of this year and will be active for eight months.
Between January and November 2018 and the same period in 2019, the number of tourists who arrived in the country reported a 1.5% drop, which contrasts with the increases recorded years ago.
The arrival of non-resident passengers to the Dominican Republic in the January-November 2019 period reached a total of 5,821,768 travelers, for a -1.5% variation with respect to the same period of the previous year, informed the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.
Through a strategy that will be implemented in the coming years, the authorities seek to position the country as a gastronomic destination by 2026.
According to the National Gastronomic Tourism Strategy for the period from 2019 to 2025, to be implemented by the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT), the country will work in four axes.
As of October 2020, the route between the German city and Costa Rica, operated by the Condor airline, will abolish its current stopover in Santo Domingo.
The route will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays in a Boeing 767-300 with capacity for 255 passengers (18 in Business class, 35 Premium and 202 Economic) and will adjust its schedule, informed the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
In a context of a drop in the number of tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic, the authorities announced that they are implementing a new campaign to reposition the destination, which will be focused on the U.S. market.
In order to attract tourism from Costa Rica, in the Panamanian province of Chiriqui, investments have been made in the construction of new shopping centers and the expansion of some existing ones.
In addition to plans to modernize the border crossings between the two countries, whose works will favor the transit of tourism, businessmen estimate that in the construction and renovation of shopping centers, Chiriqui has hoarded investments in excess of $500 million.
Between January and August 2019, approximately 1.5 million tourists arrived in Panama, generating revenues of close to $3,314 million, 1% less than the amount reported in the same period of 2018.
The most recent report of the General Comptroller of the Republic of Panama details that between the first eight months of 2018 and the same period of 2019, the expenditure made by tourists who arrived in the country decreased by $32 million, going from $3.346 million to $3.314 million.
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...
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