Reducing costs and barriers to foreign trade in Central American economies is key for the region to overcome the economic recession caused by the outbreak of Covid-19.
A report prepared by the World Bank explains that boosting economic activity and employing a higher percentage of the labor force are objectives that can be achieved through reforms that strengthen the private sector and attract investment.
Salvadoran businessmen expect that at a local level the food, plastics and textile sectors will be the most affected by the increase in the prices of some raw materials and the prices of maritime freight.
This phenomenon has been announced for weeks. At the beginning of March, CentralAmericaData reported that due to the imbalance faced by world trade flows, shipping lines have changed their routes and prefer to move empty containers to Asia, a situation that generates shortages and causes increases in freight rates and raw material prices.
After in 2020 most franchises operating in the country reported declines in their operations because of the pandemic, expectations for 2021 is to overcome the losses and in some cases grow.
According to the report "Prospects for 2021 and the situation of franchises in Guatemala and Central America" prepared by the Guatemalan Franchise Association (AGF), in the country in the current context four out of 10 companies have closed between 1% and 10% of their franchise units or establishments.
produce between 8 and 9 million pairs of shoes, a figure that would double that reported in 2020 and generate revenues for companies of more than $120 million.
In the first weeks of the year, shoe sales in the Nicaraguan market showed dynamism, as more than one million pairs were sold due to the start of the school year, according to executives of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Leather and Footwear (Camcunic).
During March 2021, the Panamanian Consumer Confidence Index increased 2% with respect to the level reported in January of this year, this slight increase is reported in the context of the economic reactivation process of local production.
According to the survey conducted by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP), in strategic alliance with The Marketing Group, expectations on the probability of saving money decreased 3 percentage points, presenting a result of 75 points, below the equilibrium point, for the measurement of March 2021, so it remains at levels of marked distrust.
After the political crisis the country went through in 2018 and the health crisis it faced in 2020, businessmen maintain hopes that tourism activities will recover in 2021 and in the following years return to the path of growth.
The Nicaraguan tourism sector has been rained on over the past three years. In April 2018, companies engaged in these activities began to experience a crisis, as a political and social crisis occurred in the country, which ended up affecting the productive activity.
Because only two airlines currently operate in Nicaragua and there is no certainty when other companies will reactivate their flights, entrepreneurs in the tourism sector remain uncertain.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, the country was left without an air connection, as the airlines decided to suspend their operations due to the low number of travelers who were willing to travel in this context of the pandemic.
Although in Costa Rica during December 2020 most businesses increased their sales by about 10%, the expectations of the sector's entrepreneurs for the first quarter of 2021 are still uncertain.
The year 2020 was marked by an economic crisis, which was generated by the outbreak of covid-19 at a global level. In this context, the Costa Rican commercial sector managed to oxygenate its finances with the end of the year celebrations.
In the context of the health crisis generated by the outbreak of covid-19, businessmen of the sector foresee that at the end of 2020 the tourism industry will add revenues of about $176 million, an amount that would be 66% less than that reported in 2019.
The estimates of the National Chamber of Tourism of Nicaragua (Canatur), are more pessimistic than the projections of the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur), since according to the business association the income will amount to $176 million and according to the government institution it will add $216 million at the end of the year.
Betting on sales through digital channels, offering dishes at more accessible prices and carrying out promotions are some of the strategies that some casual dining restaurants that compete in the Costa Rican market seek to apply.
The spread of covid-19 severely affected the restaurant sector, especially businesses that did not sell through digital channels or did not have options to deliver their products to their homes.
Due to Costa Rica's estimated average hotel occupancy rate of 52% by 2020, well below the 95% recorded at the end of 2019, businessmen in the sector expect that in this context of crisis there will be no peak seasons next year.
The tourism sector is one of the hardest hit by the economic crisis generated by the outbreak of covid-19, because mobility restrictions, the closure of air terminals and the fear of tourists to be infected, have influenced the drastic fall in tourism activity.
Although sales are not expected to exceed those of the 2019 Christmas season, businesses expect revenues to be robust in the context of the pandemic, a situation that could be enhanced by the dynamism of digital channels.
The spread of covid-19 generated an economic crisis, which for most of 2020 significantly affected the commercial sector. Despite the fact that in the context of the new business reality and changing consumer habits, commercial establishments are still in the process of adapting, there is optimism among businesspeople regarding end-of-year sales.
Although most activities in the country reopened at the end of August, hotel occupancy levels are still low and business people fear they will be forced to cut more jobs or close operations.
In the context of the economic crisis that Costa Rica is going through due to the pandemic, businessmen from the commercial sector reported that the "Black Friday" sales of 2020 were similar to those of 2019.
Despite the drop in commercial activity generated by the covid-19 outbreak, executives of the Chamber of Commerce reported that sales reached an acceptable level, which can be explained, in part, by the commercial strategies applied by the establishments.
Promoting a risk management culture, defining possible scenarios by turning uncertainty into a variable and preparing to safeguard the company's operational continuity are some of the most important strategies for facing the coming year.
The pandemic that generated the spread of covid-19, caused changes in all business sectors and also generated an environment of uncertainty regarding the future of the economy.
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