New health and hygiene protocols in the establishments and the commitment to attract national tourists in an environment where short trips will be preferred, are some of the trends predicted in the new "normality" that will come after the quarantine period.
Given the quarantines decreed by most governments worldwide, it is anticipated that the habits of tourists will change dramatically in the short and medium term, as the crisis of covid-19 will leave consequences among consumers.
In the 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala fell back in the ranking, while the Dominican Republic was the only country that improved.
According to the report prepared by the World Economic Forum, during 2019 Costa Rica ranked 41 out of 140 countries. It was followed by Panama at box 47, the Dominican Republic at 73, Nicaragua at 91, Honduras at 94, Guatemala at 99 and El Salvador at 108.
The union has reported that five months after the outbreak of the social and political crisis in Nicaragua, the country has lost about 68,000 of the 120,000 jobs generated by the sector.
The National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) presented a report highlighting the impact of the country's social and political crisis on the tourism sector.
Between the first and second quarters of the year, the average daily per capita expenditure made by tourists who arrived in Nicaragua fell from $45.7 to $37.7.
From a report by the Central Bank of Nicaragua:
September 19, 2018.The average daily per capita expenditure made by incoming tourists was 37.7 dollars in the second quarter of the year and registered a decrease of 17.5 percent compared to the previous quarter, highlighting spending by tourists from other regions and North America, however, due to the affluence of tourists who visited the country, spending by tourists from Central America and North America has greater relevance.Year-on-year, this indicator reflected a decrease of 17.3 percent
On May 25 and 26, a meeting of tourism companies from Central America will take place in Panama City, in which buyers from all over the world will take part.
The International Tourism Expo 2018 will be held at the ATLAPA Convention Center, in Panama City.
The meeting, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama, will involve more than 160 international issuing wholesalers from Europe, North America and Latin America, with the aim of seeking service providers and tourism products.
After the year 2017 provided the sector with income of $840 million, 31% more than in 2016, the union has carried out a new review and plans to generate up to $900 million this year.
$200 million is the figure by which investment in real estate development is estimated to increase between this year and next in the nicaraguan tourist city.
Estimates by the municipality of San Juan del Sur are based on the growth that real estate investment has experienced in this area since 2014. According to Deputy Mayor Randall Granja Fajardo, there are several projects underway and another five are awaiting approval.
In 2016 tour operators handled the arrival of 58,000 tourists who spent an average of $140 per day, and also provided their services to another 66,000 visitors who arrived on their own.
According to the study "Impact of Tour Operators in the Development of Tourism in Nicaragua", prepared by the American University (UAM) and the National Chamber of Tourism of Nicaragua (Canatur) " ...
The international and local campaign that the tourism authorities has started running includes, among other things, advertising spots on board United Airlines flights.
Representatives of the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur) reported that the market segments that will be promoted are low-density sun, beach, adventure or active tourism, nature, culture and identity tourism, rural community tourism, agrotourism and ecotourism and gastronomy. It also includes business tourism, wellness, cruises and nautical tourism.
Tailor made tourist packages, modifications in hotels, and learning the Mandarin language, are just some of the aspects that companies must work on in order to receive tourists from China.
The bilateral tourism promotion agreement signed between the governments of China and Panama, after they reestablished diplomatic relations in June 2017, involves much more than a simple framework to promote the arrival of tourists, but also contemplates the requirements that Panama must meet in order to be categorized as a country authorized to be visited by the citizens of China.
Entrepreneurs in the sector forecast ending the year with a growth of 5% compared to last year, when 1.5 million tourists visited the country.
Both tourism authorities and private unions believe that with the increase in tourists expected in the Christmas and year-end season, the year will close with an increase of around 5% in the total number of tourists.
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.
On June 29, Nicaraguan entrepreneurs will be visiting San Salvador to meet with travel agencies and tour operators in order to explore business opportunities.
The objective of the Nicaraguan Tourist Entrepreneurs Projection (Preturnic), which is organizing the activity, is to improve the promotion of Nicaragua as a tourist destination in the neighboring country, and generate alliances with travel agencies, car rental companies and hotels, among others.
Entrepreneurs in the sector are looking to develop this segment of the tourist market, highlighting the country's characteristics that are ideal for offering activities such as trekking and visits to volcanoes.
The objective should be to focus on the North American and European markets, where most tourists are looking for activities such as biking, hiking, rafting, visits to biological reserves and volcanoes, among other things.
Using the Pura Vida Wellness concept, Costa Rica intends to take advantage of a global market valued at $563 billion, with tourists whose average spending exceeds 130% of global average tourist spending.
The aim of the Costa Rican Institute is to develop this segment, which has great market potential, in order to diversify and consolidate the country's tourism supply.Global wellness tourism grew by 11% between 2013 and 2015, according to data from Global Wellness Tourism Economy.