Due to the alert that health authorities have issued for the appearance of a new SARS-CoV-2 strain and in line with the decision made by El Salvador, the governments of Panama and Guatemala will also ban the entry of people from the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Due to the new variant of Covid-19, the National Operation Center decided to temporarily suspend as of 11:59 p.m. on December 21 the entry into the country of those who have stayed or transited through the United Kingdom and the Republic of South Africa in the last 20 days, informed the Presidency of Panama.
In order to reduce travel costs, the Guatemalan Airline Association asked Ministry of Health authorities to no longer require passengers to take a negative covid-19 test to enter the country.
According to the Ministry of Health document called "National Guidelines for the Prevention of COVID-19 for International Travel to and from Guatemala" prepared on September 15, 2020, all travelers arriving in the country must present a negative test for covid-19.
In Central American countries, nearly 8 million people are looking for travel packages online, and of this consumer segment, about 5% explore options for travel to destinations in North America.
CentralAmericaData's interactive information system monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets of the region, with fundamental information to understand the current commercial environment in which companies of all industries must operate.
In the context of the economic reopening, it was announced that as of October 15, Costa Rican air terminals will begin to receive flights carrying citizens from Central America and Panama.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, air transport between Costa Rica and the other countries in the region has been interrupted since March.
After the U.S. changed the level of the travel alert it issues for its citizens to evaluate the possibility of traveling to Guatemala from 4 to 3, tourism entrepreneurs believe that it is progress and that the country should focus on obtaining category 2 as soon as possible.
The risks involved when visiting a destination and the possibility of making reservations with less notice are fundamental factors that consumers will consider when deciding whether or not to take a trip in the coming months.
The outbreak of covid-19 in several countries around the world almost caused air, sea and land transport to disappear, as several governments decided to ban leisure and business travel.
Since restrictions began to be imposed due to the outbreak of covid-19 in the countries of the region, interest in travel agency services collapsed, but in mid-May the decline was halted and most countries are already seeing rebounds.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
Central American citizens who have traveled to the United Kingdom four times in the last 24 months will have access to fast-track windows at airports and other British border controls.
An article by BBC World reports that this system facilitates immigration procedures for 16 countries, of which 12 are in Latin America,"... using the "Registered Traveler" scheme, which allows frequent visitors to pay £70 (about US $85) a year to avoid having to fill out a landing card and to access the windows for passengers from the UK and EU. "This method did not previously include citizens from any Latin American country.
In the first three months of 2012 the number of travelers increased by 8%, while airlines operating at La Aurora Airport increased the frequency of their flights.
Statistical data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows that the companies Copa, United, Aeromexico, Iberia and Interjet have increased their flights to and from La Aurora Airport from 36 daily flights to 48.
The Chinese are in third place in terms of expenditure on travel, just behind the United States and Germany. By 2015 they will be in second place.
According to the latest Global Trends Report, spending on accommodation by Chinese tourists in 2011 will amount to around $57 billion, ranking them third behind the Americans and Germans.
The quantity of passengers that arrived in Guatemala in 2008 was 0.4% less than in 2007.
In 2008, 1,118,678 passengers entered the country, while, in 2007, there were 1,123,200, which represents a decline of 0.4%, according to statistics from the General Director of Civil Aeronautics.
Though it is not a significant reduction, representing only 4,522 fewer passengers, it is the first time that a fall has been registered since 2004, and it was generated by a strong decline in the second semester of 2008.