Panama’s fewer tourists spend more

Panama received a total of 2.4 million tourists in 2018, a 1.4% decrease from the previous year,  but spending increased by 3.3% to $4.605 billion

The Tourism Authority (AT P) reported on Friday, Mar. 3 that the United contributed the largest number (over 300,000), followed by Colombia (n 210,000) and Brazil (84,000).

Spain contributed the most tourists from Euroe with71,000  followed by  Germany (35,000)  according to ATP statistics.

“In South America, Venezuela was for years one of the strongest markets, however, it registered a decrease in the entrance of visitor, which has been recovering with the arrival of travelers from the European market,” said Tourism Director Gustavo Him.

The average stay time was 8 days and the expenditure cost per tourist was around $1,800 includes lodging, meals, purchases, and tickets to tourist sites

The Tocumen International Airport was the main gateway for tourists

followed by Paso Canoas, the border crossing with Costa Rica, while the ports registered a the decrease in the arrival of foreign visitors.

Tourism accounts for about 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) of Panama, Which experienced economic growth of 3.7% in 2018.

The editor of Lonely Planet travel guides included Panama in its list of the ten best destinations in 2019 for its biodiversity, beaches, its indigenous culture and the canal

The Government has acknowledged on multiple occasions that the tourism sector is experiencing certain “difficulties”, a situation that the hotel association attributes to the oversupply of rooms and the delay in launching an international promotion campaign reports La Critica.