Devastated tourism sector eyes hotel closures

With  the  government’s decision to ban the entry of non-resident foreigners, in an attempt to stem the advance of the coronavirus,  some Panama hotels are considering the possibility of temporary closing.

Occupancy in the capital city is below 40% and a fall in annual profitability of 20% in the last 7 years, the entry ban puts national tourism on the brink of the abyss reports La Prensa.

Industry leaders  are huddled with  health and economic authorities to establish palliatives for the   crisis already battered tourism  sector

In the midst of this storm, temporary closings are not ruled out in an attempt to reduce expenses due to the lack of visitors, said Armando Rodríguez, president of the Panamanian Hotel Association (Apatel).

In the last two years, the entry of tourists has fallen more than 2%, , and until January 2020, Tocumen International Airport reported a 6% reduction in passenger traffic entering the country with a total of 226, 607.

He added that some of the decisions made by the Superintendency of Banks regarding the modification in loans were part of the suggestions made by the private sector.

“We all must support and that is why since last week we have made an approach with the Government,” he said.

The first two months of the year left a negative balance for the hotel sector with an occupation of 39%. In the capital city, there are over 20,000  rooms

 Until 2018,  says the Panama Tourism Authority there were  134,000 workers in the tourism sector, including restaurants.