Meeting tourists spend three times more than tourists

Panama encourages development business tourismin all its segments, for the simple reason that tourists of this type invest more funds than tourists, which contributes to a greater impact on the country’s economy.

Eugenia Powell, Business Development Director of the Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Promtur)he specified that the cost of a person who comes to participate in the congress is between 613 and 643 dollars.

“That is three times more than what a tourist spends on vacationbecause it includes hall rental, food and beverage services and transportation costs,” explained Powell.

The expert emphasized that this is shown by the results of the last two years The segment that generated the greatest economic impact was that of tourists visiting congresses, with 44%then corporate, those who come for incentives and adventure groups that have increasingly conquered the attractions that the country offers, with 20% participation.

incentive tourist

Kenelma Mendoza, from the Panama Association of Convention, Exhibition and Related Professionals, made a special mention incentive touristgranted by the company he works for, which brings him to the country to perform various activities.

Referred executive power a group of 810 passengers brought by a Brazilian corporation, which left a direct economic impact of $2.5 million, excluding economic benefits.

“This is the passenger we set out to look for because come enjoy our country 100%but in a pre-organized way,” Mendoza illustrated.’

3,702

direct and indirect sources of employment, with an economic benefit of 800 thousand dollars in 2022.

10

and $15 million is an outflow during the first quarter of 2023.

The importance of infrastructure

Rodolfo Del Valle, General Manager of the Panama Convention Centerhe explained that encounter tourism provides advantages such as creating sources of employment, economic impact, contributes to improving the image of the tourist destination and encourages innovation and knowledge exchange.

In the case of the new congress center, which, in addition to being a destination for this type of tourism, also becomes a means of promoting the country, in 2022 it generated more than 3,702 sources of direct and indirect jobs, with financial benefit of 800 thousand dollars.

AND in the first quarter of 2023, 1,739 jobs were createdwith 17 events and 55,000 visitors, with an economic contribution estimated between 10 and 15 million dollars.

“It is a key part in the development of congress tourism, as it is the venue of the international eventDel Valle said.

In the month of March, for example, there was activity at the new convention center on 30 out of 31 days, including Board of Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)an event in which more than 350 contractors worked on logistics at the same time.

First trimester

The statistics of the Tourist Board of Panama (ATP) record that they entered the country in the first quarter of the year 786 thousand 854 touristswhich generated foreign exchange for 1.479 million dollars.

of this universe, 188 thousand 114 tourists entered as passengers on the cruise ship and 77,633 are known day visitors, who arrive in a stopover country and decide to explore it as their flight departs for their final destination.

According to ATP, the average length of stay of visitors in Panama is approximately 8 days, in which spends an average of $235 a day and about 1,880 dollars during your stay in the country.