The wave of protests affects the promotion of international tourism

The situation that Panama has been experiencing for more than 20 days has a significant impact on various sectors of the tourism industry, especially on the issue of investments and goals programmed for 2023, he warns. Tourism Promotion Fund (PROMTUR Panama).

This affects key indicators such as the arrival of international travelers planned for the last quarter of the year and its consequent economic impact.

In an attempt to reverse this influence, The Organization of destination marketing has taken some measures to mitigate the negative effects of this situation and follow an international promotion and marketing strategy to protect the main season of 2024 (January, February, March).

These measures include actions to stimulate demand through strategic alliances with airlines and global tourism operators, as well as a boost to a digital marketing campaign through investments in paid media to increase Panama’s presence in key markets. , starting in December, pointed out PROMTUR Panama.

However, these efforts are in jeopardy if the necessary reconciliation is not reached soon to ensure social peace and free transit through the national territory, a key organization for Panama’s tourism industry said.

The promotion of international tourism generated an estimated economic benefit of $902 million for Panama during the first semester, a figure that exceeded by 17% the target planned for this period, originally estimated at $769 million, with an approximate return of 57 times. value from every dollar invested.

By the end of 2023, Promtur Panama aimed to achieve an economic benefit of 1.8 billion dollars, he stated. Fernando Fondevila, director of PROMTUR Panama.

Tourism is the catalyst for sustainable growth that we all strive for. It is an industry of unique transversality that generates progress and employment through the entire value chain, from hotels, transport companies, tourist guides, artisans, restaurants and shopping centers in the city and the interior of the country, he pointed out.

Until August, the tourism sector reported a 46.9% increase in arrivals. International visitors (VI), while tourism income (TI) reached 3,699.9 million dollars, which represents an increase of 19.7% compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, hotel occupancy was around 55.8%, for the period from January to August 2023.

“At PROMTUR Panama, we aim to promote our country on an international level, as an authentic and vibrant destination, to stimulate the arrival of tourists and increase the economic contribution of this industry and thus contribute to the sustainable social development of our nation,” stated in the statement.

The complete and permanent reopening of the roads is essential for the normalization of all tourism activities, as well as other sectors of vital importance for the country, Organization of destination marketing.