The low performance of tourism in Panama in recent years does not follow the high investments that the Panamanian State has been making in airport and port infrastructure. I believe that you cannot just count on “Build it and they will come”. We need a lot more intelligent people in charge after the elections to do the right things get activity in this sector going here in Panama.
They still count entries at Tocumen Airport as Tourism arrivals when only maybe 1/3 stay here as tourists vs 2/3 who use Panama either as travelers to South America or Businessmen as a hub to fly elsewhere.
Between 2017 and 2018, the number of visitors who entered Panama through Tocumen International Airport grew by just 0.3%, the equivalent of some 6,000 more passengers. The numbers for 2017 compared to 2016 were not good either: Although in the period concerned the average expenditure of tourists grew, the total number of visitors remained unchanged, at 2.5 million people.
These figures contrast radically with the investments that have been made in the expansion of the Tocumen terminal in recent years, as well as in other infrastructure projects linked to tourism.
“… ‘There is important work to be done to increase the flow of these tourists’ (i.e. those who come to Panama to spend more than one night), acknowledged the general manager of Tocumen, Oscar Ramirez during the presentation of five-year results of the air terminal a few days ago. 75% of the 16.24 million passengers who passed through Tocumen last year, did so in transit.”
“… However, the pace of Tocumen’s investments exceeds, by several digits, the airport’s revenues. Tocumen’s latest public financial statement reveals that construction works in progress, counted as assets until September 2018, reached the value of $1,071.78 million. That amount expanded 27.5% in just one year, with the main part of that investment benefiting Odebrecht, which is currently executing the work.”
As reported by Laestrella.com.pa, another of the pillars of Panama’s tourism attraction strategy is the “hub” concept of the Americas, with which Tocumen seeks to position itself as a bridge to other markets. The problem is that, given that the country is not a major issuer of passengers, the strategy is based on connecting travelers from different parts, for which significant sums have been invested in the conditioning of the airport to serve these connecting routes.
At the same time, the Panamanian government has also invested heavily in international tourism promotion strategies, as well as in subsidies to foreign airlines to feed connecting routes and attract more tourists.
“… It is an aggressive economic bet with public funds, which added to the $500 million invested in the old town of Colon in the hope of rising as a tourist city, surpass two billion, placed on the table to reactivate the industry without chimney and attract tourists in mass that the country waits so long.”
Tom, I don’t know if you read these comments or not but Panama is missing one key ingredient. I was born and raised in Panama. Born here 72 years ago and grew up here and returned after a stint in the Navy. Garbage. I see it and hear about it all the time. If Panama is going to lift herself out of the “3rd World country” bracket she must attack this mess. They have always talked about the poor Panamanian who had to look through the chain link fence at the manicured lawns in the Canal Zone. Those manicured lawns were a carry over from the construction days when the jungle had to be kept back because of the mosquitoes carrying disease. Actually, we are culturally a cleaner people people. We have been educated to not throw our garbage all over the place. I see small crews from time to time picking up trash on the side of the highways and putting it in bags to be collected later. It doesn’t happen. It is not a coordinated effort. Dogs and animals tear into the bags and spread it everywhere. It is a pet peeve of mine. I drive between Boquete and Panama City once a month and the garbage all up and down the Pan American Highway is disgusting and disgraceful. There seems to be no pride. Crews picking it up are not the answer. It has to be instilled in the children and steep fines need to be given to the litterbugs. I mean steep. It has to hurt so that the word gets around that it won’t be tolerated. I have been to somewhere between 75 and 80 countries and even places like Calcutta, Cairo, Egypt and other Middle Eatersn countries don’t seem to affect me as much. I lived in Australia for three years and they didn’t tolerate it. Cuba is cleaner. Ever been to Singapore? Lee Kwan Yew made it an issue and has the cleanest country in the world. Panama needs to address this seriously. Every tourist I encounter brings this up. Panama is a beautiful country and it is home to me. I hate hearing the negative comments. We were just over to the Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side recently. While there we drove out to Ft. San Lorenzo. A historical site that you can barely get to. The road is barely passable. It is shameful that a an old Spanish fort with so much history and the government does so little. I’ll get off my soapbox now. I would love to hear from you about this.
Being a part time resident here in Panama, and working in the tourism industry back in the US, I have ample opportunity to see the advertisements for Panama as a vacation destination. They have fallen off considerably since Ruben Blades was in the cabinet and working on the campaigns!
Being a tourist to Panama from the US is difficult. The flight routes are long, arduous, and VERY poorly timed. You either have to layover in a US city – and then dash to get to your flight from PTY to DAV when you finally get to Panama – often missing that flight I might add. Or you need to spend a night in Panama City and get to your resort destination the next day. If you have a week’s vacation, it literally eats up 4 days of your vacation time to come and go from Panama. This doesn’t even begin to point out the problems tourists have figuring out that they need to exit the main terminal at PTY to either wander outside and find the domestic gates, or fight with some unmetered cab driver to rush over to Albrook and figure out what to do there! Believe me, graphic instructional signange in that airport is minimal, and airport staff are even worse! You can ask any of them and maybe a quarter can tell you where the domestic terminal is. The word “outside” never springs forth from their lips! I have had to personally escort fellow travellers out to the domestic gates because they have wandered around for precious hours trying to find those gates after standing at the customer service desk and getting bupkis for an answer.
Comparitivley speaking, the flights to Panama are expensive! Copa prices their trips on the very high end of airline travel. You can have a tropical vacation in Mexico for literally half the money and nearly twice the resort time away from home.
Panama tries to protect their Panama City hotels, restaurants, and cab drivers, by timing flights so that folks have to stay in Panama City one night. I understand why they do it, but they are missing the bigger picture. Their competition doesn’t make vacationers spend a night in Mexico City before you get to Cabo. Hawaii doesn’t insist on a night in Waikiki before you can get to Mauai. You can leave your home in Milwaukee in the morning, and be at your vacation destination resort that night! Panama needs to understand the American mindset of the value of time. (Those of us who live here understand that this problem permeates the entire society here!) You don’t want to spend it travelling when you get so little of it for yourself! Additionally, if Panama brings in tourist dollars it is more money for the country, whether it is spent in Panama City or Bocas.
We built a beautiful home on a beach in Panama, thinking that our adult children would bring the grandkids for vacations. Nope. It is too expensive and takes too long to get here. The one trip each of our kids’ families made here was such a huge hassle that they won’t repeat it. Even if WE buy the tickets!
And face it; the US market is the biggest close-in market that spends money on vacations. Panama can court Europe all it wants, but the pile of money is sitting north of here. Until you lure the US gringos with an easy get-away, great resorts, lots to do (even if it is just lounging by the pool), terrific service, and safe nightlife, they will continue heading in droves to the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Mexico, Hawaii, and even Cuba, before they head to Panama. Trust me, I see what mid-income families spend for a week at Walt Disney World. The money and the will to spend it on a vacation is there!
In my book, a LOT of this could be cured by ONE company. Copa! In partnership with better training for airport staff, a mindset of efficiency, ease and service, excellent wayfinding graphics, and a good advertising campaign, Panama could turn this around. But, I fear it is too big a lift for the people here, and way too big a vision for the government, and the management of Copa.