The number of conventions, conferences and other international events provides more customers for the hotel sector.  According to an article in Capital.com.pa “Panama, will host 32 international events in 2013, which have already been confirmed by the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) and the figure is expected to increase in the next few months. Estimates that hotel occupancy as a result of the activity in this tourism segment will reach 150,000 tourist nights, exceeding the 120,000 with which they expected to end 2012.”

According to the ATP, these figures indicate that Panama is gaining ground in convention and conference tourism considering that in 2011 it had 90,000 occupied rooms.

“We have been able to attract these events despite aggressive competition from other Latin American cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cancun, Mexico, Santiago de Chile, and Punta Cana the Dominican Republic”, said the manager of the ATP, Salomon Shama.