Some  68% of tourist activities will not be able to operate at capacity for about a year due to the pandemic,  warns the Panama Chamber of Commerce (CCIAP) as Panama trails other countries in developing strategies.

After almost seven months of inactivity due to the restrictions applied by the government to prevent the spread of Covid-19, tourist activities in the country will reopen on  Monday, October 12.

‘For this, first of all, Panama must present itself to travelers as a destination with clear, well-established biosafety protocols that are implemented and respected, avoiding improvisations, ‘says the CCIAP highlights in its weekly message.

The business union asks to activate the engines of the sector since it has the ability to promote other productive activities in the country, such as transport, commerce, agriculture, crafts and restaurants, to name a few.

It also recommended to urgently resume the international promotion campaign in order to position the destination in the markets identified in the studies carried out by the Panama Tourism Authority and the Tourism Promotion Fund.

‘Other destinations are already ahead of Panama; the pandemic did not stop them in the task of planning to promote their attractions, no matter how challenging the panorama may be, warns the Chamber

Within the reactivation of tourism it is crucial to value and capitalize on new assets, such as the Amador Convention Center and the Amador Cruise Terminal, whose strategies must be redefined.

The CCIAP says   there is a long road ahead for tourism, and a government support plan is required for this sector, ‘if we take into account according to applied surveys, 68% of tourism activities will not be able to operate at capacity for a year or more .

The Chamber says that the reactivation of the tourism sector represents a great challenge with great opportunities for economic recovery.

As a reference, the business union recalled that in 2019, tourism-related activities represented 14% of GDP; that is, $8.5 billion  and employed about 240,000 people.

Source: Newsroom Panama

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