Visitor spending went from $3.728 billion in 2014 to $4.2 billion in 2015, double the growth rate for the category in a year.

The entry of travelers into Panama grew by 6.9% at the end of last year, going from 6,668 in 2014 to 7,128 in 2015. This greater volume of passengers spent 12.7% more than they did in 2014, reaching a record high of $4,199.7 million, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census.

Meanwhile, the number of accommodation units occupied during 2015 was 10,451, compared to the 10,334 occupied in 2014, representing a slight increase of 1.1%.

The room occupancy fell again to 56.1% in 2014 to 52.3% in 2015. Average daily rooms occupied during the last year was 5,466 compared to 5,816 registered the previous year, implying a 6% drop in this indicator.

The daily average of overnight stays also fell by 1.5%, going from 10,023 in 2014 to 9,871 in 2015.