In order to compensate for some of the decrease in the arrival of visitors from Colombia and Venezuela, Panamanian authorities have increased promotion in markets such as China, Canada and the USA.

The aim is to attract tourists with greater purchasing power, and to compensate for the reduction that for various reasons has been recorded in the entry of Colombian and Venezuelan tourists. According to the tourism authorities, in the case of Colombia, depreciation of the Colombian peso has had an affect, making Panama more expensive, and in the case of Venezuela, it is the political and economic crisis in the country.

Gustavo Him, head of the Tourism Authority of Panama, said that “… Colombia and Venezuela occupy the second and third place of the main issuing countries of travelers: in 2017 some 218,920 Colombians and 213,062 Venezuelans came in through the international airport of Tocumen, Panama’s main airport. ‘Venezuela was the second most important country in terms of visitor numbers (…) we have stopped receiving around 60,000 people in these three months’.“

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“… Given this situation, Panama has chosen to attract other markets such as the United States, Canada, China, Europe, and certain Central and South American nations that have greater purchasing power and a tendency to stay.  To this end, the ATP has launched the first phase of its tourist communication campaign led by the US firm VML, INC. which is responsible for promoting, through digital media, attractions such as the country’s tropical forests, beaches, nightlife and colonial sites.