According to the report of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) presented on January 21, the results recorded last year in Central America are partly because of behavior in some countries, as in the cases of Panama and Nicaragua were recorded declines in tourism.

The UNWTO statement notes that “… The Americas (+3%) received 217 million international arrivals in 2018, with mixed results in all destinations. Growth was led by North America (+4%) and followed by South America (+3%), while Central America and the Caribbean (both -2%) had very mixed results.”

Days ago, Panamanian authorities reported that in 2018 there were 141,000 fewer tourists than in 2017, as the number of visitors who came to the country in the last two years declined from 5,759,280 to 5,617,948.

See “Tourist Arrivals Close 2018 Downwards”

Tourist companies in Nicaragua reported difficulties last year, since the political crisis the country has been going through since April 2018 has caused multiple losses for the sector. According to the latest report from the Central Bank, last October there was a 22% year-on-year drop in the economic activity of hotels and restaurants.

Not everything was a setback in the region, since in the case of El Salvador good numbers were recorded. According to the Ministry of Tourism, foreign exchange generated in 2018 totaled $1.417 million, 12.7% more than what was reported in 2017, and the number of tourists who arrived in the country increased from 2.2 million to 2.5 million for the years concerned.

Also see “Optimism for Tourism in El Salvador”

Regarding the outlook for global tourism identified by UNWTO for 2019, positive aspects such as the more stable oil price, better air connectivity and strong demand from emerging emitting markets are highlighted.

The risks foreseen for the sector are an economic slowdown, geopolitical and commercial tensions, uncertainty for investors and travelers.

See UNWTO report and results presentation.