The tourism sector in Panama had been moving towards a full recovery until September of this year.

A report from the Panama Tourism Authority, details that between January and September the country received 1.88 million international visitors, 44% more than in the same period in 2022, or the equivalent of 576,463 additional visitors.

Of this number, 1.4 million people are considered tourists, that is, they stay in the country for more than 2 days. Another 236,258 were cruise ship passengers and 242,148 day visitors.

The number of tourists increased by 33% until September and the number of cruise passengers increased 557.3%, mainly due to the 2022-2023 cruise season that runs from October to April, taking into account that the majority of cruise ships in the world returned after the pandemic only at the end of 2022.

January of this year was the month with the highest number of cruise passengers in Panama with 73,611 people.

Tourism sector takes breath again

Of the total visitors, the Tocumen International Airport represented 70.9% of the entries in the period from January to September 2023. The Paso Canoas border 4.1%, the cruise ports 12.5% ​​of the movement of visitors and others ports represent 12.5% ​​of the international flow of people entering the country.

Until September of this year, income from tourism, without counting the cost of international transportation, registered a total of 4,128.6 million dollars, 19% more than between January and September of last year when 3,465.3 million dollars were registered. The highest income was reported in January with 525.3 million dollars, and in March with 509.5 million dollars.

Tourism sector takes breath again

The average length of stay of a visitor in Panama was 8 days and the average expenditure was $2,187, around $273 per day.