Tourists Continue to Travel to Panama
JUNE 3, 2009 - During the first trimester of 2009, Panama has had an increase of 3.2% of visitors in comparison with the same period of last year, according to the Authority of Tourism of Panama (ATP).
Between January 1 and March 31 of 2009, a total of 483,052 visitors entered the country through Tocumen International Airport, port of cruises, other ports and the Costa Rican border (Paso Canoas), number that shows an increase of 15,119 visitors in addition to last years period.
As far as the relative variation with respect to last years' visitors, Panama, Nicaragua (4,5%), Guatemala (3,9%) and Honduras (2,5%) are the countries that underwent an increase in visitors in the first trimester of the year, in contrast to El Salvador (- 16,6%) and Costa Rica (- 13%) which suffered a decrease in visitors to their countries.
ATP and representative groups of the private sector related to the industry of Panamanian tourism developed strategies to obtainin spite of the world-wide financial crisis that forecast a reduction of this activity - that tourists continue arriving to the country.
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