Vacation Rentals - A Tourist In The Neighborhood
(Panama-Guide) By ROBERTO GONZALEZ JIMENEZ for La Prensa - Depending on who you're talking to, they might be called "illegal hotels" or "executive apartments" but the activity is the same: the renting of apartments in residential buildings to tourists for a short period of time. Panama's Tourism Authority (ATP) received complaints from building managers due to the presence of strangers in their buildings. In addition, hoteliers in the country made it known to the ATP that their occupation rates were falling sharply, and not just due to the effects of the economic crisis. This fall in occupancy rate directly affects the financial capacity of the ATP, because part of their funding comes from the 10% tax charged to hotels. And these resources, in turn, are used to create the campaigns to promote tourism in Panama and abroad.
