Weak hotel occupancy reported

In the first few months this year, only 46.5% o the hotel rooms were booked. The decrease in May was 2.8% , while the previous two months registered a fall of 2.9% compared to 2017.

Only January and February showed an increase due to the festivities of the carnivals. mer.

The  capital city has an oversupply of hotel rooms. In 2009 it had 10,000 rooms.  six years later more than 20,000 rooms are registered.

Hotels have reduced the rates per room and have also made cuts to expenses with the reduction of personnel and cancellation of services such as buffet dinners, with the aim of making the operation more efficient but these means have still not translated into more visitors.

The cost of a standard room in the province of Panama in 2013 cost between $ 135 and $ 140 per night, today, the price ranges between $ 91 and $ 95.

What is happening in other markets could be happening in Panama. Many of the travelers hire the services of applications such as Airbnb, which offer more competitive rates compared to hotels, which must pay huge operating expenses.

In the recent past, hoteliers have said they need to be optimistic about what happens in the second half of the year. At the moment you know that January 2019 will be agood  due to the development of the World Youth Day.