During January and September, tourists spent $1,397 million in Panama. During the same time period in 2010, %170 million were spent, according the statistics. The arrival of visitors to Panama has incremented during the first nine months of this year, with the arrival of 1.3 million visitors.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Although the expectations of the Tourism Authority of Panama indicate that in 2011 Panama will exceed the established record of two million tourists, some businessmen, who are associated with the tourism industry, contemplate that this expectation will not be                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               In order to accomplish the two million tourist record, within the last three months of the year, 700 thousand tourists will be required to arrive in Panama. According the Controller General of Panama, the monthly average of tourists who visit Panama is 150 thousand. The hotel occupancy levels do not surpass the levels recorded in 2010, even though more tourists are arriving to Panama. During the first nine months of the year, hotels with more than 100 rooms recorded 70% occupancy while the smaller hotels reported 58% occupancy. In conclusion, the hotel occupancy level for this year reaches 66%. Last year, during the same time period, the average was 70%.