Although we had been told the $5 tourist card was discontinued, we now find that this won't be implemented until January and although the physical card has been eliminated, the cost has gone from $5 to $10. The only good news is that it will be paid along with the ticket purchase instead of having to hunt it down when arriving in the airport. The ATP says it will also cover the cost of insurance for the tourist, but there is no information about the coverage and what it entails. There are plenty of companies selling travel insurance so I question the need for Panama to enter this market.
When coupled with the $40 airport fee it now costs $100 for a couple to enter the country. Although the ATP says this is still low for the region, it is just another barrier to entry when you consider all of the other surcharges the airlines puts on travel these days. This coming at a time when vacation travel is way down across the globe will make it more difficult for tourism operators in Panama.
I would think that the 10% tax collected for all hotel rooms would be enough to cover the ATP budget. When a tourist is told he must pay an extra $10 per person just to come and spend money in Panama it could be just enough to make them say forget it. Certainly tourist would end up spending the extra $20 in the country without a shakedown from the moment they book their flight. I don't care what other countries are charging to get in, Panama should be the exception and eliminate this entry fee!
From 1 January next tourists entering the country will not have to purchase a tourist card, said yesterday the manager of the Tourism Authority of Panama, Solomon Shamah.
Today, tourists from some countries, among which are U.S., Canada and Venezuela, have to buy the card for an amount of five dollars.
Airlines had to purchase the cards and distribute them among its customers, generating a surcharge for them.
If, for whatever reason, companies can not deliver the card to tourists at the origin, they have to buy it before passing immigration control at the airport, slowing down the entry process.
The card will physically disappear and the tax, which feeds the budget of the Tourism Authority of Panama, will rise to $ 10 to be included in the ticket price.
Shamah further explained that this tax be paid covers accident insurance, health and returning all persons entering the country will receive insurance. The Panamanians also have an emerging safe, he said.
