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Panama Tourism Statistics for November 2026
Panama recorded 2.33 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, 11.0% more than in 2024 and 32.0% more than in 2019. Counting same-day visitors and cruise passengers as well, 3.00 million international visitors entered the country, up 8.2%. Visitors spent US$6.58 billion in 2025 (preliminary), 9.7% more than in 2024, and in January–June 2026 visitor numbers were 17.4% higher than a year earlier.
How many people visit Panama, where they come from, what they spend and when they travel. These are the latest official figures, and full sources are listed at the bottom of the page. Headline numbers are for 2025, the most recent full year, with 2026 year-to-date where available. Tourists are visitors who stay more than 24 hours. Same-day visitors and cruise passengers are shown separately, and passengers changing planes at Tocumen without entering the country are not counted.
Inbound visitors
International visitors to Panama
Panama recorded 2,330,677 international tourist arrivals in 2025 (preliminary), 11.0% more than in 2024 and 32.0% more than in 2019. Counting same-day visitors and cruise passengers as well, 3,004,266 international visitors entered the country, up 8.2% on 2024 and 19.9% above 2019. Of all visitors, 2,244,078 (74.7%) came through Tocumen International Airport.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1.77m | pre-pandemic |
| 2020 | 0.44m | pandemic |
| 2021 | 0.62m | pandemic |
| 2022 | 1.49m | |
| 2023 | 1.87m | |
| 2024 | 2.10m | |
| 2025 | 2.33m | preliminary |
International tourist arrivals are entries of non-resident visitors who stay more than 24 hours and up to 90 days, counted from migration records at airports, land borders and seaports. Panamanians and foreign residents are excluded, and so are passengers in direct transit at Tocumen, who do not enter the country. Same-day visitors and cruise passengers are not in the chart. 2026 so far: 1.35 million tourists in January–June, 17.4% more than in the same months of 2025, and 1,755,998 visitors of all types, also up 17.4%.
Visitor spending
Visitor spending
Visitors spent US$6.58 billion in Panama in 2025 (preliminary), 9.7% more than in 2024 and 45.7% more than in 2019 in cash terms. This is the travel income recorded in the balance of payments, which leaves out international transport. Adding US$3.10 billion of international transport receipts, tourism income totalled US$9.69 billion. Figures are in balboas, which are fixed at par with the US dollar.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | US$4.52bn | pre-pandemic |
| 2020 | US$1.13bn | pandemic |
| 2021 | US$2.31bn | pandemic |
| 2022 | US$4.72bn | |
| 2023 | US$5.45bn | |
| 2024 | US$6.00bn | |
| 2025 | US$6.58bn | preliminary |
Spending by visitors in Panama from the travel account of the balance of payments, excluding international transport. Nominal values, not adjusted for inflation; 2025 is preliminary and may be revised. January was the highest month of 2025, at US$609.0 million. 2026 so far: US$3.79 billion in January–June, 14.7% more than in the same months of 2025.
Source markets
Where Panama's visitors come from
The United States is the largest market. In 2025, 494,685 US residents entered through Tocumen International Airport as visitors, 22.0% of the airport's 2,244,078 visitors. Colombia followed with 343,432 (15.3%), then Ecuador (114,847) and Mexico (89,652). Visitors from Costa Rica rose 28.9% and from Argentina 25.6%, while those from Venezuela fell 22.1%. Europe as a whole sent 308,857 visitors (13.8%), led by Spain.
Visitors entering through Tocumen International Airport by country of permanent residence, 2025, preliminary. Tourists and same-day visitors are both included. Visitors arriving over land, at other airports and by sea are not broken down by country here, so the figures cover 74.7% of all visitors. Shares are of the 2,244,078 Tocumen total.
Seasonality
When they visit
December is the busiest month: 246,959 tourists arrived in December 2025, followed by January with 227,817. September is the quietest month, with 165,126 tourists in 2025, followed by May with 168,432.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 228k | |
| Feb | 183k | |
| Mar | 202k | |
| Apr | 196k | |
| May | 168k | |
| Jun | 172k | |
| Jul | 201k | |
| Aug | 194k | |
| Sep | 165k | quietest |
| Oct | 185k | |
| Nov | 190k | |
| Dec | 247k | busiest |
International tourist arrivals by month, all ports of entry, 2025, preliminary. The twelve months add up to the annual total of 2,330,677. Same-day visitors and cruise passengers are not included; cruise arrivals are concentrated between October and April.
Accommodation
Hotels & occupancy
Panama had 39,276 rooms in tourist accommodation in 2025, 3.1% more than in 2024. Hotel occupancy averaged about 56.6% in 2025, against 56.3% in 2024 and 44.7% in 2019. In June 2026 occupancy was estimated at 59.3%. Occupancy rates are preliminary estimates from a monitoring of hotels.
Economic impact
Tourism in Panama's economy
Including international transport, tourism income reached US$9.69 billion in 2025 (preliminary), 7.6% more than in 2024. Of this, US$6.58 billion was spending by visitors in Panama and US$3.10 billion was international transport receipts. The official tourism indicators count 212,149 jobs generated by tourism in 2024, below the 233,816 of 2019.
Money values are in balboas, fixed at par with the US dollar, and are nominal. The 2025 figures are preliminary. The jobs figure comes from the official tourism indicators table, which draws on national labour data; no 2025 figure has been published, and the exact coverage of the measure is not stated with it.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 2.24m Visitors entering through Tocumen International Airport (2025, +10.0%)
- 344,408 Visitors arriving at cruise ports (2025, +11.5%)
- 7.63m Passengers in direct transit at Tocumen (2025), not counted as visitors
- 106,006 Visitors entering over the Paso Canoas land border with Costa Rica (2025, +2.9%)
- 290,221 Same-day visitors entering through Tocumen (2025)
- 68,156 Tourists who visited the Colón Free Zone (2025)
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visit Panama each year?
Panama recorded 2.33 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, 11.0% more than in 2024 and 32.0% more than in 2019. Counting same-day visitors and cruise passengers, 3.00 million international visitors entered the country. In January–June 2026 visitor numbers were 17.4% higher than a year earlier, at 1,755,998.
How much do tourists spend in Panama?
Visitors spent US$6.58 billion in Panama in 2025 (preliminary), 9.7% more than in 2024. Adding international transport receipts of US$3.10 billion, tourism income totalled US$9.69 billion. In January–June 2026 visitor spending was US$3.79 billion, up 14.7%.
Which country sends the most tourists to Panama?
The United States. In 2025, 494,685 US residents entered through Tocumen International Airport as visitors, 22.0% of the airport's total. Colombia was second with 343,432, followed by Ecuador (114,847) and Mexico (89,652).
When is peak tourist season in Panama?
December and January are the busiest months. In 2025, 246,959 tourists arrived in December and 227,817 in January. September was the quietest month, with 165,126, followed by May with 168,432.
Are Tocumen transit passengers counted as tourists in Panama?
No. Passengers in direct transit at Tocumen do not pass through immigration and are not counted as visitors. There were 7.63 million of them in 2025. The 2,244,078 visitors counted at Tocumen in 2025 are tourists and same-day visitors who entered the country.
How many cruise passengers visit Panama?
Cruise ports received 344,408 visitors in 2025, 11.5% more than in 2024. A narrower count of cruise passengers registered on disembarking by immigration gives 30,396 for the year.
Using these figures?
Cite this page
Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to use the statistics on this page. Please credit Panama Tourism Statistics and link to this page.
Panama Tourism Statistics (2026). Visitors, spending and trends. Last reviewed 2 November 2026. https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/panama
<a href="https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/panama">Panama Tourism Statistics</a> Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics; the sources for every figure are listed below. Points to note:
- Annual visitors, tourism income, rooms, occupancy and employment for 2019–2025 come from the ATP's tourism indicators table of June 2026, with 2025 preliminary. Monthly tourists and Tocumen visitors by country of residence come from the INEC's preliminary 2024-25 international passenger movement tables. Figures for January–June 2026 come from the INEC's monthly economic indicators and the ATP's January–June 2026 summary. All 2025 and 2026 figures may be revised.
- Tourists are non-resident visitors who stay more than 24 hours and up to 90 days; excursionists are same-day visitors. Both are counted from the records of the Servicio Nacional de Migración processed by the INEC. Panamanians and foreign residents are excluded. Passengers in direct transit at Tocumen, reported by Tocumen S.A., do not enter the country and are not visitors. Countries are shown by country of permanent residence for Tocumen only.
- The ATP visitor total of 3,004,266 includes 344,408 visitors at cruise ports, based on Autoridad Marítima de Panamá data. The INEC passenger tables count only cruise passengers registered by immigration on disembarking, 30,396 in 2025, and so give a lower visitor total of 2,690,254. Tourist numbers are the same in both. Small differences between releases also exist for earlier years: the INEC commentary gives 2,098,836 tourists for 2024 against 2,100,338 in the ATP table used here.
- Visitor spending is the travel credit of the balance of payments compiled by the INEC, in balboas, which are fixed at par with the US dollar. International transport receipts are shown separately. Values are nominal, and the 2020 and 2021 figures were affected by the pandemic.
- Average spend and length of stay are not shown because the indicators table uses the same eight-night average stay for every year since 2016. No official split by purpose of visit or attraction visitor counts was found for 2025. Hotel occupancy is an ATP estimate from a monitoring of hotels and is described by the source as approximate. The employment figure is for 2024 and its coverage is not defined in the table.
Primary sources
- Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP): Indicadores de turismo de la República de Panamá 2015–2025 : Tourism indicators table 2015–2025, published June 2026: visitors by class and port of entry, Tocumen visitors by country of permanent residence, tourism income from the balance of payments (travel and international transport), rooms, hotel occupancy, employment and Colón Free Zone tourists; 2025 preliminary.
- Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP): Resumen estadístico enero a diciembre 2025 : Statistical summary for January–December 2025 vs 2024: visitors by port of entry and month, foreign exchange income by month (balance of payments), hotel occupancy estimate and Tocumen passenger movements including direct transit.
- Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP): Resumen estadístico enero a junio 2026 : Statistical summary for January–June 2026 vs 2025: visitors by port of entry, foreign exchange income by month and hotel occupancy in June 2026.
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC): Movimiento internacional de pasajeros, años 2024-25 (P) : Preliminary 2025 entries of passengers by class (tourists, excursionists, cruise passengers, residents), port and month, and Tocumen visitors by country of permanent residence, from migration and maritime records.
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC): Principales indicadores económicos mensuales, entrada de viajeros y sus gastos, enero-junio 2025-26 : Monthly entries of visitors (tourists, excursionists, cruise passengers) and visitor spending in thousands of balboas, January–June 2022–2026, from the balance of payments section; 2026 preliminary.
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC): Movimiento internacional de viajeros, comentario 2024 : Commentary on 2024 passenger entries and departures by class and port, published February 2026.