Cubans are the foreign visitors who buy the most in the free zone of Panama, revealed a report administration of that country.
Between January and July of this year, more than 30,154 tourists from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America have visited the companies in the Colon Free Zone (ZLC), and of these, the highest percentage by nationality corresponds to the island, the document details.
The Passes department, in charge of statistics, revealed that CubaCosta Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru are the countries where the largest influx of shopping tourists come from.
The largest flow of visitors was registered in the month of March.
Since 2018, the Panamanian government prepared the conditions to promote the massive arrival of Cubans to the largest free zone on the continent and launched the so-called “tourism card”, which made Panama’s immigration policy towards the island more flexible.
Although that changed later, the Cubans have remained the main buyers Latin Americans in that area.
Also, in other areas where they have access such as Margarita Island, in Venezuelawhere they spend up to $4,000 on purchases, mainly cleaning products, food, and medicines.
As explained this year by the commercial director of the GTN tour operator agency, Yunier Ávila, the majority of Cubans who travel as tourists to that island seek tax-free products in their country to resell them; many pursue basic necessities, but also equipment such as household appliances, although in smaller quantities.
