Panama offered a wide range of tourist attractions and gambling facilities. In 1983 the National Tourism Council was founded to coordinate national tourism in conjunction with the Panamanian Tourism Institute. The number of tourists peaked in 1980 at 377,600 and declined to 302,400 in 1984. Despite the reduction, the expenditures by visitors (in addition to tourists, this category includes travel that is related to business and education) remained virtually unchanged, at about US$130 million per year from 1979 to 1983. During the same period, travelers in transit (including those only changing planes and those who remained in Panama up to 48 hours) injected an additional US$38 million per year into the economy.
Data as of December 1987