Q24N (EFE) Copa Airlines and the Tourism Promotion Fund of Panama (Promtur) launched this week a million-dollar alliance to promote tourism in Panama by reinforcing the airline’s “Stopover” program, focused on attracting 300,000 visitors from the United States and South America.
“We are very happy to launch the new stage of ‘Stopover’, which is based on three aspects: greater promotion, better products, and more flexibility for the passenger,” said the senior director of marketing, communications and Frequent Traveler program of Copa Airlines, Marco Ocando.
The “Stopover” of the Panamanian airline, which since its launch in 2019 has brought almost 500,000 tourists to the country, will focus in this “new stage” on attracting tourists from the United States, Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil, some of the main countries that use the program.
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Thus, by adding these “new target markets” – despite the fact that the program is available on all flights originating in any country in the Copa network – the goal is to attract 300,000 tourists by 2026, the official information highlights.
At least 32 hotels – located in the city, beaches and the interior of the country – 33 restaurants and 6 attractions have joined this campaign, providing a discount of between 15% and 40%, according to the information presented this Tuesday at the program’s relaunch event.
“This time it is unprecedented (the “relaunch” of the program) where it is not only the contribution of Copa Airlines but also the leadership of Promtur and the Tourism Authority, but the most important thing is that a series of key actors have joined together to offer discounts,” Promtur’s Executive Marketing Director, Jennifer Janson, told EFE.
Copa Airlines and Promtur have made a joint investment of US$1.5 million dollars for the campaign ‘Panama has everything and very close’ that seeks to position the country as a diverse and accessible destination in the region taking advantage of the “short distances” of the country.
The campaign promotes some of the main tourist attractions and emblems of the country such as the Panama Canal and promotes “the vibrant gastronomic and shopping offer in the city, as well as its impressive natural landscapes and its rich cultural heritage, as well as its nightlife,” according to official information.
“Come for the whales and the full bags”
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“We decided to focus on making more people aware of the product, advertising in other countries that we already had, doubling the amount of promotion, making a new campaign that captures the essence of what we want to convey, improving the product, making more offers, including hotels, restaurants with discounts (etc),” said Ocando.
“Ven por las ballenas y las bolsas llenas (Come for the whales and the full bags),” is one of the messages that the program has launched to attract tourists in reference to the sighting of these mammals that are seen in the Panamanian Pacific during June and October.
“That is (the advertising slogan) one of the things that we capture because in Panama there is very little distance. You can be in an archipelago watching whales and within a few hours be in a shopping center at a good price,” explained Ocando.
The Copa Airlines “Stopover” program allows passengers who transit through the “Hub of the Americas”, at Tocumen Airport (Panama) – PTY, to make a stop of up to seven days in Panama on the airline’s flights at no additional cost to the final price.
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Travelers can extend their stay in Panama to take advantage of “their connection to explore the country’s many attractions,” allowing them to “enjoy two destinations for the price of one,” according to Copa.
By the end of 2024, 150,000 tourists are expected to have visited Panama taking advantage of this program, which would represent an estimated 8% of the total international visitors arriving in the country this year.
Copa Airlines currently operates an average of 360 daily flights through Panama’s main airport.
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