According to data from the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), in 2025, Holy Week reached a 90% hotel occupancy rate, demonstrating the event's potential for attracting tourists. Most Panamanians prefer to travel within the country during these holidays.According to ATP Director Gloria De León, Panama received over 300,000 visitors last year specifically for Holy Week, turning the capital city into a religious tourism product.The Archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa, reiterated his invitation to all Panamanians to participate in Holy Week activities, which will take place from March 27 to April 5."We are combining faith, history, and culture in one of Panama's most emblematic places, the Casco Antiguo," he said.The celebration of Holy Week in the Casco Antiguo is expected to generate around 6 million dollars for the country, according to estimates from the Association of Friends of the Casco Antiguo Churches.Ricardo Gago, a member of the religious group, mentioned that the annual commemoration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has a significant economic impact on the hotels, restaurants, and informal vendors of the San Felipe neighborhood.He added that hotels are already at 90% capacity, but this percentage is expected to increase in the coming days.
Processions The processions in the Casco Antiguo will be led by the Confraternity of the Redeemer Christ, the Brotherhood of the Little Donkey, the Brotherhood of Christ of the Good Death, the Brotherhood of the Poor Christ, and the Brotherhood of the Last Supper. However, he took the opportunity to ask entrepreneurs to be reasonable with their prices and not to raise them excessively due to demand, so that there is greater public acceptance."This sacred time is not just a tradition that we observe from the outside, but a mystery that we are called to live from within; in each procession and image that walks our streets, in each liturgical celebration we are offered a concrete opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ, to walk with him in his passion, death, and resurrection," he expressed."Everyone benefits; if each person spends 20 balboas, and we take 300,000, that's roughly 6 million dollars, and logically, some will spend more and others less," he assured.
To guarantee the safety of nationals and foreigners, the Ministry of Public Security (Minseg) will deploy over 400 units in the area.De León stated that the ATP will continue to prepare to turn this product into an attraction and to compete with other pioneering destinations in religious tourism.
