With support from PromPerú, WTM Latin America emphasized the importance of the partnership with the destination
WTM Latin America hosted a business meeting between 70 executives, leading figures in the tourism trade and opinion leaders in Lima, Peru. Among those present, in addition to Luciane Leite, WTM Latin America’s director, and Cláudia Delfino, WTM sales executive, there was the event’s sponsor, Liz Chuecas from PromPeru (Peru’s Promotion Committee), Ricardo Acosta, CEO of APAVIT (the Peruvian Association of Travel Agencies), Claudia Acosta, from the Brazilian Embassy’s Commercial Promotion Sector, Norma de Navarro, General Manager of the Discover Brazil Committee and Erica Ruyz, from Canatur (Peru’s National Chamber of Tourism).
According to the Coordinator of PromPeru’s Latin American Market Department, Liz Chuecas, “the meeting was a success. Bringing together and providing training for local tourism professionals is a key action for enhancing networking and business transactions between entrepreneurs. ”
As for taking part in the next edition of WTM Latin America, the executive added that “in addition to new business contacts, we are looking for new opportunities to promote and strengthen Peru as a destination.”
Cláudia Delfino, Liz Chuecas and Luciane Leite
According to José Luiz da Cunha, chairman of the Discover Brazil Committee and of Peru’s Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB), “it was a good opportunity for the local market to get to know WTM better as well as the importance of being at a B2B event. Our country is a multi-destination and we have a lot to offer: business, adventure, gastronomy and luxury, for example. We aim to win the hearts of many Brazilian visitors at the next edition of the WTM”.
Ricardo Acosta, CEO of the Peruvian Association of Travel Agencies (APAVIT), stresses that this close contact with WTM is extremely important for Peruvian travel agents. “Having the opportunity to listen to such a detailed explanation arouses the travel agents’ interest in taking part in the event – an excellent meeting, with the high quality of the participating companies,” he adds. “It is necessary for the Peruvian agencies to take part in a show of this level, because with PromPeru’s support we have the opportunity to put Peru in the spotlight for the visiting countries.”
According to Enrique Javier Quiñones, CEO of Apotur Peru, “the modern world has been revolutionized by the Internet, but closeness, contact and knowledge are extremely important. That is why this meeting with the Peruvian market is a wise initiative. The event’s potential participants got an idea of the relevance that WTM Latin America gives them when they come from São Paulo to explain all the benefits that it provides. I felt it was a way of conveying the idea that Peru is important for WTM”, he goes on.
For Luciane this was an excellent opportunity to strengthen the partnership with the country. “Peru is one of the most important destinations in Latin America, it is important that we are always in alignment and sharing our latest developments. Even though it’s been our client since the very first edition of WTM Latin America, our meetings always yield new ideas”, shares the executive.
En route to Ecuador
On the 30th, the WTM team headed to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where they also met with industry heavyweights for another networking breakfast. As in Peru, this meeting also has the support of the country’s Ministry of Tourism.
Aldo Luzi Cabella, Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism’s Under-Secretary for Markets, Investments and International Relations, said that “the meeting on the 30th of this month – like the event in 2018 – is very important because it marks the resumption of our efforts to strengthen diplomatic, tourist and commercial ties with our neighbours. We are constantly looking for synergy among the Latin American countries”, adds Cabella.
During the coffee, Cabella was represented by Xavier Rueda, surrogate Under-Secretary; by the time, Aldo Salvador, Captur’s CEO; Richard Dávila, Ecuador’s National Receptive Tourism Operators Association President (Optur) and Magaly Ochoa, director of the organ, besides other names of the industry.
“This moment is very important to deepen our ties with Brazil. Our meeting with such a strong name of Latin American industry generated a lot of interest among the agents. I’m sure that many are already planning for next year’s event, “said Aldo Salvador, CEO of Captur.
Cláudia Delfino, Aldo Salvador e Luciane Leite
Xavier Rueda reinforced the importance of the country’s participation in events focused on business. “The presence of Ecuador in WTM Latin America is of great importance for the resumption of the market. We consider Brazil a strategic market that allows us to improve relations with other exhibitor countries. We will show that Ecuador is ready to welcome tourists from all over the world. ”
“It was important to listen to the importance of each country and exhibitor for WTM, both for the destination and for the event itself. Ecuador can serve many niches: adventurous, gastronomic, ecological and we want to show it to the world” – Richard Dávila, president of the National Association of Operators of Inbound Tourism of Ecuador.
Roadshow’s ending
“With these meetings in Peru and Ecuador, we have succeeded in reaching more than 150 influencers and decision makers in the industry, as well as empowering and involving even more local partners and agents. Peru, which has stood out internationally for years, has been an exhibitor since the first edition. Ecuador, with its wealth of natural, historical and cultural products, has expressed its willingness to invest in the Brazilian market and we hope that they will be with us in 2018. These destinations are unique and deserve special attention. Our goals here have been successful, “says the executive.