Within the framework of the sixteenth edition of the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum, organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), the ministers and authorities of the Tourism sector in Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Chile signed a joint work agreement with the objective of improving tourism competitiveness in the Latin American region.
During the event, held recently in the city of Brasilia (Brazil), senior officials unanimously recognized the importance of joining efforts and collaboration between countries. “Aviation and tourism cannot act separately, they are hand in hand to achieve the competitive development of the region,” they said.
As a result of this meeting, they issued an important document with five concrete recommendations to guide the joint work between authorities and the aviation and tourism industry, in order to increase the competitiveness of tourism in Latin America.
Regarding regional integration, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, Edgar Vásquez, commented: “The opening process that we have been working in our countries cannot go back and must continue to deepen to continue growing and providing opportunities. Tourism is a sector that South America has advanced at a reduced rate compared to Southeast Asia, Europe and even Mexico. We must integrate into projects that allow us to become a competitive destination, we must support each other. ”
RECOMMENDATIONS
1- Connectivity: the first recommendation aims to strengthen intraregional and extra-regional air connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean through coordinated work between the aviation industry, tourism authorities, civil aviation and international tourism promotion.
In the last decade the connectivity of the region has improved 42% and the opening of 251 new routes for 2019 in the region has been announced. Government and industry alignment is key to continue developing connectivity.
2- Joint and aligned work: the second recommendation establishes fostering the relevant spaces for the meeting and coordination between ministers and tourism authorities in order to define strategies and joint projects aimed at fostering receptive tourism in the region, diversifying outbound markets and Promote tourist attractions.
3- Regional joint actions: the third recommendation recalls the importance of promoting intra-regional tourism: promoting Latin American travel within Latin America and strengthening regional tourism positioning.
“Americans make an average of 2.2 trips per capita per year. In Latin America, on the other hand, we still travel very little with an average of 0.4 trips per capita per year. We are taking important steps to attract tourists to the region, but we have to generate more opportunities for our population to use air transport. I am sure that the collaborative work to be carried out between the tourism ministries of the region and the airline industry will bear fruit and we will reach in the next 10 years the expectation of doubling the number of passengers transported in the region, ”said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Executive Director & CEO of ALTA.
4- Relevant measures: the fourth recommendation indicates the need to define favorable measures for tourism development, making our countries more competitive. The basis for achieving this: the joint work between authorities and private institutions of the aviation and tourism industry with local, regional and global reach.
“States, airlines, airports, tour operators, the promotion of destinations, should not see themselves as isolated actors but understand themselves as an ecosystem. Interdependent and integrated action will produce benefits for all. That is the way to go, ”said Gustavo Santos, secretary of the Government of Tourism of Argentina.
5- Join us: the last recommendation aims to convene all tourism authorities in the region to join the great project to consolidate the tourism sector as the most important development engine for our countries.
It should be noted that, in order to follow up the agreements signed during the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum, tourism ministers and authorities agreed to meet in Peru during the first quarter of 2020, reiterating the invitation to all authorities in the region to join to this open regional cooperation initiative in the tourism sector.
