Over thirty wholesale companies from the United States will participate in business roundtables with local operators on October 23rd and 24th in the capital.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism of El Salvador (MITUR):
Over 30 wholesalers from the United States, will be in the country for the second edition of the El Salvador Travel Market 2014 (ESTM2014), which starts on Thursday 23 October and which includes business meetings in a hotel in the capital.
Tourism companies propose to boost the capabilities of the Destination Marketing Organization bureau and turn it into a public-private entity separate from the ATP.
Tourism entrepreneurs are asking the new government to revive the campaign to promote the country as a destination for convention tourism and expedite the negotiation of agreements with foreign airlines in order to increase the flow of tourists and improve the hotel occupancy rate, which is currently 59%, due to an oversupply of rooms.
Guatemala is to host the international event Travel Mart Latin America, which will be held in September 2015.
Competing with Ecuador and Brazil, Guatemala won the position for 2015, becoming the next meeting point for travel service providers from Central and South America and buyers from around the world. It Is expected that the contract will be signed with the organizers in June.
An appeal against the first stage of the public tender for the construction project will delay the start of works for more than six months.
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has postponed until the second half of 2015 the opening of the National Congress and Convention Center (CNCC by its initials in Spanish), because an appeal against the first stage of the tender for construction of the project is delaying the start of work.
The country will be promoted as a destination for congresses during the AIBTM fair which will take place between Tuesday and Thursday in Chicago, United States.
According to the chief of Tourism, Allan Flores, AIBTM's presence of 14 companies operating in the country, is part of a strategy to position Costa Rica in the conference and meetings market.
On average, each person attending a convention injects $300 per day into the Panamanian economy, for accommodation, shopping, food and transport.
According to the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), since the beginning of last year up until now there have been approximately 200 conferences in the country. The conventions in 2012 alone generated for the country between $45 and $50 million in foreign exchange.
During the first four months of 2013 the convention and congress sector revived the hotel sector which recorded an average occupancy of 61%.
Prensa.com reports that "in total, between January and April 831,593 visitors were reported, which is an increase of 4.4% with 34,893 additional travelers compared to the same period last year."It is estimated that during this period about $847.7 million entered the Panamanian economy.
The act of holding conventions in Panama has intensified areas such as transportation, lodging and shopping, and its contribution to GDP is projected for this year at $32 million.
According to the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP), the IX World Congress and celebration of 50th anniversary of the World Missionary Movement's work, held at the Figali Convention Center, generated 20,000 room nights and provided $5 million.
The challenge is not only to build a site for the development of international mass events, but to plan and execute its promotion.
Javier Gámez, CEO of Cancun Center presented an exhibition entitled "Development of the tourism industry through a convention center" during the event "Costa Rica, with the pleasure of Conference Toursim."
Gamez said that the conferences are an excellent way to generate income, but they don't come easily, you have to "fight for them". He added that this market operates in the same way as when a country manages to host a sporting event, it must not only have the infrastructure for the sport, but facilities such as transportation, lodging, development, etc..
The Tourism Authority (ATP) has awarded a contract to the consultation company Consulting Inc. and Business Tourism Services (BTS), with the aim of reforming the present Bureau of Conventions.
With the reform of the current Bureau authorities are counting on an increase in the arrival of conventions in the country and in this way increase the number of tourists.
The auction that was scheduled for late 2008 has been stalled since then and will continue when the Ministry of Housing changes the way the land can be used and allows the construction of hotels and residential projects.
Marco Tulio Hernandez, coordinator of the Division for the Promotion and Sale of State Property, informed Prensa.com: "The intention of this office is to endow the land with usage that would allow the construction of hotels and residential projects, 'with the indispensable condition of keeping the convention center,’ something that has been demanded by the tourism and business industries in Panama. Hernández was not confident that the auction would be concluded before the end of the term of the current government, but he said that they are working 'as if there were going to be no change. If we do not do it on time, we would hand over any progress made to the next administration."
The government prioritizes making the International Fair and Conventions Center into a first-class hub for the Central American region.
Carmen Molina writes in ElSalvador.com: "The Minister of Tourism and the president of the organization, Rubén Rochi, said yesterday that they are in the process of awarding the bid to a consultant who can help Cifco create the 'most appropriate business model' to achieve this goal.
Professional operators of Congresses and Conventions promoted benefits organizing international events in El Salvador.
The "Meeting planners" were present at the Tourism Showcase & Travel Expo and had the opportunity to find out about the portfolio of products and services offered by the country for conventions and congresses.
The Vice Minister of Tourism, Michelle Gallardo, said that in the 2014-2020 Plan convention tourism is the main pillar for tourism development in the country.
The tourism and convention sectors agree that Panama 'needs' a competitive convention center.
The auctioning of the Atlapa convention center, which according to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MEF), will be completed sometime at the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009 and will create range of opportunities for the San Francisco convention center.