WTM Latin America announces conference programme

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

During a press conference held in São Paulo on Thursday morning, 26 February, WTM Latin America and Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tour Operators) announced the new initiatives that will take plac

During a press conference held in São Paulo on Thursday morning, 26 February, WTM Latin America and Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tour Operators) announced the new initiatives that will take place during the third edition of the trade exhibition and the 43rd Braztoa Business Meeting, which are going to take place simultaneously between 22 and 24 April in Expo Center Norte.

For the first time the fair will have a FOHB (Hotel Operators of Brazil Forum) workshop. This particular entity represents the most important hotel chains in the country and currently has 26 associates that have a total of 630 hotels and 104,000 accommodation units between them. “We thank WTM Latin America very much for this opportunity to be involved in this fruitful partnership and we hope to contribute to the fair’s success”, said Flávia Matos, Executive Director of the FOHB.

During the meeting, Lawrence Reinisch, Exhibition Director for WTM Latin America, announced the conferences that have been programmed for the three days of the fair. Among them are those involving UNWTO (UN World Tourism Organization), Phocuswright, Google and Euromonitor. Also scheduled are Technology Tourism sessions, a Leisure Tourism Forum coordinated by Braztoa and the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Congresses and Exhibitions) Forum, led by the ICCA and MPI.

Reinisch also talked about the corporate tourism area, which is making its debut this year. ALAGEV (Latin American Association of Event and Corporate Travel Managers) will be hosting this section and will also be responsible for the Corporate Tourism Forum.

“In 2015 we’re going to be heavily focused on developing the fair’s corporate market, which will increase the business potential for our exhibitors a lot. Last year WTM Latin America alone generated $341 million in business”, said the Exhibition Director.

Braztoa vice president, Magda Nassar, presented the initiatives the association will be taking to the third edition of WTM Latin America, among them the Business Meeting between exhibitors and buyers, the “ Braztoa caravanas“, which will bring 900 Brazilian travel agents to the event, and the 6th edition of Tourism Week, the biggest travel promotion scheme in Brazil, which has hundreds of national and international trips with significant discounts, all prepared by Braztoa associates and accessible at www.turismoweek.com.br . The launch of the entity’s annual yearbook and the Sustainability Guide are among some of the things that are new to the fair.

Magda took the opportunity to talk about the fair’s new venue, Expo Center Norte, which is centrally located in the city. “It brings travel agents closer, which facilitates access both to us and to our products”, she said. More than 50 Braztoa associates will be exhibiting at WTM Latin America.

Also present at the press conference were Vincent Lhoste, Project Director for Reed Travel Exhibitions, who emphasized the fair’s B2B (business-to-business) characteristic. “We’re focused on long-term relationships.” Lhoste also took advantage of the occasion to say that more visitors are expected at the 2015 edition and that registration, which has been open for some weeks now, is showing some very positive figures.

On Wednesday, 25 February, the Board of WTM Latin America 2015 met in São Paulo to exchange ideas that are going to serve as a reflection point for making the fair’s actions even more powerful. Present at the meeting were: Jeanine Pires, Chair of the Board, Monica Samia, Executive Director of Braztoa, Luciane Leite Farias, Director of SPTuris, Luiz de Moura Jr, Vice President of the US Travel Association; Toni Sando, CEO of SPCVB (São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau), Pablo Sismanian, MICE Coordinator of the Tourist Promotion Institute of Argentina, Orlando de Souza, Marketing Director for TUR.SP, and Jean-Philippe Pérol, Director for the Americas of Atout France.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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