FEATURE CENTRAL AMERICA
CENTRAL AMERICA Top Selling Tips...
• Central America will appeal to those looking for a truly authentic break
• Encourage clients to visit more than one country
• Go native: try and meet (or stay with) one of the various indigenous groups that can be found in Central America – the Maya in Guatemala, the Lenca in Honduras, the Embera or Kuna in Panama, the Garifuna in Belize and Honduras
• Perfect for adventure tourism! • It has 16 World Heritage sites
• Great for divers looking for somewhere different. Highlights include Blue Hole in Belize and whale sharks in Honduras
• Great for nature lovers: the region has around seven per cent of the world’s biodiversity
• Miles of unspoilt coastline – both Caribbean and Pacific
• Home of Maya culture
What’s New Thomson Airways started a non-stop weekly flight (departing on Tuesdays) from London Gatwick to Liberia (Costa Rica) last November. British Airways is now codesharing
with Iberia on flights from Madrid to San Jose (Costa Rica) and Panama City. Last October, Iberia launched new
direct flights to El Salvador and Guatemala from Madrid, with good connections with regional airline TACA. KLM recently launched a direct flight
to Panama City from Amsterdam. Costa Rica-based carrier Nature Air,
which claims to be the world’s first carbon neutral airline, has launched a new flight between San Jose in Costa Rica and Managua (Nicaragua). Spirit Air will begin a Fort Lauderdale-San Salvador service in June. New national air carrier, Air Nicaragua, launches in June with flights to Venezuela, Havana and Mexico. A new international airport is being built on the island of Ometepe, in Lake Nicaragua. This latest project adds to three other new international airports currently under construction in Nicaragua: Bilwi International Airport in Puerto Cabezas (on the North Atlantic coast), Corn Island (off the South Atlantic coast) and San Juan de Nicaragua in the south.
Clockwise from left: The caves of the Verapaces region in Guatemala were worshipped by the Mayans; Panama's indigenous Embera people; Costa Rica's ecologically diverse Puerto Vargas; a colourful iguana in Belize
Star Clippers has introduced two
new seven-night round trips from Costa Rica, taking in Panama and Nicaragua respectively, onboard Star Flyer. NCL now operates cruises to Roatan,
one of Honduras’ Bay Islands. CATA is hopeful that several tour operators will increase their programmes to Central America in 2012-13 following a number of successful fam trips. These include Page & Moy, Steppes Travel, Kuoni, Journey Latin America, Voyages Jules Verne, Star Clippers, Veloso and Cox & Kings.
Tourism Talk PILAR CANO
CEO, Central America Tourism Agency (CATA) "CATA was created in
2002 as the result of the strategic alliance of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama to promote the whole region under one single Central America banner in key European markets. "Our aim is to present a consistent, positive regional image and avoid negative perceptions often created by too many, fragmented messages. "Central America is renowned for its
biodiversity and exotic nature, being one of the top destinations in the world for eco-tourism and adventure tourism. "But what makes it truly special is that
this can be combined with pristine beaches, both on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, charming colonial towns, vibrant modern cities, amazing archaeological sites and fascinating indigenous cultures. “The UK market is doing very well,
with an increase of nearly seven per cent in 2010, and it remains one of the most important markets for Central America. "The biggest growth in British visitors
was in Costa Rica, no doubt helped by the introduction of new packages from First Choice and also Star Clippers. Belize, a former British colony, is also very popular with British visitors."
From The Front Line LLOYD BOUTCHER
Sunvil Traveller “Central America is a very different beast to South
America because of its size – you can easily combine two countries in a 15-day itinerary. Our top sellers in Central America are Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala. Costa Rica has always been
INGUAT
BELIZE TOURISM BOARD
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