IN PERSON 37 LATA
A conversation with... Byron Shirto
Honorary Secretary at LATA & Project Lead for Experience Latin America, and Owner/Director at Talking Stick Marketing
“With the spotlight on Brazil for the World Cup this summer, it was the perfect time to launch Experience Latin America”
Tell us a little about LATA and its mission. The Latin American Travel Association was founded 21 years ago with the aim of promoting travel to Latin America. Our aims include improving trade and public awareness of Latin America as a tourism destination and promoting travel industry professionalism and skill through education and training. Our 250 members include tour operators, travel agents and wholesalers, tourist boards, airlines, hotels, lodges, cruises, ground handlers, media and more!
You're holding the very fi rst Experience Latin America event this June – tell us more. Experience Latin America will be the biggest annual travel event in Europe dedicated to the region. The three-day event will be held in London from 16-18 June 2014,
enabling travel agents and tour operators to meet, interact and develop relationships with key suppliers from across Latin America.
Why did LATA take the decision to launch the event this year? With growing interest in travel to Latin America, an annual trade- show was an inevitable step for LATA. And with the spotlight on Brazil for the World Cup in June this year and the Olympics in 2016, we felt it was the right time to launch Experience Latin America and showcase the region with a dedicated event.
What will travel agents gain from attending? We have a great range of seminars, workshops and presentations to inspire and
educate travel agents about Latin America. These will be conducted by tourist boards and suppliers, while
networking breaks provide an
opportunity to meet with suppliers from the region.
Are you excited about Brazil's role as World Cup host this summer? Yes, very excited. There are nine Latin America teams competing, so while Brazil might attract most of the
attention as hosts, Latin America will be well
Americas. The last 15 years has seen Latin American countries really recognise the value of tourism and they have invested in improved infrastructure, which in turn has stimulated the private sector to invest in better hotels and transport.
What challenges do those in the industry face when selling Latin America? There are challenges to selling any destination and Latin America is no different. The long distances involved, limited airlift
www.sellinglonghaul.com
represented. This all helps to raise the profi le of the region which will hopefully translate to more people wanting to travel there.
How popular is Latin America with the UK market right now? The World Cup is inevitably a highlight but also, in a way, is a sideshow as there are larger, more long-lasting factors impacting tourism to the
and higher costs associated with travelling there are obvious challenges. However, airlift to Latin America has increased dramatically in the past few years and travelling to one country per trip is becoming more commonplace as there is so much to do and see in each country.
“Each country in Latin America – large or small – boasts a myriad of extraordinary adventures”
You must be pleased with Avianca's launch of fl ights from London to Colombia this summer? Yes, the Avianca fl ight to Bogota will add great airlift capacity to the region, but more importantly will increase competition and confi dence too.
Try and sum up Latin America for us in a few sentences. Each country in Latin America – large or small – boasts a myriad of extraordinary adventures. Indigenous cultures form the bedrock, from ancient Mayan, Aztec and Inca remains at Tikal, Tenochtitlan and Machu Picchu to the markets of Otavalo and the festivals of Inti Raymi and Quyllur Rit’i. There are stunning landscapes, beautiful colonial-era towns, a cultural culinary heritage that continues to beguile, and native beliefs and Catholic orthodoxy that gave rise to capoeira, candomble, caiparinhas and Carnival. And then there’s the football, the tango and the gauchos. This unique blend of experiences, native and introduced, awaits the curious traveller.
Pictured above: Patagonian landscape; the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru; Left: colonial Cuenca, Ecuador
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