NEWS
CENTRAL AMERICA ROUTE TO BOOST INDIGENOUS CULTURE
Franki Berry, digital reporter
An expedition route aiming to engage communities through Central America has been set up this year to celebrate the UN’s International Year of Indigenous Languages. Ruta Inka’s Maya Route hopes to
raise awareness of sanctuaries and archaeological sites in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and
southern Mexico. It is also looking to promote the revitalisation of the ancestral languages spoken by indigenous communities along the route. Carolina Briones, Central America
Tourism Agency (CATA) general secretary, said: “Given the fact the region is characterised by its natural and cultural wealth and its archaeological legacy of the Mayan civilisation, it is expected in the coming years the impacts of the initiative will increase visitor numbers and contribute to the economic sustainability of the communities in the region.” The United Nations named 2019
its International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2016 following a recommendation by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The organisation was concerned 40% of the world’s languages are at risk of disappearing. Briones added: “The Central American
Tourism Council is committed to continuing gradual growth [of tourism].” She said uncertainty around which
countries are included in the Central America region presents a challenge when attracting visitors.
AMERICA’S JUST THE TICKET FOR ENCORE
Edward Robertson
Encore Tickets will be using this year’s WTM London to launch its move to sell tickets to American shows and attractions. The move into New York and Las Vegas
will give travel agents and other partners the opportunity to sell popular attractions and shows such as Cirque du Soleil (inset) as part of a package. Agents will be given access to
multiple seat locations and price points with fast confirmations,
28 WTM OFFICIAL EVENT DAILY 04.11.2019
while tickets will be available via API, white-label and from the Encore team. Broadway tickets will be available at
WTM London with New York sports and attractions tickets available shortly after and Las Vegas following in early 2020. Encore head of sales Jo Bachelor said:
“It’s going to be a game changer, a way for operators and agents alike to add value to their clients’ trips while at the same time increasing revenue from incremental ancillary sales.” The news comes as Encore also announces it will start accepting Chinese ways of payment early next year after seeing a 230% increase in Chinese ticket sales since 2017.
60 SECONDS WITH...
Santiago Corrada, president and CEO, Visit Tampa Bay (NA240)
What’s the biggest Tampa Bay news of 2019? We’ve celebrated an expanded non-stop service from key European markets with Delta and Norwegian Air and expanded a daily service from Latin America with Copa Airlines. Many of our key attractions have enjoyed major new additions including interactive exhibits at The Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa at Lowry Park and the Tampa Bay History Center. Plus, we have 1,000 new hotel rooms, including Marriott Autograph Collection’s stylish new Current Hotel and a dual-flagged Hampton Inn/Home2 Suites. Our food and drink scene continues to develop with the opening of open-air, waterfront food hall Sparkman Wharf earlier this year.
What’s going on in 2020? The opening of both a four-star JW Marriott Hotel & Resort just steps from the Tampa Riverwalk and a boutique hotel in our historic Latin Quarter. We are adding three new cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, and MSC Cruises, which doubles the options for visitors looking to explore the Western Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula and Florida Keys. Plus, we are hosting the international spectacle of WWE’s WrestleMania for the first time at Raymond James Stadium in April.
What’s your marketing strategy for the next 12 months? Educating our travel trade partners, working with tour operators, enlightening consumers and developing partnerships are all integral for us. International visitation grew substantially in 2019, and we expect that trend to continue.
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