Connectivity key to Buenos Aires growth A
rgentina has hailed a new open skies policy as a major boost to its tourism industry.
Gonzalo Robredo, Buenos Aires
Tourism Board director, said the “most important” development for tourism to the Argentinian capital had been increased connectivity. fter so many years, fi nally the national government decided to open the skies and now we have more frequency and a wider range of prices,” he said.
The Argentine capital is predicting a 5% rise in international visitors for 201, thanks in part to new fl ights. Norwegian launched London- Buenos ires fl ights this year and last month confi rmed start dates for six domestic fl ights within rgentina. Meanwhile, November saw Edelweiss Air connect Zurich with the Argentine capital and December sees the start of a non-stop merican irlines fl ight
from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires, which Robredo said was not only “good news for the USA’s west coast”, but also for the Chinese market, which will connect through LAX “in a much better way”.
Air Europa will operate ihts to uau alls from June 2019
From June 2019, Air Europa will
also fl y directly to the major tourist destination of Iguazu Falls from Madrid, with connections from across Europe. Robredo said the devaluation of the Argentinian peso represented a “window of opportunity” for travellers. “It will probably last for a while,
making us maybe the most competitive destination in Latin America [in terms of currency],” he said. Robredo added he was anticipating “a very big increase” in cruises in late 2019 and early 2020, after the Buenos Aires local government committed to plans to remodel the port area of the city “dramatically”. Argentina’s tourism minister Gustavo Santos added that ecotourism was a major focus for the country in 2019. “We’re strengthening the Ecotourism Corridor El Litoral in the north-east of the country, which includes Iguazu Falls,” he said.
Costa Rica targets Europe C
osta Rica is aiming to grow global tourist arrivals by 6% per annum, its tourism
minister has revealed.
Maria Amalia Revelo Raventos said she hoped to boost visitor numbers to the country by increasing the number of fl ights and widening the choice of hotels. From January to August this year, the USA, Costa Rica’s number one market, grew to 1,160,000 visitors, up by 5.1% year-on-year. Canada, the country’s second largest market, also grew by 5.1%, with 154,464 visitors in the same period. Tourism numbers
from Europe were up by 6.1% year-on- year in 2018, with 339,446 visitors. Raventos said she saw growth in the European market as “a great
opportunity”, 14 wtm insights winter 2018
adding that new fl ight capacity from British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM had allowed Costa Rica “to have a bigger market share in a high-end market”. European visitors tended to be
more adventurous, she said, visiting numerous locations and staying an average of 17 nights.
Driving rural tourism will be a key focus for the destination next year, Raventos added, with the tourist board planning to work with small and medium-size hotels to open new areas for tourism and avoid overcrowding. The tourist board will work closely with the private sector and local government bodies to develop
Costa Rica’s wildlife is a big draw
tourism ties in lesser-visited parts of the country.
Boost for Ontario M
ore luxury hotels and increased airlift are set to boost Ontario in 2019. Toronto will gain a new boutique property, the
Ace Hotel. The 13-storey hotel is currently under construction between China Town and the Fashion District. Toronto will also boast anada’s fi rst obu hotel and restaurant by 2020. Meanwhile, Ottawa now has a Le Germain hotel, with 115
rooms, and another key opening is the 30-room Elora Mill Hotel & Spa, in Elora, 31 miles west of Toronto, which launched this summer after a $27 million renovation project. Gabriele Kotz, Destination Ontario’s marketing and trade consultant, Europe, said: “The past few years have been exciting for ntario due to our growing luxury hotel off erings. Another boost to Toronto is the opening of the Museum of Illusions, set to be the biggest permanent attraction to open in fi ve years, while the city will next year gain a budget fl ight from Ireland with the start of orwegian’s fi rst route to Canada from Dublin, on March 31. The daily service will land at Toronto’s secondary airport amilton, which off ers easier access to Niagara Falls than the main hub.
wtm.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
