Trade awareness tops Lata Expo think tank agenda

The round table event at Lata Expo on Wednesday (15 June) was attended by tourism representatives from Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, as well as tour operators to Latin America including Latin Routes, Journey Latin America and Pura Aventura who discussed strategies for growing awareness around the continent as a travel destination.

Latin Routes director Martin Johnson said education and awareness of the destination among travel agents, who account for 50% of its business, is the biggest challenge. “Agents are onboard with the programme – there’s a lot of desire for more training there – but tourist board budgets tend to be small,” he said, adding that tourist boards should direct their budgets towards agent education to improve awareness.

“We need to dispel the trade of the notion that Latin America is more an adventure, rough-around-the-edges destination, and bring in awareness of high-end luxury experiences and ease of travel,” said Johnson.

In particular, raising awareness among consumers and the trade of the region’s suitability for multi-centre trips is seen as particularly important, as data from travel analytics firm Forward Keys shows the continent is lagging behind Europe and Asia for twin-centre holidays, with more than 90% of British travellers only visiting one destination per trip.