The Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports of Argentina – Daniel Scioli – said that “our government is promoting an unprecedented open skies policy. And we know that greater air connectivity gives more opportunities, more competitiveness and more benefits,” because it means “work for more than 40 sectors of the economy.
The Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports of Argentina- Daniel Scioli, participated in Asunción-Paraguay in the thirtieth Meeting of Ministers of Tourism of Mercosur, accompanied by the Undersecretary of Tourism- Yanina Martínez. At the event, the official stressed the importance of strengthening open skies policies and the cruise market throughout the year in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay; as well as the need to shore up the integrated circuits of work with the countries of the region and coordination to hold fairs, congresses, conventions and sports events together.
It should be remembered that millions of tourists arrive in Argentina every year attracted by the natural, cultural and gastronomic beauties of the country. Among them are the Iguazú Falls, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature since November 2011.
Scioli assured during his speech that “tourism is on its way to being the world’s largest employer,” adding that the sector “has to be a working guide to project the region as a great global tourism power.” “We don’t have to wait for them to come and visit us, we have to go and promote and sell together,” he said and invited to coordinate efforts to design “a common strategy.”
In other considerations, the secretary stated that “our government is promoting an unprecedented open skies policy. And we know that greater air connectivity gives more opportunities, more competitiveness and more benefits,” because it means “work for more than 40 sectors of the economy.” He also highlighted the impact of the cruise market, on which he explained that “in Argentina, the impact of this sector is 700,000 people” and urged to strengthen an integrated cruise circuit with proposals to travel several destinations through “a permanent service throughout the year.”
Finally, he invited to identify opportunities and markets “that we do not miss an international sporting event if we have all the sports infrastructure and we know the tourist impact it will have,” as well as to develop a bureau of fairs and congresses for the countries of the region, “that it is a path of support, reciprocal back and forth.”
For his part, Martínez said that “we have to enhance our Visit South America brand, which unites us as a region to promote ourselves together and position ourselves in the world. That the distant markets arrive with their tourists to get to know our identity, our culture, our gastronomy.”
In addition, the official explained: “We want to work on a gastronomic plan of the south, to show the ancestral knowledge and flavors that we have to share. How gastronomy is linked to community rural tourism, show the productive traceability that there is from the countryside to the table, all that value chain that generates genuine sources of work and represents roots.”
Among what was addressed by the representatives of the countries, issues such as joint tourism promotion, investments in the sector, air connectivity, tourism facilitation on land borders, the natural route of the South, the Way of the Jesuits in South America and the prevention of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in children and adolescents within the framework of travel were highlighted.
Likewise, Scioli signed with the Minister of Tourism of Paraguay, Angie Duarte de Melillo, a letter of intent between Argentina and Paraguay for the implementation and transfer of cooperation programs aimed at tourism training. It seeks to design initiatives for training to professionalize the sector, contribute to training needs, encourage training actions that promote the development of greater and better skills, encourage the design and implementation of tools for knowledge management and promote exchanges of programs that generate value and innovation.
Investments
Argentine officials were also part of a meeting with the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on attracting investments in sustainable tourism initiatives.
The Minister of Tourism of Paraguay, a country that has the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur; the Minister of Tourism of Brazil, Celso Sabino; the Minister of Tourism of Uruguay, Eduardo Sanguinetti; the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Bolivia, Hiver Flores Torrez; and the Undersecretary of Tourism of Chile, Verónica Pardo Lagos, also participated in the meeting.
In addition, representatives of the South American Tourism Federation (FEDESUD) were present, an organization that brings together most of the national tourism chambers of the countries of the region, including the second vice president of the Argentine Chamber of Tourism, Aldo Elías.