DESTINATION NEWS
Latin America welcomes two new UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Two historical Latin American locations have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage sites list for their outstanding universal value. New to the list is Chiriquete National Park, located in the north-west Colombian Amazon, one the largest protected area in the country made up of ‘tepuis’ (table-top mountains), which have been decorated with over 75,000 paintings, spanning 20,000 years of history to the present and depicting hunting scenes, battles, dances and ceremonies. Also joining the prestigious list is the Tehuacan – Cuicatlan Valley, located in southern Mexico, home to the richest biodiversity in North America. The valley is made up of three components including; one of the main centres of diversification for the cacti family, archaeological remains that showcase technological developments in the area, and the oldest water management system in the continent. www.whc.unesco.org/en/newproperties
Visitors to Buenos Aires increase in the first quarter of 2018
The Buenos Aires tourism board registered a 3% increase in overall visitors to Buenos Aires during the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. From January to March 2018, a total of 531,000 tourists travelled to the city, of which 123,400 were from Europe. www.turismobuenosaires.gob
Peruvian tourism board registers increase in UK visitors
The number of UK visitors to Peru has been growing steadily since 2010 reaching an all-time high of 69,506 British nationals in 2017. The latest UK tourism figures for January to April 2018 show a 10% increase in comparison to the same period in 2017. www.peru.travel
Brazilian Tourist Board launches new tourism campaign
The Brazilian Tourist Board, Embratur, has launched a new marketing campaign called ‘Happy by Nature’, focused on inviting travellers to visit Brazil to discover the essence of Brazilian happiness. ‘Happy by Nature’ was launched at the FIFA World Cup in Russia and included an advertising piece showcasing the destination and lifestyle of the Brazilian people across 100 panels in Moscow and the international airport, bus advertising and a social media campaign. www.visitbrasil.com
Quito welcomes new digital platform
As part of a new tourism initiative to position Quito as a ‘Smart’ destination, Quito Turismo has recently launched a new digital platform offering visitors detailed information about key tourism attractions and must-see routes in the city. Travellers will be able to access the platform online, and also via an app, which they can download onto their phone and have access to whilst visiting Quito. www.quitotravel.ec/en/home/news/
Peru breaks bird sighting record during international birdwatching competition
The 2018 edition of the Global Big Day, a worldwide event for the birding industry, confirmed Peru’s rich and diverse ecosystem. The Peruvian team of heads of protected natural areas, specialists, local people and volunteers sighted a record number of 1,490 bird species, compared to 1,330 in 2017, highlighting the importance and variety of Peru’s biodiversity. Peru is home to 1,858 bird species in total and is ranked in third place globally. www.corbidi.org/gbd.html
AIRLINE NEWS
Copa airlines strengthens connectivity with direct flights to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico
From December 2018, Copa Airlines is extending its network of connections with the introduction of a new flight from the city of Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit in Mexico to Panama City. The flight will initially operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays, departing at 9.48am from Panama and arriving at 1.40pm at the Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport. The return flight will also depart Thursdays and Sundays from Puerto Vallarta at 2.43 pm, arriving in Panama at 8.07pm. www.copa.com
Norwegian increases flights from London Gatwick to Buenos Aires
In response to strong demand, Norwegian is set to increase flights from London Gatwick to Buenos Aires from four flights a week to a daily service from October 2018. Flights are priced from £315 in economy and £640 in Premium one way. www.norwegian.com
Avianca expands domestic flight offering in Peru
Aviana has launched a number of new domestic flights in Peru with the aim of providing more connections for visitors arriving in the country. The airline has introduced two new routes that connect Cusco with two of Peru’s main tourist cities: Arequipa in southern Peru, and Juliaca located to the west of Lake Titicaca. www.avianca.com
LATAM Airlines launches new flight routes
On 14 June 2018 LATAM Airlines launched a new service connecting the Peruvian cities of Pisco and Cusco which will operate every Thursday and Sunday. In addition LATAM Airlines will launch a new route between Chile’s capital city Santiago and Cusco on 15 August 2018. www.latam.com
TOUR OPERATOR NEWS
Llama Travel introduces new destination for Costa Rica tours
From July 2018, Llama Travel will introduce Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Lodge in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest to Costa Rica tours instead of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The Villa Blanca Cloud Forest is the only accommodation option available in the cloud forest, located 76 kilometres north of San Jose. The Los Angeles Cloud Forest is one of the best preserved rainforests in the country, offering guests a secluded stay and exclusive wildlife viewing experiences. The 11 day holiday is priced from £1,579 per person including international flights from the UK, transfers and accommodation on a B&B basis. www.llamatravel.com
New self-drive tour in Panama with Journey Latin America
Latin America experts Journey Latin America have introduced a new 13-day ‘Self-Drive Panama: Discover the Pacific Coast’ holiday exploring the untouched Pacific Coast in search of wildlife and outdoor adventures. The trip starts in Panama City before driving to the south of the Azuero Peninsula where travellers can explore colonial towns and deserted beaches, before continuing west to Boca Brava Island for a three-night stay in the Cala Mia hotel. The trip will end in the northwest in Boquete for wildlife spotting, zip lining and white-water rafting. The holiday is priced from £2,698 per person excluding international flights. www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk/destinations/panama/holidays/self-drive-panama-discover-the-pacific-coast
New ‘Weaving Peace’ tour in Bogota, Colombia with Colombian Journeys
Colombia Journeys has introduced a new seven hour ‘Weaving Peace’ tour, which will teach travellers about key moments of Colombia’s history by visiting key historical sites. The tour will include visits to the Parque Nacional to understand Colombia’s political struggles before continuing to the Café Wasikamas where an indigenous community serves special coffee grown in the mountains of southern Colombia. The tour will also include stops at the Plaza Bolivar and the Toma Del Palacio de Justicia, the chocolate district, and the ‘Museo Nacional de Colombia’, Colombia’s National Museum. The tour starts at 8am is priced from £111 for a group of four people. www.colombianjourneys.com
Aqua Expeditions wins award in Signature Luxury Travel 2018 Cruise Awards
Leading luxury cruise operator Aqua Expeditions has won several categories in the Signature Luxury Travel 2018 Cruise Awards. The company was awarded first place in Best Entry Level Cabins, Best Top of the Range Suites, Best Dining Experience, Best Shore Excursions, Best Ambience, Best Itineraries and Best fully inclusive offer. www.aquaexpeditions.com
HOTEL NEWS
explora to open new Argentina property
High-end experiential travel pioneer explora has announced the opening of a new Argentinean hotel in 2020 as part of the company’s international expansion plans. The new 50-room hotel will be situated in the “Los Huemules” Natural Reserve, 17 kilometres from El Chaltén – an area that has been attracting explorers and travellers for more than 100 years. www.explora.com
Sol y Luna releases a film about the property
Hotel Sol y Luna, located in Urubamba in Peru, has released a short film telling the story of the property and Petit, the lady who founded the hotel in order to build a school for local children. The school (next to the hotel) started with five children, two of whom were her own son and daughter, and now has 200 children. With a focus on providing education to those who would not otherwise have access to it, the school is changing the futures of some of Peru’s poorest children. Watch the film HERE. www.hotelsoyluna.com
Awasi Iguazu included in Conde Nast Traveller Hot List
The Awasi Iguazu, was recently included in the Conde Nast Traveller UK Hot List 2018 in a rundown of the “50 best new hotels in the world”. The magazine praised Awasi for delivering a “low-impact, personalised experience as close as possible to the high-footfall Iguazu Falls”. www.awasiguazu.com
MICE NEWS
Costa Rica opens new Convention Centre
A new Convention Centre has recently opened ten kilometres outside of San Jose in Costa Rica. The centre is the country’s first purpose-built convention centre, which aims to position Costa Rica as a leader in the international events market. The building can accommodate more than 6,500 delegates with 4,400 square metres for exhibitions, a main hall, six conference rooms, six meeting rooms, a business centre and a VIP lounge. www.visitcostarica.com
Peru ranked third in top ten list of destinations for incentive travel
According to a recent study conducted by the Multinational Creative Group, Peru ranks third in the top ten preferred destinations for the incentive travel segment. The study determined that the main success factor for this type of travel is the chosen destination, and in this case, special emphasis is placed on Cusco and Lima. Peru is the only Latin American country to be featured on the list and surpasses Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Greece. www.creativegroupinc.com/international-incentive-destination-guide
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Editorial notes:
The Latin American Travel Industry (LATA) is represented by LOTUS. For more information a/o images, please contact Kate McWilliams or Lucy Keenan (latapr@wearelotus.co.uk / 0207 953 7470). For more information on LATA, please visit www.lata.travel