On October 12, the inaugural event of the 2018 Central America Innovation + Tourism Talk was held at the Sheraton Presidente Hotel in San Salvador.
According to online participation records, the event had 115 participants representing 42 tourism entities. Event attendance in El Salvador represented 16% out of the total attendance recorded in all of Central America, and 10% of the participant companies at the regional level. The Tour Operators were the companies with the greatest presence since they represented 28.57% out of the total number of companies attending the national event, equivalent to 11% out of the total Tour Operators that attended the events at the regional level.
Seventeen percent of Salvadoran attendees corresponded to general managers of the companies, while 7% were executives, and 4% were owners. The influx of students from the tourism career of three of the most prestigious universities in this Central American republic accounted for 50% of the general attendance. In this regard, we would like to highlight the relevance that this message had been shared with future professionals for the promotion of tourism since it guarantees the continuity of this integration effort.
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El Salvador works on digital innovation to be at the vanguard of tourism
The inaugural speech of the 2018 Central America Innovation + Tourism Talk event, which took place in El Salvador, was in charge of José Napoleón Duarte, Minister of Tourism of El Salvador. In his address, the Minister highlighted the leadership of CATA for the development of these events and valued its importance for the tourism industry. The highest representative of Salvadoran tourism urged participants to take advantage of this space as a turning point for the sector at the regional level, to discuss the present and future of Central American destinations in the digital era, and to strengthen intra-regional alliances.
Mr. Napoleon Duarte, Minister of Tourism of El Salvador
Duarte explained that “…tourism is constantly changing, and that changes and new initiatives are required every day to keep us going.” He also highlighted that digital advances and innovation provide opportunities for tourism to strengthen and increase the process of social inclusion, the empowerment of local communities, and the efficient management of resources.
He concluded by reporting that El Salvador is working on digital innovation to be at the vanguard of tourism. In addition, the Minister presented El Salvador’s digital tourism marketing strategy to the Salvadoran tourism sector.
Innovation, the key to lead the Salvadoran Tourism Sector
Lic. Roberto Calderón, Presidente de CASATUR
Roberto Calderón, President of the Salvadoran Chamber of Tourism (CASATUR), welcomed his business colleagues, NGO representatives, speakers, and participants in the event. Mr. Calderón highlighted the importance of innovation in the management styles of companies, and that this implies having to adjust to times and technologies since they are the key to direct the Salvadoran tourism sector towards new stages of development and tourism projection to the international markets.
