• IN 2009 EL SALVADOR HOSTED A FAIR, WHICH HAD POSITIVE RESULTS IN THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF DESTINATIONS.
  • PRELIMINARILY, MORE THAN 100 PARTICIPATING ENTREPRENEURS ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE

Tourism Minister José Napoleón Duarte Durán announced that El Salvador will host the eleventh edition of the Central America Travel Market (CATM) in 2017, which aims to contribute to the positioning and dissemination of the Central America brand.

This important marketing event has an organizer, promoter and executor of the fair: the National Tourism Authorities, the Central American Federation of Tourism Chambers (FEDECATUR) and the Tourism Promotion Agency of Central America (CATA).

Last April, the tourism minister attended the XCIX Central American meeting of the Tourism Council in Roatan-Honduras, there El Salvador was a ratified host of the event that would host more than 100 tourism companies in the region as well as approximately 80 specialized multi-destination buyers from the Europe product, South America and the United States with whom it is hoped to foment tourism business relations with Central American tour operators. It is also expected to reach a wider dissemination of our product through the invitation of at least 20 international media.

“El Salvador takes the leadership in resuming the organization of the CATM, which has established itself as an exceptional showcase to promote the tourism offer of Central American countries, developing the dissemination of multi-destinations, tourism products and knowledge of the region, » said, Mr. José Napoleón Duarte Duarán, the Minister of Tourism

The CATM, in its original format made year by year, had a pause in 2014, the year in which Costa Rica organized the tenth edition. After the evaluation about the impacts on the markets and technical analysis, the region has decided to return to the initiative, this time, opening not only to the European market but also to the North American market.

According to Duarte, the event will bring together ministers and tourism authorities from the region, wholesalers from Europe and the United States, international media and around 100 Central American sellers.

«We are currently in the formulation of this new proposal of CATM, which we want to be different and much more aggressive in terms of marketing elements in order to have the best possible impact ,» said the holder of the Portfolio.

Duarte, recalled the great Central American attractions it has, and which have earned him international recognition as a multi-destination tourist destination.

Among them was the diverse and multicultural offer that complements each other, combining its great natural wealth witchin compuse a into 554 protected areas occupying 25% of its regional territory and 8% of the world’s biodiversity.

Among them was the diverse and multicultural offer that complements each other, combining its great natural wealth translated into 554 protected areas occupying 25% of its regional territory and 8% of the world’s biodiversity.

It has an impressive cultural and heritage such as the Mayans, as well as pre-Columbian and Afro-Caribbean cultures, which remain alive, along with the 16 imposing sites declared world heritage of humanity, colonial cities and volcanoes, beaches in the Pacific and Caribbean coasts are part of the tourist offer of this small but large region of the planet.

In 2015, Central America received a total of 10.3 million tourists according to the World Tourism Organization, achieving a 7% increase compared to 2014. In terms of income, tourism contributed to the seven Central American countries $ 11.4 billion, reporting an increase of 11% compared to the $ 10.3 billion generated in 2014. In addition to the Dominican Republic, revenues in 2015 reached $ 17.6 billion.

The tourists who arrived in Central America, 37% are Central Americans, 37% are Americans, 10% are Europeans, 13% are South Americans and 3% are from other countries.