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ALBA-TCP Tourism Ministers agreed today on 16 lines of work to consolidate the industry in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an emphasis on marketing the product as a multi-destination.
According to the final minutes of the 7th Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), other key topics were: connectivity, regional tourism, legal regulations, and the training of qualified personnel in tourism.
Given the importance of certain topics, the declaration added, it was decided that Cuba will work on establishing cruise tourism among ALBA countries; Venezuela and a Cuban team will work on establishing the ALBA Forum for Tourism Education, Training, Research, and Innovation.
In addition, Cuba will work on how to integrate a destination proposal modality into the Alliance’s website, based on the potential client’s multiple-choice questions, based on their preferences and needs. Among the key topics addressed at the technical roundtables in the area of tourism are the consolidation between Cuba and Venezuela—through two of their tourism agencies—the negotiation of a multi-destination product with the Chinese market; and the participants’ acceptance of the steps for marketing this modality.
Two tour operators made proposals: one to use its agency to market multi-destination products and incorporate other modalities such as honeymoon tourism, MICE, and archaeology; and the other to market a cruise in the region on appropriate platforms to achieve its positioning.
It was also decided to promote multimodal transportation to benefit the tourism sector of the ALBA countries, with alternatives that allow for breaking the siege of unilateral coercive measures and the blockade suffered by some member nations. Similarly, for the next Venezuelan International Tourism Fair (FITVEN), products must be presented that allow for the inclusion of other countries in the region to complement the offerings of other multi-destination countries.
Nicaragua will share information on Central America’s experience in certifications; Cuba offered academic packages for the training and development of tourism professionals and awarded two places per country starting in September. Meanwhile, Venezuela proposed two additional scholarships per country for one-year technical programs starting this August and made its technological platform available to ALBA countries.
The courses will begin in August this year. Antigua and Barbuda will work on developing common criteria for the quality certification process for tourism and associated services and products, given its experience in the field. Regarding airlines, the statement specifies that they discussed new connectivity opportunities, as well as the creation of incentives for operations to reduce airfare costs, in order to make tourism packages more competitive.
Significant and decisive progress has been made toward the realization of the First ALBA-TCP International Tourism Fair, scheduled for 2026. The meeting was chaired by Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García, Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Josefina Vidal, and Edith Peraza, Director General of the ALBA-TCP Executive Secretariat.
The meeting took place over two days in the context of the Havana International Fair, which concluded successfully, according to Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García.
(Taken from Prensa Latina)
