Among the main highlights are:
Afroturismo SP
The State Department of Travel and Tourism of the State of São Paulo launched the guide “Afroturismo SP: 10 Tourist Itineraries and Attractions in the State of São Paulo”. Secretary Roberto de Lucena celebrated the launch and the fact that the state had become a reference for the segment. Tania Neres, Diversity, Afrotourism and Original Peoples Coordinator at Embratur said she was happy to see that São Paulo saw the potential of the segment. “We existed, but we didn’t appear. And now we will never disappear again,” she highlighted.
Solange Barbosa, tourism secretary of Paraibuna and pioneer of Afrotourism in São Paulo with Rota da Liberdade, states that the launch of the itineraries is a big step for the market. “São Paulo is the largest state in Brazil and is home to the largest black population in the country who deserve to have their work seen, respected and valued. Afrotourism in São Paulo is a powerhouse and is present throughout the state in different modalities and interfaces,” she said.
Data Management
The importance of data management to understand traveler behavior was the topic discussed on the Technology theater stage, in a panel led by Jucelha Carvalho, CEO of Smarttou Brasil, and Fernando Tanaka, CEO of Chalinga Online Travel Agency.
Experts pointed out that, in a short time, tourism went from the absence of data to the excess of data. “Until 2018 it was very difficult to talk about data in tourism. Decisions were made on guesswork. Now, in 2024, tourism is experiencing a time to manage this information”, observes Jucelha, pointing out that artificial intelligence is an important ally for analysis. “Data without intelligence is loose information”, she notes.
Bonito Winter Festival
Authorities officially launched the Bonito Winter Festival, scheduled to take place between August 21st and 25th this year, with musical, artistic and cultural programming.
“The event has been taking place for 22 years, but we managed to bring forward the schedule for launch at the main tourism fair in Latin America”, celebrated Bruno Wendling, director-president of the Mato Grosso do Sul Tourism Foundation (Fundtur-MS).
The launch was attended by Bianca Pizzollito, head of WTM Latin America, and was attended by Marcelo Miranda, Secretary of Tourism of Mato Grosso do Sul; Juliane Salvadori, Secretary of Tourism of Bonito; and Eduardo Mendes, CEO of the Mato Grosso do Sul Culture Foundation.
Going viral with destinations
Felipe Tufiño, Senior Business Executive Travel Team at Tik Tok, and Naomy Góes, Business Development Manager at Tik Tok, gave tips on using the app to sell more.
Naomy states that “the application has a lot of power to go viral and influence the supply and demand of destinations, hotels and attractions. We are seeing many cases of brands that started using Tik Tok strategically and saw their destinations and products go viral and demand increase,” she said.
Felipe teaches that there are two things that are most important when using Tik Tok: frequency and quality of content. “You need to use it frequently, publish it often. And there is no better time to publish, as is the case on other platforms. The travel segment is one of the main categories on Tik Tok, which is widely used for travel tips, trends and experiences”, he highlighted.
Insights Google
Do you know what On Stop Travel is? This and other keys to success in an increasingly digital market set the tone for the talk “Insights Google: Increasing Performance” which was led by Daniel Wilke, Senior Business Travel Team at Google.
The expert explained that On Stop Travel represents an important concept in the contemporary market: packaging and selling as many products as possible within your digital environment. In other words, in addition to selling just the airfare, sell the airfare plus the hotel, plus the restaurant, plus the tour. Pack as many products as possible”, he advises.
Daniel revealed some data to support his talk. “At the end of 2022, 80% of Brazilian homes had internet; 71% with broadband. People are purchasing more and more via e-commerce. That's why it's important to offer information so that customers feel safe buying online. Information is the bread and butter”, says the expert.
“Responsible Tourism: results that inspire”
The Transformation theater was the setting for the launch of the book “Responsible Tourism: Results that Inspire”, prepared by the Vivejar Institute with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Ministry of Tourism. The publication brings practical information from ten selected cases that explore diversity of gender, race, geography and business models: Mova Experiences (MA), Hostel da Milla (AM), Dharma Turismo (SP), Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas – IPE (SP); Engenho Triunfo (PB); Godwana Brasil (PR); Braziliando (RJ), Preserve Pipa (RN); Ubuntu Ecotourism (SC); and State Secretariat for Tourism of Rio Grande do Norte.
Inclusive Travel
In the lecture “The Future of Travel: Personalization, Diversity and Regeneration”, the speaker of Inclusive Communication and Associated Lead Analytical at Google, Samantta Neves, and Alex Bernardes, General Director of the LGBT+ Tourism Expo fair, were simple, pedagogical and enlightening About the subject.
Inclusive communication is crucial to winning or losing customers, says Samantta, who shared some tips to improve the experience. “Make everyone feel part of the environment. Cultivate empathy and active listening, celebrate diversity, combat prejudice and discrimination and take the lead in inspiring other people to respect and value diversity.”
Alex highlighted that it is essential that the tourism trade increases awareness about diversity and is increasingly able to welcome all people and be competitive in the global market. And he taught: “Act with courtesy, respect and naturalness; don't stare too much when you see a gay or trans person approaching; do not overdo the service or force intimacy; do not pass other people in front of you or make prejudiced jokes or comments”, advised the specialist.
Brazil-Cuba
WTM Latin America is the stage for many agreements and partnerships to promote national and international tourism. On this second day of the fair, the Mais que Viagens agency, from Maricá (RJ), signed a collaboration agreement with the Amistur agency, from the Cuban Ministry of Tourism.
Thus, the Brazilian travel agency became the first in the country approved by the Cuban government. Gabriela Siqueira, CEO of the Mais que Viagens agency, says that “Cuba is a magnificent destination, with immense tourist potential and largely unexplored by Brazilians. This cooperation agreement is very important. Our goal is to take more Brazilians to discover Havana, the piers, the islands... It is a fascinating and welcoming country.”
Alfredo Mateo Díaz Fuentes, General Director of Amistur, from the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, considers that the agreement is very important to enhance tourist exchange between the two countries. “We are very happy with this collaboration agreement between Cuba and Brazil. It is tourism between friends, uniting Brazilian and Cuban potential to help each other in the areas of health, education, agriculture and tourism. This exchange with the Maricá agency (RJ) is very important for Brazil and Cuba.”
Brazil – Jordan
Jordan welcomed almost 15 thousand Brazilians in 2023 and wants to attract more Latin American visitors in the coming years. Among the arguments are the unique history, combined with landscapes, experiences and religion, in addition to the performance of King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, ruler of the country. In its first participation as an exhibitor at WTM Latin America, Jordan brought 10 co-exhibitors to demonstrate its tourism potential and do business with buyers from Latin America.
Responsible Tourism Award
As is traditional, the second day of WTM Latin America was marked by the presentation of the Responsible Tourism Award, created to recognize advances, open space for the replication of success stories and the joint construction of a more sustainable world.
On stage in a packed auditorium, Gustavo Pinto, specialist in responsible tourism and coordinator of the award, celebrated 158 registered projects, an increase of almost 200% compared to the previous edition. “This proves that responsible tourism is increasingly stronger on our continent”, said the award organizer.
Night program
Last night, the program was extended with three programs organized by different destinations participating in WTM Latin America. A lively musical show was offered by the state of Goiás to celebrate the productive day of meetings.
“After honoring those who know how to do business with a delegation of 30 businesspeople, the night in Goiás celebrated our way of being to the sound of the country singer Bruno, the duo Bruno and Marrone”, stated Fabrício Amaral, president of Goiás Turismo. Egypt offered a dinner for guests who were able to try typical cuisine at the African country's stand.
At the Lassu restaurant, hosted buyers from WTM Latin America participated in the Networking Dinner, which presented the states of Ceará, Pernambuco and Bahia as gateways to Brazil. The exclusive meeting held in partnership with B2Live brought together Yrwana Albuquerque, Secretary of Tourism of Ceará; Eduardo Loyo, Secretary of Tourism of Pernambuco; and Pedro Gramacho, director of Promotion at the Bahia Tourism Secretariat, who promoted the Northeast to international buyers. The Networking Dinner was highlighted by leaders as key to promoting the Northeast in an integrated way.
Vila Galé Network
The Vila Galé de Hotéis chain held a parallel program on the morning of the second day of the event: a press conference brought together Brazilian, European and Latin American journalists at Vila Galé Paulista under the command of Jorge Rabelo de Almeida, president and founder of the network hotel company that has 44 hotels in operation in Brazil, Portugal, Cuba and Spain.
Rabelo de Almeida highlighted the proposal of Vila Galé Nep Kids, an innovative hotel concept in Portugal that reverses logic and only accepts adults accompanied by children and stated that it has great ambitions for Brazil and Cuba, where the chain opened the Vila Galé Cayo resort Paredón, in October 2023. “We are working to encourage the creation of a direct flight between Brazil and Cuba,” he said.
Rota da Diversidade
The Rota da Diversidade has a special seal that serves to identify 20 public and private organizations, selected among those registered, and which are creators and holders of innovative projects in the themes of Afrotourism, LGBTQIA+ Tourism and Tourism 60+.
The project, launched on the first day of WTM Latin America 2024, has been working as a guide, within the event, for those looking for initiatives that promote diversity in their products and initiatives.