The National Secretariat of Tourism together with the Paraguayan Embassy to the Holy See presided over the launching ceremony of the tourism promotion of Paraguay that will be carried out through the Vatican Agency Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi-ORP, as a result of the cooperation between the aforementioned agency tourism and the national government.
The objective is to insert Paraguay in the tourist offer of said agency specialized mainly in religious tourism. Marketing and packages will be in charge of DTP Operator. Likewise, the promotion has the support of ITAIPU BINACIONAL.
Likewise, SENATUR in alliance with the Paraguayan Association of Tourist Guides (APGT) provided training to Italian-speaking guides, currently 8 people have been trained to be the guides that will accompany Italian tourists visiting the country, the first contingent will arrive in the month September.
The Paraguayan Ambassador to the Holy See, Leticia Casati, highlighted the importance of this campaign, taking into account that Paraguay is very privileged to ensure that the Agency of the Holy See Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi has decided to promote and publicize the tourist offers of our country.
The Ambassador mentioned that on the occasion of the visit of the President of the Republic to the Vatican last January, the contribution of the Jesuits to Paraguay was highlighted, among other things, leaving a mark of the national identity of our country, being the Jesuit Missions of Jesus and Trinity, a heritage guarded with pride and responsibility, and the interest of promoting them through the Pellegrinaggi Roman Opera.
From that moment on, a long process of conversation arose between the ORP and the Embassy of Paraguay before the Holy See in order to explore the way in which Paraguay would be promoted.
The ORP's suggestion was developed at the national level by SENATUR, who coordinated the proposal to be presented to the ORP with local tour operators and negotiated with Air Europa a preferential rate that allows the marketing of tourist packages at promotional prices.
The Minister of Tourism Sofía Montiel de Afara, described as a historical fact that the promotion of Paraguay is carried out by the hand of the Vatican Agency, due to the high importance and demands of that instance, since its representative work is only religious tourism.
"It is a long-cherished dream that the official agency of the Vatican promotes the tourist riches of our country," said the head of Tourism.
He also thanked the National Chancellery for having played a fundamental role in managing the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi Agency. "It is a strategy of high diplomacy to be promoted in different parts of Italy, hand in hand with the Foreign Ministry," said Minister Sofía Montiel.
He also thanked maestro Luis Szarán that with the Orchestra Sonidos de Paraqvaria he will join this initiative to spread the cultural legacy of the Jesuits in Paraguay, through music.