The Greener Hotels Certification Program (HMV), belonging to the Association of Tourism Hotels of the Argentine Republic, participated for the first time in the VIII Paraguay Expo Hotel 2023, one of the most important meetings for the hotel sector in this country and the meeting point between suppliers and customers. This participation is thanks to the support of the organizing entity, the Industrial Hotel Association of Paraguay (AIHPY).
Prior to this meeting, an institutional lunch was held with authorities from the National Secretariat of Tourism of Paraguay - SENATUR - the general director of tourism management, Carmen Silva; the general director of culture and tourism of the municipality of Asunción, Marcela Bacigalupo; the Director of Formalization of the Tourism Sector, Aldo Insfran; the president of AIPHY, Josefina Otero Rey; the former president of AIPHY, Cecilia Cartes Wagner.
On behalf of the AHT, the following participated: the president, M. Gabriela Ferrucci; the Executive Director, Franco Di Pasquo and the coordinator of the HMV Program, Daniela Finocchiaro.
The objective of this meeting was to discuss various topics related to hotel sustainability in the region and the launch of the Certification Program in Paraguay. Some of the key topics discussed include: for the sector, such as: the regulation of temporary tourist rentals (ATT) and the promotion of incentives for the development of the hotel sector in the country.
HMV's participation in the Expo Hotel Paraguay on October 20 is an important milestone for the program. Setting up a promotional booth at an event outside the country indicates an effort to expand the presence and reach of the program beyond its usual borders.
The launch event was attended by authorities from the National Secretariat of Tourism of Paraguay (SECTUR): the director of tourism products, MG. Javier Ramirez; the vice minister of MSMEs, Gustavo Giménez Fernández and the president of the host entity AIPHY, Josefina Otero Rey, who expressed: “I want to make a special mention of our colleagues from the Association of Tourism Hotels of Argentina. This interaction demonstrates that tourism has no borders, and proof of the success achieved through joint work is that we have been one of the participating countries in the tenth Sustainable Hotel Competition of the Greener Hotels Program, the first of an international nature , where academic representatives of our country, obtained the highest recognition in said competition.”
And he continued with the announcement of the launch of the HMV Certification Program: “Sustainability will continue to be part of this shared agenda, and as part of this joint management, the Argentine association will reward the first hotels that certify the ecolabel of said program. Thank you for your generosity in opening your doors to us, sharing your experience with us, reaffirming the importance of working together for the hotel industry throughout the region,” he concluded.
In parallel and in addition to the Expo, training activities were carried out such as conferences and workshops aimed at the hotel and gastronomic sector with specialized and current topics of interest, led by foreign and local professionals. One of them was the presentation carried out by the president of the AHT, M. Gabriela Ferrucci and the president of AOCA, Patricia Duran Vaca, who spoke about sustainable hospitality and the importance of the MICE segment, which is the main business segment for the country's hotel industry.
It should be noted that the HMV stand was visited by several hotel entrepreneurs interested in certification, in addition to the finalists of the 2023 Sustainable Hospitality Contest.