The appointment is this March 22 and 23, 2024 with all travel agents, operators, tour guides, hoteliers and other services in the Rio Grande do Sul sector and 3 foreign destinations. The country will present its tourism innovations, the increase in air connectivity with Brazil, as well as its benefits designed for tourists.
Aimed at professionals in the UGART sector, it is the place where nearly 170 brands are positioned, including Uruguay Natural; More than 1,200 travel agents will participate, and about 2,500 attendees are expected. Likewise, as usual, several caravans of travel agents will visit the Barra Shopping Sul Event Center in Porto Alegre.
This fair, organized by the Gaúcha Association of Tourism Agents and Representatives (UGART) with the support of the Brazilian Association of Travel Agencies of (RS ABAV-RS) and the Union of Tourism Companies of RS (Sindetur-RS), In its 38th edition it honors its slogan “A world of ideas: updating, knowledge, network and business”.
It stands out for being one of the largest productive meetings in the tourism trade. They have a common area for networking, experiences and gastronomic tastings, as well as a knowledge area with training and conferences. But what makes it unique is its potential to reach commercial agreements in its Business Round between exhibitors that will take place on Saturday between 9:00 and 12:00.
URUGUAYAN OFFER
The country has a 20 m² stand with the objective of positioning Uruguay, its offer and news about the destination. Uruguay's participation aims to publicize the natural attractions and the variety of tourist experiences that the destination offers: wine tourism, heritage, in addition to its nightlife, gambling and rural tourism; or the coast, hiking, adventure, hot springs, mining tourism, marine fauna watching and the excellent quality of its services.
The geographical proximity to Brazil, added to the diverse landscapes, natural parks and birds, make it an extremely attractive country. At the same time, it brings together great flavors and gourmet traditions linked to wine culture in its family vineyards-wineries and ranches.
The stand is headed by a delegation of 23 people made up of the director of Cologne Tourism, Martín de Freitas; for the mayor of Canelones, Marketing Analyst Lourdes Giordano; for Maldonado, the Lic. in International Relations Javier Báez; by the Ministry of Tourism, the Lic. in Communication Trinidad Rodríguez from the Marketing area and the person in charge of Territorial Management of Tourism, Mag. Mónica Lozano, along with 9 private operators, in addition to several representatives of the tourism associations of Maldonado and Colonia.
Among the tourist service providers are: Buquebus, Hotel Royal, Hotel Awa Punta del Este, Sheraton Colonia, Costanero Mgallery Hotel, Gran -Hotels-Lux, Hoteles Dazzler by Wyndham, After Hotel Montevideo and Turismo Minero.
BENEFITS
Foreigners who visit Uruguay have the following tax benefits: 0 VAT in hotels, refund of 9 VAT points in gastronomy, vehicle rental without driver and catering for parties or events; discounts on event organization; 9% reimbursement in the mediation service for the rental of properties for tourist purposes, 24% in gasoline at service stations 20 km from the border, among others.
MORE CONNECTIVITY
Uruguay expanded its international air terminals seeking to strengthen the airport network to contribute to the economic, tourism and logistical development of the country. It added the Rivera Binational Airport (Uruguay-Brazil), being the first airport in Latin America with this distinction and the second in the world. In addition to the new Carmelo International Airport, after carrying out a modernization work that included the renewal of the aeronautical infrastructure and the construction of a new air terminal. It is equipped with all the comforts and technology to receive national and international flights, as well as a Duty Free Shop and a Narbonne gastronomic space.
At the same time, the Salto Airport is now operational, where it has been modernized in infrastructure, technology, security and services, transforming it into a modern, safe airfield in accordance with international standards.
Currently five airlines directly connect Uruguay with Brazil: Azul, GOL, LATAM, Jet Smart, and SKY, linking the cities of Montevideo with Porto Alegre, San Pablo, Curitiba, Recife, Salvador de Bahía, Florianópolis and Rio de Janeiro. While Punta del Este connects directly with Porto Alegre, San Pablo and also from Buenos Aires.
By land, the TTL and EGA companies also increased their frequencies, facilitating traffic between both countries.