The event, which will take place on November 13 in the Golden Room of the Montevideo City Hall, was launched on Thursday, October 10 in the Arredondo Room of the Ministry of Tourism, and was attended by the Minister of Tourism, Eduardo Sanguinetti, the National Director of Tourism, Roque Baudean, the National Undersecretary of Sports, Enrique Belo, the Director (I) of Tourism of the Montevideo City Hall, Karina Fortete, the Vice President of the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism, Francisco Rodríguez and the President of the Montevideo Tourism Association, Gustavo Pascuali.
In response to this, the Minister of Tourism, Eduardo Sanguinetti, stated that “we have been supporting this type of activities that are carried out throughout the country, because there is a really important grid of sporting events that leads to there being organizations that are working permanently.” Regarding the link between tourism and sport, he said that “we have a wide range of destinations and options so that all Uruguayans and people from the region can come to our country and do tourism.”
On the other hand, the National Undersecretary of Sports, Enrique Belo, stressed that "the phenomenon of sports and tourism transcends competitive sports, we have to go beyond the season to make our country the venue for different events, we have a number of sites throughout the country that anyone who talks about sports can tell you that we are very well positioned and regarded in the sporting imagination of the region and we have to continue along that path."
Meanwhile, the Director (I) of Tourism of the Municipality of Montevideo, Karina Fortete, said that "this event is an opportunity to improve the offer, to generate more specific demand, we know that sports tourism is an opportunity for both internal tourism and especially in Uruguay, it serves us as a country brand, as a departmental brand, as a destination brand, it is super important that we continue to position this issue and it is also an opportunity for the different departments."
The Vice President of the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism, Francisco Rodríguez, commented that it will be a very important milestone not only for Montevideo, but for Uruguay itself, because all beginnings are difficult, but if we all support each other and form a great team, this will be an achievement that soon, next year, we will have a very important reference.”
Finally, the President of the Montevideo Tourism Association, Gustavo Pascuali, said that "this meeting will help us to learn, become more professional based on the experiences of other countries and other destinations that have already had more development in some of these instances, but Uruguay has a lot to offer in terms of sports tourism and we must put it on the radar of operators to show it abroad, generate products and proposals."
The First Meeting of Sports Tourism aims to promote collaboration and commercial dialogue between organizers of sports events and the tourism sector. This event is the result of a joint effort between the Ministry of Tourism, the Secretariat of Sports, the Tourism Division of the Municipality of Montevideo, the Chamber of Tourism and the Tourist Association of Montevideo.
The stakeholders involved share the belief that tourism and sport are interdependent and effectively complement each other. Sports activities, whether professional, recreational or entertainment, generate a considerable amount of travel to compete and participate in events in various destinations and countries. In addition, major sporting events have become important tourist attractions, contributing significantly to the image of the host destination.
Both sectors have the opportunity to mutually enhance each other, generating added value and improving Uruguay's position in the sports tourism market. This reinforces the country's image as a multi-product destination.
The event's strategy seeks to promote tourism and sports proposals and products that integrate services and enrich the visitor's experience. The goal is to identify common opportunities between the sports and tourism fields and to work on effective tourism modalities.
This approach is especially relevant, since there are various sporting events in the region that have been successfully developed in combination with tourist experiences. Uruguay cannot be left behind in the creation of a more articulated strategy that adequately positions the destination.
The event will feature prominent national and international exhibitors with outstanding experience in the field of sports tourism.
Foreign speakers will include Jesús García Fernández, CEO of Experientia Group, a holding company that includes RPM Sports, with more than 45 years of experience in managing sporting events globally. Leonora Guedes, CEO of Sertões, one of the most important sports tourism agencies in Brazil, who has a Master's degree in Tourism, will also participate. In addition, economist Pedro Pereira, responsible for the Maratona do Rio, one of the most important running events in Latin America, will be present. We will also have the participation of prominent Uruguayan experts in the organization of sporting and tourism events, as well as companies in the tourism sector specialized in sports tourism.
Source: MINTUR Uruguay.