(Quito, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Ecuador & Jacksonville, Florida) Over 330
Tour Operator/Buyers, Retail Travel Agents, and Ecuador Suppliers
participated at a unique six (6) day business development
event May 4-9, 2009 in Quito, Cuenca, and Guayaquil. The 2nd Annual
“See Ecuador” Schedule of Events featured seminars,
sightseeing, site inspections, pre-scheduled meetings between
Buyers, Travel Agents, and Suppliers, and sponsored social
functions.
“See Ecuador” is designed to increase inbound tourism
to all four (4) of Ecuador’s Tourism Regions/Destinations: Amazon,
Andes, Pacific Coast, and Galapagos. Tour Operator Buyers and Retail
Travel Agents from the USA, Canada, Europe, and Suppliers from all
Ecuador destinations participate. The Event Management
Firm, William H. Coleman, Inc. confirms that 1,773 business
appointments between Tour Operators, Buyers, Travel Agents and
Ecuador Suppliers were pre-scheduled by The Company’s
unique “SelectMatch” system.
The “See Ecuador” activities included:
• May 4 & 5, Quito: Arrivals,
Seminars, Site Inspections, City Tours.
• May 6 & 7, Cuenca: Seminars, Site Inspections, City Tours,
“Marketplace Business Appointments”
• May 8 & 9, Guayaquil: Seminars, Site Inspections, City Tours.
• May 10, Guayaquil: Extensions & Departures.
A
special seminar/workshop for Buyers and Suppliers moderated by Colin
Rusch, President, Rusch and Company, Toronto, Canada, “South
America Still Looking Good – Opportunities for Ecuador,” was held at 9:30 Thursday, May 7, at the Convention Center.
Tour Operator/Buyers paid a $250 registration fee and received single
room accommodations at host hotels, inter-city air transportation,
airport transfers, pre-scheduled “Marketplace” appointments with
Suppliers and Travel Agents, seminars, sightseeing, site
inspections, social functions, ground transportation, and a CD
Directory of all participants.
Travel Agent Registration fees were $195 that include double room
accommodations at host hotels, inter-city air transportation,
airport transfers, pre scheduled “Marketplace” appointments with
Suppliers and Tour Operators, seminars and workshops, all business
and social functions, ground transportation, and a CD Directory of
all participants.
Registered and confirmed Tour Operators/Buyers and Travel Agents
also were
eligible for discount airfares on American Airlines, the Official
“See Ecuador” Airline. LAN Airlines also offered travel
industry discounts from the United States. Ecuador Host Airlines
TAME and AeroGal sponsored and provided special tickets for Tour
Operators/Buyers & Travel Agents to fly between
Quito-Cuenca-Guayaquil.
Suppliers paid a $795 Registration Fee that included two delegates, a
booth/office/table-top and pre-scheduled appointments with Tour
Operators/Buyers and Travel Agents at the “Marketplace” in Cuenca
Thursday, May 7, participation at business and social functions, and
a CD Directory of all participants. Suppliers also qualified for
a reduced round trip airfare to Cuenca on AeroGal & TAME, the
official See Ecuador Host Country Airlines.
Quito Visitors’ Bureau, Cuenca Tourism Board, Guayas Chamber of
Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism Ecuador - Tourism Promotion
Board are major sponsors for See Ecuador.
Host Hotels and Sponsors in each city for See Ecuador 2009 included Quito: Hilton Colon,
Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Quito, JW Marriott, Swissotel, and
Surtrek Tour Operator; Cuenca: Hotel Carvallo, Hotel Crespo, El
Dorado Hotel, Hotel Inca Real, Mansion Alcazar Boutique Hotel, Oro
Verde Cuenca, Hotel Boutique Santa Lucia, and Cazhuma Tours;
Guayaquil: Hotel Continental, Grand Hotel Guayaquil, Hotel Hampton
Inn by Hilton, Hilton Colon, Howard Johnson, Oro Verde, Hotel
Palace, Hotel Ramada, Hotel Sheraton, and Unipark Hotel.
Cristina Guerrero de Miranda, Executive Director of the Quito
Visitors’ Bureau (Empresa Metropolitana Quito Turismo) said: “We are
delighted to be partnering with Cuenca and Guayaquil in this
extremely successful Event, and be providing an effective and
efficient opportunity for these Tour Operators/Buyers and Travel
Agents to actually see and experience everything that Ecuador has to
offer.”
The Cuenca Visitors’ Bureau (Fundación Municipal Turismo of Cuenca),
Gladys Eljuri de Alvarez, Executive Director said: “This Event is a
wonderful example of how Cuenca can work with our Quito and
Guayaquil colleagues to host this very important event. We know that
the Tour Operators/ Buyers, and Travel Agents will be delighted and
excited to see and experience Cuenca.”
Andre Barona, Executive Vice-President of the Guayas Tourism Chamber
of Commerce added: “The Guayaquil Tourism Industry is pleased to be
a part of this nationwide Ecuadorian promotional event, and to have
the opportunity to show these important Travel Industry Professional
all of the exciting changes that Guayaquil continues to make to our
exciting and growing destination.”
Irma Coleman, President & CEO of William H. Coleman, Inc. said: “We
are very excited about the number of Buyers, Travel Agents, and
Suppliers that will be attending this ‘See Ecuador’
Event. Travel Industry interest in Ecuador to participate in this
unique ‘three (3) city event’ was very positive, and registration
was ‘sold out.’ We believe Buyers and Travel Agents will return to
their offices with the product knowledge and contacts that will help
them aggressively promote all of Ecuador’s destinations to their
clients as an exciting and affordable destination in this
challenging economic environment.”
“See Ecuador” is organized by William H. Coleman, Inc.
an international Event Management Firm headquartered in
Jacksonville, Florida, with offices in London and Toronto.
