The first United South America workshop was held on Monday night, at the London Chamber of Commerce.  This workshop was judged by exhibitors and attendees to be, a fantastic success, gathering countries and airlines from across South America highlighting what is new and exciting about the continent.

The workshop, which was organised by VBRATA – Visit Brazil Travel Association, was a great opportunity for the countries of South America to unite and easily communicate to agents and operators what makes the whole continent a desirable holiday destination. 

The night began with a variety of 15 minute talks from The Brazilian Tourist Office about the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, followed by Iberia, LAN and TAM detailing the new and existing flight paths to and within South America.  Following the talks the 128 attendees were separated into groups and had six minutes at each exhibiting table to hear a short presentation about what each country had to offer tourists.  Countries including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Columbia all had stands at the event.  There was then a chance to network and speak to the representatives again whilst enjoying drinks and canapés.  The attendees also had the chance to win multiple prizes including a place on a fam trip to Brazil.

Chris Fuzinatto, Director of the Brazilian Tourist Office UK and Ireland (Embratur) said, ‘South America has great potential to become an even more popular holiday destination for UK travellers.  This is because of the huge variety it can offer to holiday makers.  From the dense Amazon rainforest to the dramatic Andes mountains there is a vast quantity of experiences to be explored by potential visitors – and according to a recent survey by Euromonitor, luxury travel and Brazil’s World Cup and Olympics are key opportunities for the region’.

Miguel A. Solano-Lopez, Ambassador of Paraguay, who was present at the event last night said, ‘The format and approach of this evening has been fantastic, and it is a great opportunity for the whole of the continent to get together and focus on what makes it such a special tourist destination. After the success of this year’s event there is no doubt in my mind next year will be bigger and better.’