Travel PR and marketing agency Lotus has been appointed to promote travel to the Ecuadorian capital Quito in the United Kingdom. Lotus will be working in alliance with Newlink Group, an internationally recognised consulting firm, to execute an integrated communications and marketing programme in the UK market. Quito, the first city to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Latin America’s bourgeoning metropolises.

With voting set to close at the World Travel Awards in just a few days, Breaking Travel News editor here chats with Quito Tourism general manager Gabriela Sommerfeld to discuss the importance of the programme and the city’s efforts to attract voters. With Ecuador also hit by an earthquake earlier this year, Sommerfeld is keen to point out the capital is ‘open for business’.

Ecuador experienced a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, April 16th, with 413 people confirmed dead. The epicentre was located off the pacific coast and affected mainly coastal areas, while populated areas in the highlands, such as the capital Quito, felt tremors but were largely unaffected.

After a tour led by the mayor of the Metropolitan District of Quito, Mauricio Rodas, the Mariscal Sucre Airport’s expansion Phase 2A became operational earlier. The development will offer more comfort, greater services and increased efficiency for the thousands of domestic passengers that daily pass through the terminal.

In order to encourage art in the public spaces of Quito, the city is planning to renew and give life to various places in the capital of Ecuador. The first one is the Plaza Borja Yerovi honouring Monsignor Pedro Pablo Borja Yerovi and his legacy of education in Quito.

Visit Quito, the Metropolitan Public Company for Tourism Destination Management, has just been distinguished by Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) with the Quality Mark Q