The chairman of the Latin America Travel Association (Lata) has urged the industry to do more to promote the value of the sector, claiming it is “too humble” when explaining its impact.
Colin Stewart told Travel Weekly it is “unfair” for travel to be accused of negatively impacting destinations as it makes a “vital contribution” to the economies of some countries.
He encouraged Lata’s members to share information on the positive impact they have on the destinations they travel to as that will help agents understand the value and pass that on to their clients.
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“I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and there are some things we are good at, but as an industry we can do a lot better at promoting the value of what we do,” he said.
“I think we are too humble at promoting travel. In today’s world, both travel and the impact of travel can easily be positioned negatively and I think that is unfair.
“Every business that operates in any field has accountability that must be met, and I totally agree with that. But the value and power of what we as the travel industry do in enhancing the social and economic benefits in the destinations we travel to is huge.”
He added: “Covid showed us there are some destinations in Latin America, such as Costa Rica, which are completely reliant on tourism and we shouldn’t shy away from that.
“The idea that tourism is just a nice thing to do is untrue. When people couldn’t travel and tourism completely stopped it had an impact on not just the country’s tourism budget, but on everyone’s back pocket, be it people who provide transport, accommodation, food – suddenly that detriment had an impact on everyone’s lives.”
Stewart went on to urge the industry to recognise the “sheer power” of what travel can do for both travellers and destinations.
“Whether you travel for business or leisure, it changes your life and raises your potential as seeing other cultures stays with you,” he said.
“It also support other countries and can be responsible for an entire economy. Let’s not be too slow in recognising the sheer power of what we do.”