The Latin American Travel Association has revealed plans to double the number of its UK-based tour operator members in the next 18 months.
The plans follow the appointment of Mitchell Hawes in the new role of business development manager earlier this month.
Hawes, who previously worked as the UK and Ireland sales manager at Norwegian Airlines, launching routes to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, said he aimed to visit existing operators as well as new potential members.
Lata, which has suppliers, tourist boards, hotels, destination management companies and cruise lines among its 360 members, has around 50 UK-based tour operators currently.
Hawes said: “The aim is to pretty much double that in the next 18 months. I have already started visiting tour operators to make sure they are getting the most out of their membership. The face-to-face piece is really important. I will be going to industry events; there are lots of opportunities to expand our membership.”
He described Lata as a “central point of expertise and access to knowledge and contacts” for Latin America and as an education provider on the countries in Latin America.
“Our most successful tour operator partners are those that put the most in and being a member will help your bottom line. If you look at the cost of membership and the return on investment, it’s absolutely a win-win,” he said.
He added: “As a former supplier to the trade, when we (Norwegian Airlines) launched Buenos Aires, we asked Lata about how we put this together for an operator, and Lata put functions together to help us launch these routes.”
Lata also plans to run fam trips for operators in future to help educate sales staff further about the destinations they sell. “We are working on fam trips,” said Hawes, who said this was at an early stage with no trips yet confirmed.
The association is running its 2025 Expo in June to bring together suppliers and buyers, and runs roadshows and webinars on a variety of topics ranging from sustainability to child protection and safety.
Chief executive Danny Callaghan said the association had evolved in the last 10 years and grown its team from two to four in the last year.
“We are trying to do more and we got to the point where we needed a BDM. It’s a new role but it’s taken a weight off us and allowed us to develop,” he added.