The shows bring together – for the first time – airlines, hotels, cruise lines, tour and travel operators, tourism bodies and specialist agents from Australia and Latin America – all showcasing 21 countries in South and Central America. Among the 52 exhibitors are the tourism bodies of Peru, Chile, Brazil and Colombia which have never fronted an Australian travel show before.
Thousands of Sydneysiders attended the first-ever Latin America travel expo in Sydney on Sunday, May 15, 2016, with an encore show set to unfurl this coming Sunday – May 22 – in Melbourne.
Organised by the Australian Travel Association for Latin America (ATALA), the free Latin America Travel Show was held at the Sydney Town Hall last Sunday, May 15, and will be held from 10am-4pm at the Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday, May 22, 2016. Like in Sydney, the public in Melbourne will be invited to donate gold coins to UNHCR’s Ecuador Earthquake Appeal.
The shows bring together – for the first time – airlines, hotels, cruise lines, tour and travel operators, tourism bodies and specialist agents from Australia and Latin America – all showcasing 21 countries in South and Central America. Among the 52 exhibitors are the tourism bodies of Peru, Chile, Brazil and Colombia which have never fronted an Australian travel show before.
Nicholas Aquilina and Catherine De Giorgio from LATAM Airlines.
Crowds on Sunday were entertained by sultry Latin American dancing and visitors also had the chance to go into the draw to win a $40,000 Argentina and Antarctica holiday for two including return flights with LATAM Airlines, a total of five nights in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia in Argentina and a 10-night cruise to Antarctica.
The travel shows are backed by major sponsors LATAM Airlines Group and Prom Peru with silver sponsors Turismo Chile and Ecuadorian tour operators, Metropolitan Touring Ecuador and Latin Trails.
ATALA will also host travel agent workshops in Sydney this Wednesday night, May 18, and in Melbourne on Thursday, May 19, with hundreds of agents registered to attend, with one South America holiday prize for agents up for grabs at each event.
Dancers from the Latin Dance Australia Academy.
“More Australians are looking at South and Central America as holiday destinations with a sizeable increase in airline capacity in recent years, the Rio Olympics, more packaged tours and positive marketing all helping to fuel travel to Latin America,” said ATALA Chairman Ted Dziadkiewicz.
“South America is full of wonder and excitement – from the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, the splendour of Iguazu Falls, the mysterious Amazon jungle, and the spectacular peaks of Patagonia to the mighty glaciers of Chile, the buzz of beautiful Rio, the elegance of Buenos Aires and the exotic wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. There’s the sun-kissed Mexican Riviera, the Caribbean island of Cuba, the breathtaking expanse of Antarctica and colourful, friendly and welcoming cultures right across the continent.
“There’s so much to see and do that we’ve gathered all the wonderful countries of Latin America and the multitude of life-changing experiences available in them in one place at these consumer and trade travel events.”
Photo caption: The ATALA team from left Chad Carey, Michelle Mohaupt, Ted Dziadkiewicz and Jennyfer Pereira Johnson.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
