SUNNY skies ahead
Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism has several initiatives in the pipeline to capitalize on the recovering international tourism sector as well as continue to cater to national tourism.
What has been the impact on Ecuador’s tourism industry by the effective vaccination campaign?
The vaccination campaign has been entirely relevant and fundamental to reactivating the tourism industry. When our administration began on May 24, 2021, we were focused on several fronts. First in the financial relief for the touristic sector, which, as we know, was greatly affected during the pandemic, requiring economic alleviation to continue operating. In addition, we resumed work on promoting the country itself because Ecuador spent several years without international promotion in the US, Canada, and Europe. When it comes to vaccinations, we became the first destination in the entire region to have their touristic sector fully vaccinated ahead of other sectors because the government understood the importance of international and national tourist safety.
What is your evaluation of the recovery in air connectivity?
The government has proposed a wholly open and aggressive policy to improve the routes and frequencies of flights from Ecuador to the world. A few months after the government entered office, we removed the 5% ISD tax on international airlines to sign open skies agreements with the US and other nations, which has enabled the opening of new routes. For example, Avianca is now connecting Ecuador to Costa Rica and flying from Guayaquil to New York. There are also plans with airlines such as LATAM to resume flights to the US shortly. Jet Blue has also recovered all of its frequencies from Ecuador to the US, such as KML and Aeromexico. Meanwhile, American Airlines now has a more extensive inventory than before the pandemic. Domestic connectivity between March 2021 and March 2022 increased 74%, which means we have now risen from 165 weekly flights to 245.
What plans do you have to keep developing the national tourism sector?
Of the USD47.5 million that, as a country, we will be investing in attracting new tourists, 30% will be invested in the domestic market to drive national tourism forward. During the pandemic, the private touristic sector was supported by Ecuadorians. On behalf of the government and the Ministry of Tourism, we have thanked citizens many times for helping domestic tourism and traveling locally, visiting the beach to see the whales, swimming with the rays, and visiting Amazonia, the mountains, and the farms. Ecuadorians have supported the touristic sector. Therefore, within the budget, we have several initiatives, ranging from creating a new four-day national tourism fair which will provide a vital opportunity for service providers to build commercial relationships with buyers. In addition, during the weekend, the fair will be open for all Ecuadorians to showcase the unique experiences that the country offers. We are working on a national campaign to continue driving national tourism forward. And meanwhile, with the new tax law passed in December 2021, the value-added tax VAT has been reduced from 12% to 8% to provide some economic relief to Ecuadorians.
How are you planning the international promotion of Ecuador for the coming years?
Ecuador will participate in over 10 international events shortly. In January 2023, we will attend Fitur with a stunning stand and with the private sector. In 2022, we will invest USD5.5 million, of which USD2.2 million will be invested in the US and Canada, which account for the most significant number of tourists visiting Ecuador. In February 2022, we took part in the Groups fair in Texas to improve connectivity and invite additional airlines to connect to Ecuador. In March 2022, we were in Panama, in the SAHIC, to attract tourism investments. In April 2022, we had the Seatrade conference geared at improving the nation’s nautical connectivity through a greater volume of cruises visiting Ecuador. By May, Ecuador will participate in AdventureELEVATE, a high-level, non-profit tourism organization arranged by ATA. We will also be present in London for the LATA and the WTM, at a fair organized by Signature and Virtuoso, which caters to high-end tourism in the US. We also have two important events, AIMEX in Las Vegas and FIEXPO in Panama, to attract more congresses and expos here.
“Domestic connectivity between March 2021 and March 2022 increased 74%, which means we have now risen from 165 weekly flights to 245.”