Central America unmasks a new face for all the world to see
Central America: So Small, So Big,” is the spanking-new trademark the region is advertising its tourist attractions with around the world. Those were the remarks of Mercedes Melendez de Mena, tourism director for the General Secretary Office of the Central American Integration System and tourism secretary at the Council of Tourism Ministers.
The bludgeoning promotional blitz hinges on a management plan that includes regulations for communication materials and promotional items to be used in different specialized tradeshows.
The promotional campaign was one of the agreements adopted in a recently concluded summit of Central American presidents held in San Jose, Costa Rica.
As humble as it gets, the project means one firm step forward to regional integration, at least in the realm of the leisure industry. The new plan will chalk up a couple of immediate outcomes: a more efficient use of funds appropriated for promotion and more strength in the face of the competition posted by the Caribbean islands, whose gorgeous beaches have long put them on the tourist map.
Officially unveiled last Tuesday, the campaign highlights the attractions each and every country has to offer. The menu handed over to travelers features some 70 choices, while a variety of offers is the nuts and bolts of the project. Belize underlines the beauty of its Caribbean keys; Costa Rica showcases its tropical forests and parks.
El Salvador heightens its biological reserves and archeological sites. Guatemala does not lag behind with Tikal and the city of Antigua. The common offer will throw the limelight on Honduras’ Copan and its beaches. Nicaragua will chip in the colonial city of Granada, while Panama will advertise the Canal Zone, its beaches and breathtaking volcanoes.
Besides a clear-cut destination diversity, travelers will be entitled to fare discounts of up to 60 percent off to fly to Central American countries as long as they book on TACA, the regional airline, that has knocked together a special plan dubbed TACA Air Pass.
