The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is taking the lead in attracting more Latin American tourists to Atlanta and wants area art and history museums to participate in an upcoming hospitality industry convention, to be held here Oct. 27-31, said Gabriela Gonzalez, director of international sales and marketing for the ACVB.
“We are trying to educate the Latin American traveler about Atlanta and at the same time educate Atlanta about the buying power in Latin America,” Ms. Gonzalez told GlobalFax in an interview.
The ACVB and the Atlanta Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are organizing the Latin America 2000 convention that is to attract about 150 tour wholesalers from Central and South America, the Caribbean and Mexico for a trade show and activities at Georgia tourist attractions, she said.
An equal number of Atlanta organizations involved in the hospitality industry are also to participate in the convention, including the Ritz Carlton Co. LLC, the Fox Theatre, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, local shopping malls and universities. However, she said, local art and history museums should also be involved.
“Latin American travelers are cultured travelers,” she said, adding that she has seen a strong interest on the part of Latin Americans in U.S. and Southern culture.
This summer the ACVB worked with Delta Air Lines and CNN to create Spanish-language promotional commercials that are to be shown regularly on Delta flights from Latin America to Atlanta.
Latin Americans are still an untapped market for Atlanta, she said, even with 28 daily flights from Atlanta to Latin American cities on Delta, Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas and Aeromexico.
Visit the ACVB Web site at http://www.acvb.com or call (404) 521-6694.