ECUADOR: Veronica Sevilla New General Manager Of Quito Tourism Board

Quito is more than just Ecuador’s capital city. The mountaintop municipality was the first to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features one of the Americas’ largest and best-preserved colonial districts.

Located in the Andes at 9,350 feet above sea level, Quito features winding cobblestone streets leading to broad open plazas.

Many of the city’s majestic colonial structures are built atop still-visible Incan stone foundations. Nearby natural attractions include Cotopaxi National Park, while the city’s busy marketplaces and charming Bohemian-style districts offer opportunities to experience the city’s cuisine and culture.

Coordinating tourism activities for Quito is now the responsibility of Veronica Sevilla, who was named general manager of the Quito Tourism Board in February. Sevilla directs strategic tourism planning, promotion and development, with the goal of increasing arrivals and spending, promoting longer stays and driving investment and tourism development for Quito.

She brings extensive experience developing South American tourism companies, including those in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil.

Sevilla has also held management positions and provided consulting for Casa Gangotena, a luxury hotel in Quito; and Mashpi Lodge, located in Ecuador’s cloud forest.

We spoke with Sevilla to hear her views on the tourism growth and the potential for one of Latin America’s high-profile travel destinations.

Why are people visiting Quito today?

Beyond being the gateway to Ecuador, Quito is one of Latin America’s less-discovered cities and offers a variety of experiences. It may be one of South America’s smallest capital cities, but visitors find something to do regardless of the type of vacation they’re looking for, be it history, culture, nature, gastronomy or art.

As the first city to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Quito’s historic city center offers stunning architectural wonders that have been carefully preserved.

Some of the historic homes in the area have also been converted into impressive four and five-star boutique hotels.

Quito lies in the heart of the Andes and therefore enjoys fantastic views of surrounding volcanoes and natural landscapes—ideal for those who enjoy bird watching and learning about the rich native flora.

What specific events are taking place this year that visitors to Quito should look forward to?

Holy Week, or Semana Santa in Quito, is one of the most important celebrations in the city.

Held the last week of March, this is an ideal time for tourists to visit the city and witness Quito’s significant expressions of faith.

On Palm Sunday, decorative items are woven and made of palm leaves, taken to mass where they are blessed, and then returned to the home where they remain until the following year at which time they are burned and the ashes used during the ceremonies of Ash Wednesday.

Good Friday celebrations, however, are the most iconic. Thousands of people descend on the Plaza of San Francisco, at noon (the time of Jesus’ death).

The procession begins from the San Francisco Church and returns three hours later—the hour in which Jesus was crucified.

Fiestas de Quito, (Spanish for Quito Celebrations), commemorates the foundation of the city.

This year will honor its 483-year-old history: Celebrations begin in late November with the election of the new Queen of Quito (a beauty pageant contest held every year) and will extend until December 6, when the city’s streets, avenues and plazas fill with the colors and joy of the holiday season.

Are most visitors combining their Quito visit with a trip to the Galapagos?

When people come and visit Ecuador, they want to take advantage of their trip and see as much as they can.

We see that many of our visitors extend their trip to the Galapagos to enjoy a different experience.

The Quito International Airport offers a number of flights directly to the Galapagos, so visitors to the destination can reach the islands easily.

Also, because it is a short two-hour flight, visitors can enjoy the city to its fullest before embarking on their Galapagos adventure.

What do you believe are Quito’s least-appreciated features?

Affordability. Quito’s official currency is the US dollar, which makes it easy for Americans to visit.

The majority of products are very affordable compared to the states.

The city offers high-quality artisanal items for a low price at markets like Otavalo, and there are moderate prices for boutiques and hotels throughout the city.

The public bus is 25 cents for each trip, making it an easy way to get through the city. There are affordable tours and museums, plazas, parks and churches tend to have free admission.

Local food markets offer inexpensive traditional food and unique medicinal products.

One of the latest products that we have developed is the “Colonial Route” that includes a visit to Quito and Cuenca as well as the Colombian cities of Cartagena and Bogota; all UNESCO heritage sites.

This program includes two days in Cuenca and Cartagena and 3 days in Bogota and Quito.

This alliance between the Quito Tourism Board and the Tourism Board of Colombia was a joint initiative to promote both South American countries.

What programs has your office implemented to support travel and tourism to the city?

The Quito Tourism Board has an extensive program in North America that includes communications efforts, familiarization trips, co-ops, advertising, events, training and participation in industry shows.

We are also focusing on increasing connectivity to the destination.

We work closely with travel agencies and US tour operators to sell and promote the destination. We consider them to be great partners and rely on them to sell Quito.

As a tourism board, we coordinate familiarizations trips as well as roadshows including in-office training in several cities in the United States. We also make sure to attend several trade events like the USTOA Annual Conference.

How will hosting the Routes Americas aviation conference in 2018 impact Quito as a tourism destination?

This conference will allow huge exposure for the destination, which will hopefully spur travel and allow for attendees to extend their stay for a few days to experience more of what the destination has to offer.

We were chosen as host city due to our strong connectivity to the world, convenient location, and extensive tourism and cultural offerings.

We have been investing in new high-quality facilities over the past few years and this will be a great opportunity for us to showcase what we have done.

USA: Terry Dale Promotes Tanzanian Travel Industry

Terry Dale, president and CEO of the U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA),

Terry Dale, president and CEO of the U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA), addressed the Swahili International Tourism Expo (S!TE) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with what he called a “fireside chat, an intimate conversation with our partners,” in which he explained to travel professionals selling the destination of Tanzania that partnership was an essential tool in building their destination.

Now in its second year, S!TE is a travel trade show showcasing the Swahili Coast produced by the Tanzania Tourist Board.

The tourist board invited Dale to be a keynote speaker in recognition of the belief that targeting the elite tour operator association is the most effective way to reach the broad base of consumers in the U.S.

Dale began his talk with a brief introduction of the USTOA, explaining that it is not an organization that derives its value from its large number of members, but by their quality. The association has 54 corporate members representing 160 brands and also has 690 associate members, of which the Tanzania Tourist Board is one.

“It’s not about quantity,” Dale said. “You’re not going to see that number grow next year by a great deal. We are more like a family. We’re not driven by growth, but by quality.”

Thirty-eight of the association’s brands already have programs to Tanzania, Dale noted.

“We need to see that number grow to 50, to 75, to 100,” he said. “Part of my responsibility in being here today is to go back to our members and tell them, ‘I have seen firsthand how amazing Tanzania is and (recommend) that they include more of Tanzania, more of Eastern Africa into the products that we have to sell to the U.S. consumer.'”

Dale cited a Price Waterhouse Cooper economic impact study showing that tour operator members of the USTOA account for $13.5 billion in business annually. They moved 8 million travelers last year, a five percent increase over the previous year, and sold $9.8 billion in goods and services.

The way for Tanzania to build itself as a tourism destination, said Dale, is by constructing a partnership.

“That’s why I’m here today,” he said, “to try to forge that partnership and make that business grow on behalf of Tanzania.”

Dale explained to the audience the reasons why he is “bullish about the U.S. travel industry.

“It has tremendous potential,” he declared. “There is an educational hurdle” to surmount in getting into the American market, he conceded, but “it is feasible and possible” and something that needs to be addressed immediately.

Dale cited a number of reasons why the American market is an excellent target market for Tanzania, including the following facts and statistics:

Fifty-six percent of Americans are in the world’s high income group, and 46 percent have passports, a total of 110 million people, a number that has doubled since 2000.

“They have financial wherewithal to travel,” asserted Dale. “They have passports, but we have the educational challenge of helping them understand why Tanzania needs to be one of the places they visit."

In 2013, 30 million Americans traveled internationally, Dale pointed out. “But you have to educate them."

In referring to the global economy, Dale cited a list of trends that may have an impact on getting people to travel to Tanzania, including the softening of the Chinese economy; Greece trying to figure out how to handle its responsibilities to the International Monetary Fund as well as the European Union; the Fed’s upcoming raising of interest rates and the presidential political circus.

All of these have a potential impact on global economy, Dale stated, but he is still bullish about the U.S. economy.

Dale cited the Packaged Travel Index, produced by Cornell University, which studies U.S. consumers. The survey, conducted twice a year, showed that 84 percent of U.S. consumers said they want to travel internationally. In households with income of $150,000 or more, people want to travel three times a year.

“Those factors combined bode well for Tanzania,” said Dale, showing a strong potential U.S. market for Tanzania.

Dale then explained what USTOA members need from Tanzania tourism services providers, including “professional quality partners who can deliver the kind of experience that make our members proud. Professionalism is really key. Our members are all about building a personal relationship. They want to be able to look at you across the table and have the confidence that together you can create the kind of experience that we can all be proud of.”

That kind of experience, Dale said, is “all about authenticity.”

The U.S. consumer wants to rub shoulders with locals, he said. “And they can only do that if you have the interaction, the engagement between the traveler and the citizens of this country.”

Dale cited Tanzania’s "Soul of Africa" campaign as a step in the right direction, but said, “We still have a huge job ahead of us in getting that brand in front of the U.S. traveler.”

US: USTOA Promoting Brazil

The U.S. Tour Operators Association is focusing on Brazil with its latest installment in the “Travel Together” series of videos and blogs. Timed with the launch of the campaign, the association also mounted a new itinerary finder on the USTOA website designed to make it easy to find tours of Brazil offered by the association’s tour operator members.

Typing “Brazil” into the itinerary finder under “Find Your Dream Vacation” on the USTOA homepage will produce a list of tours and travel packages delineated in terms of duration, itinerary, dates and prices of tours offered by any of USTOA’s 160 tour operator brands.

In partnership with Embratur, the tourism promotion entity of the Brazilian government, and Adventure.com, USTOA produced the newest in its series of “Living Local Traveling Global” videos hosted by Kelley Ferro, the brand ambassador for the series, in collaboration with AFAR Magazine.