In order to mark the staging of FITUR the Tenth Latin American Conference of Tourism Ministers and Businessmen, CIMET 2007, took place on the day prior to the inauguration of the Spanish trade fair. On this…
In order to mark the staging of FITUR the Tenth Latin American Conference of Tourism Ministers and Businessmen, CIMET 2007, took place on the day prior to the inauguration of the Spanish trade fair. On this occasion CIMET took place under the following heading: The Internationalisation of Spanish Tourism Companies in Latin America.
Organised by the Nexo Group, this meeting brought together numerous ministers and representatives of Latin American tourism, who analysed the current problems and state of the tourist relations that exist between Spain and Latin America, focusing in particular on the Spanish Presence in Air Transport throughout Latin America. The Conference, that recognised the work that has been carried out by a number of important figures connected to the tourist industry, was closed by the President of the Confederation of Spanish Industry (CEOE), Jose Maria Cuevas.
After the greeting that was sent by the Prime Minister of the Spanish Government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, had been read to all the participants at the meeting, the inaugural ceremony took place, presided over by the Secretary General for Tourism at the Spanish Ministry for Trade, Industry and Tourism, Amparo Fernandez Gonzalez.
The Conference consisted of three sessions. The first analysed the incentives that exist for Spanish tourism companies to invest in Latin America. The Conference then went on to tackle the current state of the Spanish tourism business in Latin America. Finally, the event concluded with an open debate among all the participants, in which it became clear that it is necessary to boost air transport in the Americas and establish new mechanisms for cooperation among companies. In this respect, governments are calling for a larger number of offers from companies, whilst companies request a larger number of facilities from governments.
Featuring the attendance of some 250 participants, CIMET celebrated its tenth anniversary by presenting a number of insignias made of gold and diamonds to various important figures within the world of Spanish tourism, to whom homage was paid during the conference sessions. CIMET also recognised the considerable contribution made by certain representatives of Spanish tourism in Latin America, namely the co-owners of the Marsans Companies Group, Gonzalo Pascual Arias and Gerardo Diaz-Ferran.
The President of the Confederation of Spanish Industry (CEOE), Jose Maria Cuevas, delivered the closing speech, highlighting the fact that CIMET was an effective means of bringing the tourist sector together and promoting cooperation. Cuevas` address was also accompanied by contributions from the following figures: the Chairman of the Tourism Business Committee of the CEOE, Gonzalo Pascual; the Head of the Tourism Department at Madrid City Council, Teresa Carame, and the Managing Director of Feria de Madrid, Fermin Lucas.
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