Caracas, October 4, 2024.- The Ministers and Heads of Tourism from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) held a working meeting on Thursday, October 3, to develop a joint agenda aimed at strengthening the tourism sector in each member state.

The meeting took place in Caracas, both in person and via videoconference, with the participation of Tourism Ministers from the 10 countries that form the bloc, as well as Honduras as an observer. The event was also attended by ALBA’s Executive Secretary, Jorge Arreaza, and the President of the Bank of ALBA, Raúl Li Causi.

In his speech, Arreaza highlighted the unique characteristics and diversity of the Caribbean, emphasizing its potential to boost tourism and economic activity in the region. He also underscored the need to strengthen the tourism sector in nations such as Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, which possess great potential for growth.

The Executive Secretary stressed the importance of promoting multi-destination tourism and enhancing air connectivity to bring the people of the region closer together.

Venezuela’s Minister of Tourism, Leticia Gómez, proposed hosting working groups in her country at the end of November this year, where these topics could be further discussed and formalized.

Nicaragua’s Tourism Minister also supported the multi-destination proposal, which would allow travelers to visit multiple countries and their most iconic sites in a single trip, adhering to the principles of sustainable development and environmental respect.

Bolivia, through its ambassador Sebastián Michel, suggested increasing air operations between ALBA member states and creating competitive tourism packages.

Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism, represented by Carmen Casal, an expert in International Relations, also advocated for the multi-destination strategy and urged more airlines to join this initiative.

Similarly, Bolivia, Dominica, and Saint Lucia supported the continued implementation of technical working groups to promote tourism activities within the regional bloc.

In closing, ALBA-TCP Executive Secretary Jorge Arreaza expressed his gratitude to Venezuela’s Ministry of Tourism for hosting the meeting and for advancing a work agenda that brings new initiatives to this vital economic sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.