Here's the latest news from Central America (including Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama):

Suchitoto declared Tourism Centre of National Interest
The Tourist Board of El Salvador, together with the local authorities of Suchitoto, have recently declared this beautiful colonial town a Tourism Centre of National Interest in a bid to attract more national and international visitors.  Located on the shore of Lake Suchitlan, Suchitoto is renowned for its beautiful natural surroundings as well as its rich culture, traditions and history.

This is the fourth location in El Salvador declared a Tourism Centre of National Interest, following El Carmen Promenade in Santa Tecla, Lake Coatepeque-Ilamatepec Volcano and the Historic Centre of Santa Ana.  This official recognition aims to raise awareness of the many attractions of El Salvador amongst national and international tourists.

Honduras presents its new country brand

The Honduras Tourist Board (IHT) has presented its new country brand: “H is for Honduras”, which represents the pride and love that Hondurans feel for their country.  The new brand aims to create something distinctive that Hondurans can identify with and that can be related to all the positive aspects of the country: its landscapes, nature, people and culture.  The new campaign is being endorsed by national celebrities from the world of arts, TV and sport.

The new brand will be promoted on national media and social networks in December and January and will gradually be integrated into the tourist board’s international campaigns.  

Guatemala aims to attract more meetings and incentives
In a bid to increase MICE tourism to the country, the Guatemala Tourist Board has signed an agreement with COCAL, the Federation of Conference Organisers of Latin America, and OCCAF, the Guatemala Association of Professional Conference and Exhibitions Organisers.  As part of the agreement, the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala will host the annual COCAL Conference in 2014, a key event for professionals in the MICE sector, where topics such as CMP certification programmes and Poken networking will be discussed.  The Guatemala Tourist Board will offer 150 grants to professionals in this sector in order to take part in this event.

The city of Antigua Guatemala, a UNESCO World Heritage site, offers the perfect combination for business and cultural tourism.  Besides its rich cultural heritage, the city, consiered one of the most beautiful in the country, offers great hotels such as El Convento, Camino Real, or the Hotel Casa Museo de Santo Domingo where the COCAL Conference will take place.

Two major international hotel chains to open new properties in Nicaragua

The Nicaragua Tourist Board has announced two forthcoming hotel openings from major international groups, which will greatly enhance the country’s hotel offering. The news follows the opening in February 2013 of Nicaragua’s first five star resort, Mukul Resort and Spa.
 

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, the largest hotel group in the world, signed a franchise deal with Milagro del Mar Beach & Golf Resort on Nicaragua’s expansive central-Pacific coast—one hour from Managua’s international airport. The Wyndham Milagro del Mar Resort will open its first 42 rooms to the public in mid-2014, becoming the first internationally branded hotel on Nicaragua’s beachfront.
 

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts is also building a new hotel in Managua’s shopping district. The Hyatt Place Managua will have 140 rooms, aimed mostly at business tourism, and is expected to open in two years.

Panama registers increase in cruise passengers

The latest figures registered in October 2013 show that a total of 265,586 cruise passengers arrived at the ports of Colon and Panama, an increase of 12.64%.  The growing trend is expected to continue in December and January, with the expected arrival of 54 cruise liners.  Amongst these is Celebrity Cruises’ Infinity, Millennium and Equinox, which will dock in Panama six times next year. Princess Cruises’ Island Princess and Coral Princess will also dock at Colon 2000 and take passengers on a partial transit of the Panama Canal to Lake Gatun.

Princess Cruises has recently presented an award to the local operator Aventuras 2000 which offers a Panama Canal Expansion Tour visiting the new Gatun locks and the new Panama Canal lookout. The undergoing Canal expansion project which will see it double its capacity is expected to be completed in April 2015.  

 
For more information on Central America go to www.visitcentroamerica.com.

For further information, please contact Cristina Cunchillos at Latina Marketing on 020 7704 8485 or email cristina@latinamarketing.com.