Central America focuses on travel facilities

Central America is becoming an increasingly popular host destination for major events as the region continues to improve its conference and meetings infrastructure. Two new conference centres are currently under construction in Costa Rica and Panama, to add to the region’s existing offering of hotels and conference centres equipped with the latest technology to make every event a success. Costa Rica’s National Fair & Conference Centre is expected to be finished by the end of 2013 and will offer around 15,000 square metres of meeting and exhibition space. Panama’s Conference Centre will be ready by February 2014 and will have 15,000 square metres of outdoor space and 8,000 square metres of indoor meeting space. Meanwhile, several major international events will be taking place in the region during 2012: Belize will host the “Belize Tourism Expo (BETEX)” from April 25th-27th.  The event, organised by the Belize Tourism Industry Association, is aimed at tourism professionals from around the world and will showcase Belize’s main tourist destinations, hotels, operators and other tourism suppliers. It is an ideal opportunity to make new contacts with local providers and get to know the destination better. Costa Rica will host 200 companies from 13 countries at the “Medical Travel International Business Summit 2012” from April 23rd-25th. The event will facilitate business meetings between buyers of medical and dental services from the US, Canada and other countries and local suppliers, and will help consolidate Costa Rica, and Central America, as a health tourism destination. The programme includes seminars and visits to clinics, amongst other activities. Guatemala, which recently hosted the “XXI Latin America Port Congress” in Antigua, has been named as the host of the “II Central American Conference of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association”, which will take place in May 2013.  This event will gather the world’s most important cruise companies and is expected to help increase cruise tourism in Guatemala. Honduras will be the host of this year’s Central America Travel Market CATM 2012, which will take place from 6 to12 October in San Pedro Sula. Tour operators and travel media from around the world are expected to attend this event to make new contacts with Central American suppliers and learn more about the destination. The World Surfing Championship will take place on Nicaragua’s Popoyo and Colorado beaches on the Pacific coast during the second half of July 2012. Around 250 surfers from more than 20 countries worldwide are expected to take part in the event, which will be covered by more than 120 international media, showcasing Nicaragua is an ideal surfing destination.