The economic issue in the hospitality industry continues to give something to talk about. Much has been said about how it will affect the sector, the truth is that in Latin America tourists are increasing, in addition to the increase in hotel construction.In Guatemala the income of tourists was 6.4% until August 2008, that is, 1,178,606 foreigners, surpassing the same period of 2007 that was 1,107,678 tourists, also increased the foreign currency by 8%, also compared to the immediately previous year.
The Dominican Republic was visited by more than 2.5 million tourists in the first eight months of the year from Russia, Poland, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Ukraine, the United States, Canada and France. For its part, Argentina received 190,600 tourists in the month of August, with a year-on-year increase of 5.9%, from Brazil, Chile, Europe, the United States and Canada.
These figures, plus the opening of hotels of the different chains such as Hilton, IHG, Choice Hotels; Iberostar, RIU, among others, present a favorable outlook for Latin America, because according to experts, the financial situation will favor the lodging industry in the region because tourists will look for cheaper and more exotic places like those found on this side of the continent.
For his part, Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank, affirms that the region will be able to face the international financial crisis thanks to the economic growth that has been achieved in recent years, which bodes well for the hospitality industry in Latin America; In addition, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Francesco Frangialli, said that links must be established between the public and private sectors to boost "tourism competitiveness" and ensure "the sustainable development of tourism".
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