MICE Travel to Step Up Tourist Arrivals in Quito
Ecuador’s capital, Quito has seen an increase of about 2.3 percent in its international tourist arrivals to the destination as compared to the same period in 2016.
Industry officials confirm that this continued growth can be attributed to the city’s diverse cultural and gastronomic offering in the summer, as well as to Quito’s new Metropolitan Convention Centre set to open in 2018.
Ecuador’s Ministry of Internal Affairs Department of Migration said in its report that Quito welcomed 314,183 international visitors between January and June of 2017, which represents a 2.3 percent increase or 7,069 more travelers as compared to the same period the previous year.
This also shows how Quito is now emerging as a preferred MICE destination for the international tourists. In 2016 alone, Ecuador welcomed 1,509,108 tourists of which 627,617 (or 41.5 percent) visited Quito.
General Manager of the Quito Tourism Board, Veronica Sevilla focused on the facts that Quito’s exemplary positioning on a global scale, “our efforts to promote Quito around the world are providing positive results. We have new campaigns that help showcase the experiences in Quito, including its flavors, aromas and textures that have allowed it to captivate travelers.”
With the present growth rate, Quito’s tourism might see a total of 630,087 visitors in 2017. The local tourism sector will continue to promote the city as a unique destination with a wide offering including cultural, historical, natural and gastronomic experiences that please even the most demanding travelers not only for the leisure segment but also the MICE travelers.
International data indicates that, over the last ten years, MICE events have tripled in Latin America. Therefore, the new Metropolitan Convention Center of Quito, with facilities that meet international standards and has a capacity for 13,702 people, allows the city to position itself as one of the most important MICE destinations both on a regional level and globally.
