Q & A with Ruben Rochi, El Salvador Tourism Minister

El Salvador has set out to reach a tough goal in 2007 as far as the European market is concerned: put the number of visitors from the Old World in double digits, climbing from just a current 2.3 percent rate. The going was getting even tougher due to the lack of nonstop airlift between Europe and that Central American nation. However, an accord recently inked between Italy’s Livingston Air and the TACA Group opens a new window of opportunity in both directions.

Q.- Following all these months of wheeling and dealing around CATA, how’s the agency taken the breaking news of the President’s replacement?
A.- I want to start by saying that all Central American tourism ministers agree that CATA is an extraordinary project. If we take a closer look at what we had before and after CATA, there’s a gaping difference that meets the eye both in qualitative and quantitative terms. And it’s not only about the increase of European visitors traveling to the region, but also the existence of more flights between Europe and Central America right now. This is all owed to CATA.

All tourism ministers are pleased with this project that has turned out to be a role model for the entire world because it’s shown all the things that a multi-destination region like ours can actually accomplish if all members get down to it with might and main.

On the other hand, I think it’s going to be tough to replace a President like Angela San Miguel, such a great executive who helped the region put so many feathers in its hat. Nevertheless, she’s got some personal projects of her own and we’re bound to take up that slack. As a matter of fact, she had announced her retirement a year ago and we kind of turned a blind eye because we didn’t want her to leave us. Well, this is it now and it’s time to find a replacement.

We made the decision to appoint a well-experienced executive, Pilar Cano, and we’re looking forward to working with her. Mrs. Cano should take over on April 1 and we hope to continue doing a great job with her at the helm.

Q.- El Salvador has no nonstop flights to Spain, so what’s the country hoping to achieve in terms of promotion and advertisement in the Spanish market? How is it planning to lure far more visitors from Germany, Spain, Italy and other European nations?
A.- The 2014 National Tourism Plan is our strategic plan. El Salvador is putting all of its eggs in that basket, willing to ratchet up the number of number of U.S. trekkers from 22 to 45 percent, and the amount of European visitors from a meager 2.3 percent to 10 percent.

To pull that off we need to build on more airlift between Europe and El Salvador. In the case of the American market that’s no problem because we have quite a number of flights to and from most major U.S. cities. In the case of Europe, Italy’s Livingston Air and the TACA Group recently signed an agreement to serve El Salvador from Milan, home to the largest Salvadoran community in Italy. As a matter of fact, the Italian carrier wants to use this connection to reach out to all of Central America.

Q.- Brazil and the rest of Latin America. What do they mean to El Salvador?
A.- Ironically, South America yielded the best growth rates in 2006 for El Salvador’s travel industry and that’s owed to a great extent to TACA’s flights between South America and Central America. We’ve been attending some of the region’s major tradeshows and travel fairs, like Buenos Aires’ FIT, and we’ve also made several road shows in Ecuador and Uruguay. We’re determined to sticking to that plan and ramp up promotion in that region.