World tourism congress in El Salvador

As many as 200 tourism professionals from North America and the Caribbean huddled this weekend in El Salvador for the 42nd Annual SKAL Congress. The conclave stressed on tourist promotion and advertisement as the only way to make headway in the industry.

Under a motto reading Peace And Friendship In The Heart Of The Americas, the event included business rounds in search of new markets. The host country showcased its own assets of ecological tourism, archeological sites and colonial towns.

The 25,000-member SKAL Club headed by Mary Bennett is headquartered in Torremolinos, Spain.

During the opening ceremony, Salvadoran vice president Carlos Quintanilla underlined that his “beautiful and blossoming nation” embraces 21,000 square kilometers of heart-throbbing landscapes

He went on to say that the country is eager to show off its culture and ancestors, its Mayan-origin roots “that serve as the nation’s underpinnings and stand for one of our most valuable possessions.”

The Salvadoran veep referred to the 12-year-long war that ended in 1992, hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes that have hit the country hard. However –he said- they’ve been all put behind now.

Mr. Quintanilla pointed out that the civil war that ravaged his country between 1980 and 1992 used to be the main hindrance on the nation’s way toward tourism since nobody wanted to visit a conflicting country.

Nevertheless, he said, once the war ended, the same fight scenarios now harbor places full of entertainment and tourist choices where travelers can also take a peek at that part of the country’s history by visiting the Morazan Arms Museum.