Only three years after its opening edition in 2006, it has made its own space and gained an identity in the world calendar of promotional fairs and tourism commercialization. As it stands apart from the traditional model of 'macro-fair' and focuses exclusively on European and Latin American markets and opportunities for promotion and business between both continents (both receptive and issuing tourists), progressively winning the support of entities, institutions, corporations and public and private companies of tourism promotion on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean of this new promotional action concept.
The Tourism, Art and Culture Fair of Latin America and Europe EUROAL 2008' will be celebrated the coming May 29 through June I ° in the Spanish city of Torremolinos, at the heart of the Mediterranean Costa del Sol. The Palace of Congress and Expositions will be the event's scenario, one of the largest encounters between professionals of the tourism sector and tour operation from both continents, setting which combines commercial promotion with analysis and discussion in conferences, study sessions and lectures on actualities of the world tourism market.
Seventeen countries and around 40 tour operators, Latin American and European go to EUROAL 2008. This year's edition will take place during the world economy's full stagnation process, with fuel prices going up and a strong growth of the euro vs. the dollar, latter aspect placing Latin American destinations in a privileged position before the European market (largest issuer of tourism of long world travels), region whose partner countries are -nevertheless- still striving to prevent the impact of recession.
Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala, the seven countries reunited under the Central American Tourism Promotion Entities' (CATA) acronym; Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Dominican Republic (Altogracia Region), Peru (Lamboyeque Region), Brazil and Cuba conform the participating countries in EUROAL 2008.
Spain and Andalucia, as host country and region, also participate in this growing internationalization fair and in which countries such as Poland and Egypt are participating for the first time; with promotional efforts for their destinations and establishing commercial relationships with other countries of their entourage and of Latin America. For the second consecutive year, the Prince of Asturias Don Felipe de Borbón will hold the Presidency of Honor of the Tourism, Art and Culture Fair of Latin America and Europe. It's organized by the Municipal government and the Palace of Congress and Expositions of Torremolinos.
The objectives of the Tourism, Art and Culture Fair of Latin America and Europe go beyond the commercial and are fulfilling the role indicated among its founding objectives as could be constituting 'a uniting bridge' between Latin America and Europe, tourism wise. Also the exchange of experiences with European colleagues, the congress will focus on two work pillars 'Tourism Communication in Times of Crisis' and 'Quality and Competitiveness in Tourism'.
Novelties
As novelties, this year the fair has programmed on one hand, a summons to the first edition of the International Sol de Oro Prize to the best audiovisual production for promotion of tourist destinations; and on the other hand, the celebration of the denominated 'Vacations Market', aimed at final clients, where different operators will commercialize different vacation packages at special prices, during the fair.
In this edition of EUROAL 2008, the final client will be the key for development of promotional strategies of different European and Latin American tourist destinations, final actions aimed at them as a way to incentive the tourism market.
This 'Vacations Market' gives access to promotional prices to the public on the purchase of vacations. The simultaneous presence, in the same scenario of the fair, of receptive tourism tour operators and issuers from Latin America and Europe, and service companies of the main tourist Latin American destinations, will allow travel agents to negotiate tourism packages at insuperable prices and commercialize them 'in situ' among the fair's visitors.
