Business in Latin America

Travel behavior today in Latin America is being fueled by several factors.

New and older travelers normally tend to stay within their region; they count with beaches, snow, ecotourism and all types of activities and attractions.

Most of the economies are being hit by Covid-19 and with heavy restrictions on mobility internally and externally. Others at the same time are undergoing some political and economic instability where travel is focused more granularly.

?Some of their economies have been spreading their businesses across the boarders, targeting international brand recognition, organizing and attending Conferences and Travel Expos.

The 23-26 countries in the region (+600M population) have actively developed some type of digital platform to extend the travel reach, although the offline channels are still very important. One strategy applied to one country may not work for another country. The languages are similar but the cultures are different, so different approach must be taken case by case.

Understanding the culture and language is one of the most important dynamics for Latin American business, where personal relationship, passion and trust is an aspect as a business driver.

Person to person meetings or a call goes a long way compared to an email. Due to these I have had the opportunity to personally meet with CEOs and with key decision-makers of these key organizations and reaffirm that the tourism marketplace is very fragmented; therefore a huge opportunity for us as we consolidate all the key OTAs and Supplier Direct partners that will cover the majority of the exclusive and local hotels in the years to come.

David Castillo de Mattei