ReliefWeb

60th meeting of the World Tourism Organization
Regional Commission for the Americas
Havana, Cuba, 3 May 2016

We, tourism Ministers and high representatives of the Americas meeting in Havana, Cuba, on the occasion of the 60th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for the Americas, express our solidarity with the people and the Government of Ecuador following the tragic earthquake that struck Ecuador’s central coast on 16 April 2016.

On behalf of the tourism community of the Americas, we convey our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and to the people of Ecuador.

Ecuador is a tourism success story; a country where tourism supports many livelihoods and we stand ready to work alongside Ecuador to deploy all necessary measures to support the recovery of the tourism sector in the affected areas in the aftermath of the tragedy.

We will work, alongside UNWTO, to support Ecuador with the planning process for the rehabilitation of a sustainable tourism offer on the Coast of Ecuador and the promotion of tourism to the region.

We will also work towards ensuring that the flow of tourists from our countries to Ecuador is not affected by the events, and support Ecuador in its effort to continue to promote its diverse tourism offer. Ecuador´s tourism infrastructure, services and attractions in the Amazon, Andes, Galapagos and most of the Coast were not impacted and are in excellent condition with airports, hotels, restaurants, tour operators, ground transportation, parks and nature reserves fully operational and welcoming visitors.

We are confident that Ecuador will overcome this tragic situation with the support of the international community and that Ecuador will continue to shine as an increasingly important tourism destination in the Americas and that tourism will continue to play a vital role in advancing the country’s development.