ONE COMMERCIAL MISSION OPENED NEW ATTRACTIVE MARKETS IN CANADA
One mission conformed by twenty tourism, construction and agriculture industrialists, have travelled to Canada the last October, in order to confine new commerce and investment deals between Ecuador and the North Country.
The Minister of Tourism, Hernán Plaza, was part of this mission with the
Consuls of Ecuador in Montreal, Toronto; the Ambassador of Ecuador in Otawa and the Ambassador of Canada in Ecuador, the one that gave the endorsement for the actions that were realized.
The delegation have developed a lot of business around Montreal and Toronto, and also it have holt up meetings with the Ecuadorian colony in Canada, the one that is interested in investing in Ecuador. It is precise to say that there are about one hundred twenty thousand Ecuadorian – Canadians that don’t know the Andean territory and would like to know the tourist destinies of the four regions.
The mission that visited Canada searched potential investors that will develop “joint adventure” operations in Ecuador into specific areas such as Tourism, Forest and Construction. Many contacts, in order to identify Canadian providers of services and products in the mentioned areas, were established, developing business relationships through the Ecuadorian – Canadian Commerce Chambers of Quito, Guayaquil and Toronto.
The Minister of Tourism, Hernán Plaza said that Canada is an important market for the tourism, because this country contributes with thirty thousand tourists per year, and in this opportunity contacts with wholesale operators were established for the inclusion of Ecuador in their tourist packages.
During his presentation, Plaza remembered that the Canadians like the Tourist Ecuadorian Product, because they are attracted to the weather and the beaches, due to the average temperature of twenty four degrees of the water.
The culture represented in the fifteen ethnic groups with their traditions and customs is another attractive along with the mega-diverse cultural richness, said the Minister.
Meanwhile Diego Mosquera, first Ecuadorian - Canadian Chamber’s president, affirmed that the visit wasn’t centralized only in selling tourism and other areas, it was made in search for possible tourist and other areas investors.
This trip was organized for the Ecuadorian – Canadian Commerce Chamber under the sponsors of the Canadian Embassy and with the support of the Minister of Tourism, CORPEI, The Chambers and Production and Commerce Societies of Quito and Guayaquil.
Quick productive sectors for the export
The mission have selected the agricultural, flower and fishing sectors in order to identify in Canada new market opportunities for the export products, and with them their distributors and representatives. In Tourism, interested operators in the Ecuadorian market of adventure and nature were identified as well as investors that will promote tourist projects. This mission explored and searched different choices for the Ecuadorian economic improvement, following the directions of the Ecuadorian President, Ing. Lucio Gutierrez.
For the Forest sector, potential investors, that will develop planting and replanting projects in Ecuador were identified as well as providers of export products and services were contacted.
The programmed activities were developed in an efficient way, and they allowed Ecuador to have a lot of commercial, industrial, financial, technological, educational and tourist promotion opportunities, in order to concrete future important projects.
Mutual Export
The Ecuadorian – Canadian Commerce Chamber is an organization conformed by Ecuadorian and Canadian industrialists and professionals that work in a combined way into the commerce and investments promotion between Canada and Ecuador, countries that interchange ideas and opinions about the reinforcement and improvement of the healthy environment of business and cooperation.
The bilateral interchange between Ecuador and Canada is increasing, this shows the common of their economies. During the year 2002, the bilateral commerce between the two countries surpassed the 185 million dollars. Canada is one of the ten Ecuadorian Commerce associates as much in the import and export amounts.
On the other hand Ecuador is registered as the 51 Canadian Commerce associate around the world, and the sixth in importance from Southamerica, after the economies of Venezuela, Brasil, Chile and Colombia.
In the year 2002, Ecuador has exported to Canada more than 100 million dollars in products such as: banana, flowers, shrimp, petroleum, handicrafts and ceramics. Canada has exported to Ecuador more than 85 million dollars in products such as: corn, cereal, paper and automobile stocks.
During the last years, Canada is registered as the main foreign investor into the Ecuadorian petroleum sector. It is considered that the Canadian private sector has invested in Ecuador no less than 2500 million dollars, mainly in the Petroleum, Telecommunications and Miner sectors.
To this amount, many prior investments for about 500 million dollars of forthcoming projects as the new international Quito airport, are going to be added.
MISSION'S SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
To identify in Canada new market opportunities for the Ecuadorian export products.
To search for distributors and representatives in Canada for the Ecuadorian export products.
To search for potential investors that will develop “joint adventure” operations in Ecuador into specific areas such as Tourism, Forest and Construction.
To identify Canadian providers of services and products in the mentioned areas.
To provide to the Canadian and Ecuadorian enterprises and industrialist the chance to make contacts and to develop business relationships through the Ecuadorian – Canadian Commerce Chambers of Quito, Guayaquil and Toronto.
To establish the basis for the planning of new missions from Ecuador to Canada and from Canada to Ecuador.
Eugenio Yunis, Chief of the OMT’s Department of Sustained Development,
states that ecotourism is going to play an important part in the
promotion of sustained development in the tourist industry.
This is, perhaps, the main issue in the Declaration of Quebec where
over 1100 Delegates participated in the Worldwide Ecotourism Summit
held in that city.
“The spirit of the Declaration is the recognition of the importance
of ecotourism as the segment in the tourist market which is better
prepared to apply the principals of sustained development. In following
the successful ecotourism models, these principals are and should
be applied in all the tourist sectors.”
Although the recommendations of the Quebec Declaration was targeted
to specific parties, especially national, regional and local governments,
these recommendations are valid to other groups. ''This shows that
coordination is necessary in the promotion of sustained development
and that governments, at all levels, should initiate programs for
the ecotourism development and achieve active participation of all
other interested parties"
Governments are being asked to establish rules necessary for the
supervision of ecotourism projects and products , such as certification
systems and eco-labels to prevent the so-called ecological washing
(lavado ecológico), this is sale of products and services
supposedly ecological, but not adjusted to the regulations specified
in the bulletin.
Runa Tupari Native Travel and UNORCAC (Union of Campesino and Indigenous
Organizations of Cotocachi) have been nominated to submit their
project for consideration for the Environmental Award which will
be awarded in Berlin, Germany. We wish them the best of luck.
Ecuadorian Ecolodge Wins Numerous
Awards of Excellence
The Ministry of Tourism would like to sincerely congratulate “Hostería
Alándaluz –Ecological Community” for having the
honor of winning the “2002 Gold Trophy of Entrepreneurial Quality
and Prestige” awarded by Otherways International Research &
Consulting in Beirut, Lebanon.
At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism would also like to congratulate
Alándaluz for having been awarded the XXVII International
Tourism Trophy for Gastronomy and Hotels and the XXX International
Gold Trophy of Quality, in Madrid and Paris, respectively.
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