So small and so big

The fifth edition of the Central America Travel Market (CATM-2008), slated from Oct. 10 thru 12 in Nicaragua, gave this lovely region a chance to spread and put in the market a revealing tourist brand: “Central America, so small and so big.” Building trade ties with wholesalers from major outbound markets out of Europe, Asia and South America was one of the main objectives of CATM 2008 in which the region’s seven countries displayed their many tourist and cultural attractions. Wonderful rivers with breathtaking waterfalls, amazing lakes, forests, volcanoes, an endless array of paradisiacal beaches and peerless biodiversity make Central America a perfect travel destination for nature tourism, sun and beach, adventures, archeology, sports and incentive trips. To fulfill this goal, the event’s organizers put together a pre- and post-tour program that gave attendants the opportunity to take a firsthand look at the astounding Panama Canal, Costa Rica’s rainy forests and gorgeous beaches, and the astonishing volcanoes of El Salvador. Belize’s Swing Bridge —the world’s only handmade lean-to bridge— the islands of Honduras’ Caribbean coast with their magnificent coral reefs, or the legendary Antigua, one of the most traditional colonial cities of the Americas, together with the fabulous ruins of the Mayan culture in Tikal, were also among the destination that captured plenty of media hype. During last year’s WTM fair in London and more recently in FITUR 2008, Central American nations launched the Colonial and the Volcanoes routes that follow up the trace of the former Royal Way built by the Spaniards over old-timed indigenous pathways during the colonial rule. This route makes room for the promotion of such destinations as Nicaragua’s Masaya Volcano, one of the few active fire-spewing mountains in the world that can be climbed all the way up to the crater by car, or the Tajumulco, the tallest volcano in Central America (4,658 feet) in Guatemala.