The first day of the event had an unprecedented meeting of tourism authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean, the launch of Embratur and Sebrae’s innovative platform, an award dedicated to Afro-tourism and a program aligned with the central theme of the edition

The 14^th WTM Latin America – the main meeting of the tourism industry in the region was officially opened on Tuesday (14) in the city of São Paulo. Based on the theme “Regenerate, Restore, and Reconnect – Travel with Purpose”, this year’s edition will take place until April 16 at Expo Center Norte, in the northern zone of São Paulo.

The opening ceremony brought together authorities, leaders and professionals in the sector. On stage, Bianca Pizzolito, head of WTM Latin America, pointed out that tourism is undergoing a renovation and suggested the expansion of the look in relation to the transformations. “We tend to look at changes as disruptions when they are also a consequence of movement and listening. WTM Latin America has never been a static event, but an organism that observes, absorbs, adapts and evolves,” he said.

Bianca stressed that the event is a platform that connects, provokes, flexes, and opens spaces for the tourism market to manifest  in its multiplicity. “We believe in our role and, this year, we brought to the stage a great debate: Regenerative tourism. A topic which is in evidence and that, more than a trend, is an invitation to reflection, because it does not point to a single path, but to many. And it is this plurality that interests us and tourism”, he pointed out.

The leader also highlighted the event as an environment to discuss the directions of Latin American tourism in an integrated way. “We are an event that takes place in Brazil, but that is built from Latin America. And, over the years, we see this movement grow: more presence, more exchange, more connections, as if, little by little, we were strengthening something that has always been here: our ability to act as a block,” she pointed out.

Claudio Della Nina, CEO of RX Brazil, organizer of the fair, stressed the importance of events for generating opportunities. “This industry goes far beyond one-off meetings: it is a platform for connections in an environment that moves the economy, accelerates sectors and brings people together creating real opportunities. And it’s the people who provide sense to it,” he said, recalling that WTM Latin America plays a special role in RX Global’s portfolio.

“WTM Latin America is a strategic meeting point for the entire tourism industry in the region. A space where qualified content, innovation, and networking become business, partnerships and growth. We are building environments that help shape the future of various markets, transforming encounters into opportunities, ideas into projects, and connections into results,” he summarized.

Jonathan Heastie, director of RX Global Travel Events portfolio, complemented the CEO’s speech, noting that the Latin American tourism industry occupies a very special place in the company’s repertoire, combining diversity, creativity, and adaptability. “This is reflected in the way tourism has been transforming. We see travelers looking for authentic experiences connected to local destinations and cultures, considering impact, sustainability, and connection with communities. WTM Latin America is a platform that tracks and anticipates the movements of the sector”, he concluded.

As is tradition, WTM Latin America also brought inspirational content. The guest of this edition was Heloísa Schurmann, researcher, writer and co-founder of the NGO Voz dos Oceanos, who combined her family’s experience at sea with work in defense of the oceans to address the importance of regenerative tourism, a theme of WTM in 2026. Over the decades, the family has traveled around the world three times and visited more than 70 countries. By noticing the transformations that tourism was going through over time and the negative impacts of human action on nature, they changed their stance. From mere observers, they began to act in defense of the oceans.

In the lecture, Heloísa defended regenerative tourism as an alternative capable of involving communities, science and visitors in environmental recovery. At the end of her speech, she presented the results of the expedition carried out by the NGO: More than 50 places visited, hundreds of connected projects, tons of garbage taken from beaches and seas in eight countries and 730 days at sea, adding 17,520 hours dedicated to the future of the planet. Before the professionals in the sector, she made a direct invitation to action: “I have a lot of hope in people,” she said.

Bianca officially opened the Ministers’ Summit and highlighted the grandeur of the meeting that opens in this edition of WTM with the aim of creating a space for joint articulation in Latin America. “When we gather leaders from the region in one space, we create the possibility of exchanging experiences, sharing challenges, aligning visions and building common paths,” she said.

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to the presentation of the highlights of the Shaping Sustainable Tourism study – The Role of Observatories in Latin America and the Caribbean”, produced by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in partnership with UN Tourism. Heitor Kadri, director of the UN Tourism Regional Office for the Americas, highlighted the relevance of the study that will be launched in the coming days. Then Juliana Bettini, IDB senior tourism expert summarized the key insights for the authorities present.

In addition to Gustavo Feliciano, Minister of Tourism of Brazil, representatives of seven other countries participated in the meeting: Cristian Pos Damás, National Director of Tourism (Uruguay); Gloria de Léon, Minister of Tourism (Panama) ; Maria Paz Lagos, Vice Minister of Tourism (Chile); Miguel Aguiñiga Rodriguez, Head of the Innovation, Sustainability and Tourism Professionalization Unit (Mexico); José Maria Arrua - Minister of Tourism of the Province of Misiones (Argentina); Harris Whitbeck, Minister of Tourism (Guatemala) and Ernest Hilaire, Minister of Tourism (Santa Lúcia).

The Ministers’ Summit also had a debate divided into blocks and moderated by Mariana Aldrigui, president of the Advisory Board of WTM Latin America, professor and researcher at the University of São Paulo. Representatives from the eight countries answered the thematic questions that included achievements and challenges of tourism in Latin America, innovation actions around regenerative tourism, connectivity, technology and regional integration.

The regenerative tourism, the central theme of this edition, was approached from different perspectives in lectures and panels scattered throughout the knowledge spaces.

The Transformation Theatre was the stage of the panel “Regenerating to Reconnect Latin America”, which brought together Ana Duék, director of the travel Verde portal; Arvey Granada, Master in Marketing and Digital Business; and Jorge Moller, Director of the Global Tourism Sustainable Council program.

The experts highlighted the need for Latin America to act as an integrated block. “We are a living continent and we need to reconnect with each other, travel more between our countries. We have great potential to create a joint identity and restore the value of human encounter. We are a wonderful continent and tourism has everything to positively impact the populations,” said Jorge Moller.

Ana Duék noted that Latin Americans are increasingly reconnecting with the continent and its natural, cultural and ancestral riches. “We have a lot to discover and exchange. We are a very rich continent. We need first to restore our vision of tourism and Latin America and, above all, our mentality,” she said, emphasizing the need to think tourism from destination and its inhabitants.

To Arvey, in addition to natural and cultural heritage, the region has as great differential the hospitality of its people, who are always with open arms. “We are hospitable. What we need is to feel our heritage more and strengthen our belonging as diverse and at the same time equal peoples. We share the same pains and cultures.”

In the lecture “Transforming Tourist Destinations Through Regeneration”, the President and Co-Founder of the Aupaba Institute, Luciana de Lamare, presented a frank and demystifying vision about the essence and consequences of regenerative tourism. “It is essential to hear who is in the territory that will be impacted,” she began. She drew attention to the importance of having a systemic view of this aspect, leaving the market logic to understand the territory in its different levels, needs, and potentialities. “We cannot use regenerative tourism as marketing, but use it to promote real improvements,” she warns.

The specialist has shown that territories and businesses can turn into innovative, sustainable and capable of generating positive impact for communities and visitors. This, the speaker recalled, goes through the understanding of spirituality in its sense of connection between people and purposes. “The awareness of pain and problems is the first step toward renewal and connection,” he concluded.

Frictions and exchanges between academia and the market set the tone of the panel “Regenerative Tourism: Discussions and Practice”. Under the mediation of Jaqueline Gil, researcher at LETS-UnB, the conversation brought together academics Loretta Bellato, Adjunta Researcher, Swinburne University of Technology; Dr. Cemil Klic, Director, Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Thiago Allis, Associate Professor of Leisure and Tourism at the Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Humanities of EACH – USP.

A pioneer in the study of the subject, Loretta highlighted that regenerative tourism should catalyze and boost the life of the place, reflecting on health and well-being, and guided: “The community always needs to direct decisions so that interventions provide integration and alignment with natural processes,” she said, noting that regenerative tourism is a global movement in full expansion.

Jamil stressed the importance of tourism to recover history and social, cultural and economic values. “Regenerative tourism allows a destination to reposition itself through its history and heritage. For this to happen it is essential to place the community in the center, generating belonging and occupation of the spaces”, she argues.

Thiago Allis reminded that it is necessary to bring regenerative tourism to the day-to-day life of companies and relationships in their different spaces and community ties. “Brazil is a reference in community tourism. Tourism opens up many possibilities and paths, and we need to work so that this is done in the best possible way, generating wealth and appreciation.”

At the Technology & Innovation Theatre space, Daiane Dunka, Google's Head of Travel, showed how the resignified mobility, consumption and life context are redefining the travel market and opening up opportunities. Amid the changes caused by AI, the expert pointed out that the focus always needs to be the consumer. “Understanding the pulse, needs, anxieties and desires is fundamental. We don’t have to be afraid of changes, but look at them with the perception that we can learn more, because everything is changing at the same time,” he suggests.

The day was also marked by the official launch of “Desbrava”, a platform created by Embratur in partnership with Sebrae to support the internationalization of Brazilian tourism and democratize the access of destinations and national companies of different sizes to the international tourism market. The platform brings together training, market intelligence, data, strategic content and a digital community, with the aim of preparing from micro entrepreneurs to large companies of the tourist trade to act in a qualified and aligned way in the international scenario, which also aims to strengthen Brazil’s competitiveness in the international scenario.

Another important moment in the programming was the delivery of the fourth edition of the Black Guide Afro-tourism Award. Sponsored by Embratur, the initiative celebrated destinations, initiatives and professionals related to Brazilian Afro-tourism that stood out in 2025. This year’s winners were: CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (partner company of Afroturismo); Benin (Best International Destination); Lucas de Matos (Best Content of Afroturismo); Museum of the Favelas (Best Attractive or Tourist Experience); Brasilia Negra (Best Experience Brazil Adentro); Dida Bar and Restaurant (Best Afro-Entrepreneur Development Project linked to Afroturismo); Bitonga Travel (Best Afrotourism Company); Best National Destination (São Luís/MA) and Helcias Pereira, guide of Afro-tourism of Palmares (Highlight Guia Negro).

Information to the press: Comunica Hub

Marcia Leite – (11) 9-4334 3017 – [email protected]

Luciana Gonçalves Frei (11) 9-5134 9665 – [email protected]

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