As the Premium Diversity Sponsor of WTM Latin America 2026

The Ministry of Tourism celebrates the success of the Diversity Route initiative, which gave visibility to 35 initiatives and highlighted tourism as a tool for women’s empowerment.

Just open a dictionary to see that diversity refers to variety. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency, diversity can be understood as the variety of characteristics and social markers that distinguish people within a group, such as race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, and social class, among many others. However, the understanding of the term does not end with the simplicity of its meaning.

“WTM Latin America has always treated diversity as a central and leading theme throughout the pavilion, addressing the concept in the broadest possible way,” says Bianca Pizzolito, emphasizing that this commitment ranges from the curation of conference topics to prioritizing speakers from underrepresented communities, as well as the composition of the Diversity Committee and the Advisory Board, both made up of professionals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives.

Within the tourism offering itself, diversity aligns with these different characteristics to provide a wide range of experiences. Highlighting these experiences is another important commitment of the event and that was realized two years ago with the creation of the Diversity Route. The initiative aims to recognize and highlight exhibitors who have products and services aligned to five themes: Afro Tourism, 60+ Tourism, LGBT+ Tourism, Community-Based Tourism, and Accessible Tourism.

In its third edition, the Diversity Route grew in the number of participants — reaching 35 initiatives — and gained major support from the Ministry of Tourism, which celebrated the event by becoming its Premium Diversity Sponsor. The initiatives were identified throughout the pavilion, creating a route that gives visibility to tourism products and projects developed by exhibitors committed to diversity and inclusion, bringing them together within a single circuit to facilitate connections between those offering and those seeking new narratives in the tourism sector.

In addition to supporting the Diversity Route, the Ministry of Tourism also contributed to the event program by bringing relevant topics to the discussion on diversity within the tourism sector.  One of the highlights was the session “Sozinha, Nunca Só” [“Alone, Never Lonely”], featuring Juliana Paula de Paiva Oliveira on the stage of the Transformation Theater, where she presented the “Guide for Women Traveling Alone.”

Produced by Mtur, with the support of UNESCO, the 72-page document highlights the importance of women traveling alone tourism for autonomy, as well as bringing practical guidance, safety tips and travelers’ rights. The presentation also highlighted the role of public policies in promoting a more inclusive tourism, highlighting initiatives that strengthen the participation of women both in the role of tourists and professionals of the tourism productive chain.

Diversity Route Initiatives 2026

Sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, the Diversity Route is an initiative organized by the WTM Latin America Diversity and Inclusion Committee that, since 2024, has highlighted a dedicated route within the pavilion featuring itineraries and services from exhibitors focused on promoting greater diversity and inclusion. These initiatives are grouped into five categories that showcase the leading role of Brazilian states representing a significant share of the registered products.

In the Afro Tourism category, five projects were selected, translating Black identity, heritage, and leadership into tourism experiences and products. The selection includes: Belotur (content and itineraries focused on Afro culture in the capital of Minas Gerais), Fundação de Turismo do Mato Grosso do Sul [Tourism Foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul] (Bela Oyá Pantanal, an Afro Tourism receptive agency offering immersive tours and itineraries in Corumbá), Secretaria de Turismo e Viagens do Estado de São Paulo [State Secretariat of Tourism and Travel of São Paulo] (working group and updated Afro Tourism SP guide), SEBRAE – Mato Grosso (Afro Tourism itinerary in the Mata Cavalo Quilombola Community), and Secretaria Municipal de Turismo de São Luís [State Secretariat of Tourism of São Luis] (Afro heritage and identity in the capital of Maranhão).

In the 60+ Tourism category, the 2026 edition brought together four initiatives that recognize senior travelers as a strategic audience: Minas Gerais (Serra da Mantiqueira as a destination for wellness and nature), Pastore Turismo (a tour operator specialized in group travel and events for this segment of the population), Secretaria de Turismo e Viagens do Estado de São Paulo [State Secretariat of Tourism and Travel of São Paulo] (the “Maturity Guide,” featuring cities prepared to receive senior tourists, along with a traveling workshop cycle to train professionals and agents on this traveler profile), and Fundação de Turismo de Mato Grosso do Sul [Tourism Foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul] (soft adventure itineraries in Bonito/Bodoquena, focused on hospitality and safety).

Seven initiatives were submitted in the LGBT+ Tourism category, including the Orinter Pride seal, which curates inclusive travel experiences from Orinter Tour & Travel. Within the territories scope, the Route highlighted projects from the Fundação de Turismo de Mato Grosso do Sul [Tourism Foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul] (LGBT-friendly positioning and tourism industry training), Destination São Luís, Maranhão (capacity building, guide development, and coordination for an inclusive destination), and Belotur (LGBTQIAPN+ Guide), as well as three international initiatives - RCD Hotels (offering same-sex wedding ceremonies and hospitality actions), OUT in Colombia (LGBTQ+ experiences with community impact), and PROCOLOMBIA (national LGBTQ+ tourism strategy).

Community-Based Tourism brings together 11 initiatives that place communities, ways of life, and local economies at the center of the experience across different regions of Brazil. The private initiative stood out with the participation of: Sempre Atins Cavalgadas (horseback crossings through dunes, rivers, and villages in the Lençóis Maranhenses), Caetés Expedições Turismo e Aventura (speedboat excursions), and Amazonia Expedition (visits to riverside and Indigenous Amazon communities).

Within the scope of tourism secretariats and entities, the selected participants were: Secretaria Municipal de Turismo de São Paulo (“Vai de Roteiro” in the Parelheiros Ecotourism Pole, featuring Indigenous experiences and training residents as guides), Belotur (Mennuh, a collaboratively developed catalogue of experiences in Belo Horizonte), Minas Gerais (immersive experiences in the Serra do Espinhaço), Fundação de Turismo do Mato Grosso do Sul [Tourism Foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul] (community-based tourism in villages in Nioaque, aiming to strengthen the autonomy of the Terena and Atikum Indigenous communities), and SEBRAE Paraíba (Encantos do Rio Paraíba, connecting Cabedelo to Santa Rita), as well as Secretaria Municipal de Turismo de São Luís [State Secretariat of Tourism of São Luis] (“Caminho dos Guarás,” a route integrating 15 municipalities). Additionally, SEBRAE Mato Grosso stood out with two distinct initiatives: the “Vida Pantaneira” route, which expands the perspective beyond wildlife to include local community experiences, and the cultural experience at the Museu da Viola de Choco [Viola de Cocho Museum].

In Accessible Tourism, the 2026 Diversity Route brought together eight initiatives, showcasing examples of infrastructure adaptation, protocols, and experience design for different audiences. The Secretaria de Turismo do Paraná [State Secretariat of Tourism of Paraná] presented two actions: accessibility initiatives for autistic visitors at Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, and an adapted train carriage designed for people with various disabilities on the rail route connecting Curitiba to Morretes. The Fundação de Turismo de Mato Grosso do Sul [Tourism Foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul] highlighted the “Turismo MS Acessível” initiative along the Pantanal–Bonito route, while the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia reported the existence of an accessible waterfall for wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility. Accor Brazil has brought a hospitality and diversity agenda on different fronts, with public commitments and pilot actions, including initiatives and partnerships linked to equity and representativeness.

Three initiatives came from other Latin American countries: IL Viaggio Travel, from Costa Rica (division of adapted experiences, including affordable transportation and lodging and expert-led adventure activities), Zuana Beach Resort, from Santa Marta in Colombia (environmental and sustainable management actions of marine-coastal tourism) and H. Ayuntamiento de San Luis Potosi, Mexico (inclusive concerts of the San Luis in Primavera festival, service protocols and special features).

WTM Latin America 2026 received 35,463 participants, including more than 18.5 travel agents. The meeting scheduling platform totaled more than 9.2 thousand meetings throughout the event, which added 936 exhibiting brands, including the presence of 53 countries. In 2027, the fair will be held between April 13 and 15, at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo.

Information for 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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