The second day hosted debate on distribution, sustainability, technology, and consumer trends, as well as the celebration of the 6ª edition of the Responsible Tourism Award.

In the content grid of the second day of WTM Latin America, distributed accorss the three theaters of the event, the debates advanced from a more structural view on distribution and regeneration of destinations to practical discussions on sustainability, loyalty via technology, and the reading of trends applied to sales, a cutout that connected impact, data, and business strategy in sequence. The afternoon was also marked by the bestowal of 26 trophies to initiatives highlighted in the sixth edition of the Responsible Tourism Award.

One of the highlights of the Technology & Innovation theater was “From inventory to impact: How travel distribution can regenerate destinations”, a panel that gathered Mariana Aldrigui, Alexandre Oliveira, Emilio Inés, and Gisela Blok. The panelists advocated a distribution that is sustainable at all stages, capable of connecting companies, destinations, and experiences while strengthening small entrepreneurs and the diversity of communities. Alexandre warned that apparently minor decisions can increase inequalities when made without awareness and that tourism needs to generate development with local protagonism, while Emilio and Mariana emphasized that regenerative tourism only gains scale with indicators, data intelligence, and chain integration.

 “Challenges on the road to sustainability: Stories of impact on adventure destinations” brought a frank tone on resource limits, governance, and management, with the participation of Marianne Costa, Douglas Simons, Nicolas Caram, and Anna Carolina Lobo. The speakers shared lessons learned and alerts, such as the need to place communities and biodiversity at the center and the figure that the reduction of fauna and flora since the 1970 would have reached 95% in Latin America and the Caribbean. There was also a call to balance project expectations with monetization and investment in order to generate real economic development at the destination.

Another theme with good reflections was “from booking to bond: How technology is redefining loyalty.” Melanie Teixeira, Guilherme Padilha, and Cinthia dos Santos went on stage to defend that fidelity ceased to be a mere point program and became a relationship sustained by data, continuous customization, and real-time experiences. To them, the bond begins in pricing and distribution, that is, long before booking, and technology enables hyper personalized delivery.

In analytical terms, Mariana Aldrigui took the stage once again to address “Global trends with a Latin accent: What matters to our markets”. The professor and researcher in tourism at USP translated international insights into the regional commercial reality, stating that the price no longer decides on its own and that the choice of destination passes through identity, pointing out four vectors of opportunity in Latin America: search for identity, bleisure, 50+ traveler, and technology as reorganizer, with the provocation that the agent does not compete with price or platform, but with the reading of scenarios.

Toward the top 5

The adoption of the electronic visa by Mexico is already beginning to produce concrete economic effects on the Brazilian demand for travel to the country. Miguel Aguíñiga, head of the Innovation, Sustainability, and Tourist Professionalization Unit of the Tourism Secretariat of the Government of Mexico, said that since February 5, the volume of visas approved for Brazilians grew by 460%, adding about 12 thousand authorizations in a month. He pointed out that Brazil is the only country authorized to issue this e-Visa, a measure presented as part of the effort to deepen ties and investments between the two markets.

By relating the first effects of the electronic visa to the medium-term goals, Aguíñiga projected an escalation of Brazil among the main tourist issuers to Mexico. He recalled that in 2025 Mexico received 47.7 million foreign tourists and ranked sixth among the world’s most visited countries, with a declared ambition to rank fifth by 2030. In the cut cited by him, Brazil ranked eighth as an issuing market, but the data gathered between January and February of this year would already indicate progress in the ranking. Maintaining the trend, the estimate is that Brazil reaches 2027 among the five most important issuers to Mexico.

According to Aguíñiga, the expansion of the flow reinforces the aerial connectivity agenda: He cited existing routes and connections and said that, if the new volume of visas translates into boarding, the potential would require something between 15 and 20 additional flights to accommodate demand. “There are ongoing talks with Embratur and the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism to discuss ways to grow connectivity between the two countries, together with Brazilian and Mexican airlines,” he said.

Once again, the Transformation theater has given visibility to and celebrated inspiring stories and projects from the travel and tourism sector that promote sustainable development in Latin America. In her opening speech, Bianca Pizzolito, event leader of WTM Latin America, proudly celebrated the bestowal of the 6^th edition of the Responsible Tourism Award, highlighting that the award has become one of the most anticipated moments, not only for recognition, but for symbolizing tourism as an agent of transformation. The speech emphasized the diversity of projects from all over Latin America — 192 initiatives from 16 countries were enrolled — and stressed that, more than concepts about the future of the sector, the award highlights real practices already underway.

In tune with “Regenerate, restore, reconnect”, the theme of 2026 WTM Latin America, this year’s edition of the award presented a special category focused on regenerative tourism, with initiatives that generate lasting value to destinations. Bianca also thanked the sponsorship of the Ministry of Tourism of all issues related to diversity, the 22 jurors, Aline Bispo and Pablo Menendez, curators of the Transformation theater and the award.

The winners are:

Category 01: Better initiatives to tackle climate change and biodiversity conservation (Supporter: Adventure Travel Trade Association)

BRONZE: Tourism Secretariat of São Sebastião (Brazil)

SILVER: Amazon Emotions (Brazil)

SILVER: Terra Peninsular (Mexico)

GOLD: Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata e Lagoa Misteriosa: Innovation Climate Positive and Biodiversity Conservation through RPPNs (Brazil)

Category 02: Best initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in tourism (Supporter: Muda! Brazilian Collective for Responsible Tourism)

BRONZE: TURISTEA – Inclusive Tourism (Brazil)

SILVER: Organización Tlachtli (Mexico)

SILVER: Caboclos House Ecolodge (Brazil)

GOLD: Café de las Sonrisas (Nicaragua)

Category 03: Best initiatives to promote socioeconomic impact and the building of peace through tourism (Supporter: La Mano Del Mono)
BRONZE: Municipal district of Capachica (Peru)

SILVER: Alagados Turismo Comunitário (Brazil)

SILVER: Fundación Travolution Colombia (Colombia)

GOLD: Colección Montes (Colombia)

Category 04: Best networking initiatives to promote responsible tourism in destinations (Supporter: Planeterra)

BRONZE: Unión de cooperativas Co'ox Mayab (Mexico)

BRONZE: Cartagena de Indias Convention & Visitors Bureau / Secretaría  de Hacienda Distrital de Cartagena de Indias (Colombia)

SILVER: Brumadinho Sustainable Tourism Network - Innovation and Sustainability Day - Company: Rede Terra

GOLD: Asociación Civil Museo Comunitario Isla Maciel (Argentina)

Category 05: Best initiatives for indigenous tourism and/or traditional communities (Supporter: World Indigenous Tourism Alliance – WINTA)

BRONZE: Raíces Program – Impact Hub San José (Costa Rica)

BRONZE: Associação Céu de Montanhas (Brazil)

SILVER: Quichwa Expedition Native Travel (Ecuador)

GOLD: Kiichpam K'aax ecotourism center (Mexico)

Category 06: Best initiatives for the rescue of memory and appreciation of historical heritage (Supporter: Allianza Yuluca)

BRONZE: Tours Mitote - Xochimilco (Mexico)

SILVER: Agência Agroturística Conociendo el Pacífico Nariñense S.A.S ZOMAC (Colombia)
GOLD: Museu da Gastronomia Maranhense – São Luis (Brazil)

Exclusive Category: Best Initiatives for Regenerative Tourism (Supporter: Global Regenerative Tourism Initiative)

BRONZE: Plantar Project - Minas Gerais (Brazil)

SILVER: Reserva de Conservación Torres del Paine (Chile)

GOLD: Bosque Nuboso Monteverde Biological Reserve (Costa Rica)Parte superior do formulário

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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