First Lady Leticia Ocampos stated that tourism and women’s empowerment are two of the Government’s priorities, and that women’s empowerment is key to the country’s development, at the First Regional Conference on Women’s Empowerment in Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is taking place in Paraguay.
She stressed that tourism is one of the Government’s priorities for the country’s development and constitutes one of the priority areas of the Office she presides over; in addition to emphasising that the empowerment of women is key to promoting sustainable, inclusive and responsible development.
This regional event, which brings together leaders of the public and private tourism sector from Latin American and Caribbean countries in alliance with UN Tourism, is organised by the National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur) and UN Tourism, with support from the Office of the First Lady; the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).
During this regional meeting, participants set priorities and challenges that they must jointly address to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality.
The Regional Director for the Americas of the World Tourism Organisation, Gustavo Santos, highlighted the interest of the high international organisation to strengthen the leadership of women in tourism, one of the priorities of UN Tourism for the region, on the occasion of the opening of the conference.
She also announced that this regional meeting, which is the first of its kind to be held in Paraguay, will now be held year after year, and the representative of El Salvador presented her country’s candidacy to host the second edition next year.
Tourism is essential for development
Leticia Ocampos said that for the Office of the First Lady, this is one of the priority areas and we are proud of it, she added, in addition to stating that this offers us the possibility of showing our rich cultural diversity, our traditions and the natural beauty of our landscapes.
He said they want Paraguay to become a preferred destination, where every visitor can experience our warmth, our history and our hospitality.
Designing strategies to build sustainable tourism
She also noted that a constructive dialogue must be established to design effective strategies to promote sustainable, inclusive and responsible tourism.
She went on to expresse her desire to work together to promote initiatives that benefit our countries, protect Paraguayan heritage, and respect our environment.
Women are agents of change in tourism
The First Lady stressed that women in tourism are agents of change, capable of driving innovation and sustainability in every corner of the world, as they provide a unique platform to break barriers, and become influential voices wherever they go.
She also expressed his confidence that this conference will serve to share innovative ideas, strengthen alliances and design strategies that benefit everyone. “Together, we can turn tourism into a positive force that contributes to sustainable development and global well-being,” she said in part of her message.
Tourism has a woman’s face
For her part, the Minister of the National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur), Angie Duarte, asserted that “it has been proven that tourism has a female face”, and is one of the industries that can benefit most from female inclusion and leadership. However, despite the progress, women continue to face numerous challenges in their full participation, she indicated.
She highlighted that the participants of the regional seminar analyse best practices, share experiences and discuss effective strategies to promote the empowerment of women in communities and in the global tourism sector.
She argued that the stories brought by women from different parts of Latin America and the Caribbean serve to select the actions applicable to our reality and to each community, in order to be full witnesses of the resurgence of a giant that our president, Santiago Peña, always speaks of.
She also noted that there is much to be done and that it is essential to work together to eliminate existing barriers to guarantee access to financing, training and leadership opportunities for women.
Duarte asserted that an inclusive environment must be fostered, where women’s voices are heard and valued; in addition to the conviction that a strategic alliance of working together will make them stronger to face the challenges that arise.
In this regard, she said that with collaboration and determination they will be able to move towards a future where the tourism sector is a reality and that together they can create opportunities that transform lives, strengthen our economy and allow each woman to shine in the tourism sector, indicated the Minister of Senatur, Angie Duarte.
Recognition for former tourism ministers of Paraguay
Four former Ministers of Tourism of Paraguay were recognised for their leadership in the tourism sector, within the framework of the First Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is taking place in our country.
The honorees were María Evangelista Troche de Gallegos, who served as Minister of Tourism from 2003 to 2006; Liz Crámer Campos, from 2018 to 2020; Marcela Bacigalupo, from 2013 to 2018; and Sofía Montiel de Afara, from 2018 to 2023. All of the four are women.
On this subject, First Lady Leticia Ocampos, said that in the last 20 years, it has been women who have led this ministry and revolutionised tourism in Paraguay, starting with Evany, followed by Liz, Marcela, Sofia and now Angie, she said.
