MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay rounds-up successful appearance at leading MICE fair

Uruguay's swift handling of the COVID-19 crisis has positioned the country as one of the safest destinations worldwide, Monzegliio explained

Uruguay's appearance at the leading IMEX fair in Frankfurt yielded “a very positive balance,” according to tourism officials who represented the country at the global event, which is focused on the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Congresses and Exhibitions) sector.

After a two-year recess due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Frankfurt gathering returned with participants from over 90 countries between May 31 and June 2, during which time a total of around 70,000 business meetings were held.

The Uruguayan delegation was headed by Deputy Tourism Minister Remo Monzeglio, who was escorted by technical manager Karina Larroque, Maldonado (Punta del Este) Tourism Director Martin Laventure, in addition to Santiago Gonzalez from Uruguay's chamber of organizers of congresses and fairs.

The Frankfurt event brings together the most important destinations and operators from all over the world. This year's edition also boasted the largest African representation in history. Middle Eastern destinations such as Dubai, Israel, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar also played an important role.

“The fair closed with a very positive balance and the interest of countries such as Germany, Poland, and the United States in wanting to know more about our country both at tourist and business level,” Uruguay's Tourism Ministry said in a statement.

“For Uruguay, this fair is so important because today we can point out that we have had this year's Unesco World Press Freedom Day conference, we have also had the meeting of the World Tourism Organization in Punta del Este, and we are announcing that next year we will have the world congress of the worldwide Disaster and Humanitarian Aid System, which has just finished its meeting in Indonesia,” Monzeglio explained.

“Our country's presence has been valued very positively, since it is considered that, in addition to having made an excellent management of the pandemic, it has all the necessary infrastructure to host this type of international events,” he added.

Monzeglio also stressed the importance of being in Germany and remarked that the rapid action taken during the pandemic helped to position Uruguay as one of the safest destinations, ranking among the top five worldwide. With 80% of its 3.5 million inhabitants fully vaccinated, Uruguay became the venue for a series of major sporting and business events.

Laventure also pointed out “there is a lot of interest in Uruguay and, particularly, in the department of Maldonado for the image of Punta del Este.” He added that “the possibility of continuing to position ourselves as a destination for congresses, tourism and incentive events makes it worth the effort to come to this type of fairs.”