September 16, 2009
Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and main Seaport, one of the most important ports of the Pacific rim, staged the seventh edition of the International Tourism Exhibit Fair (FITE, for its initials in Spanish), an annual event which the vibrant port city has been developing, to convert it into one of the most complete travel exhibits of the Pacific. FITE 2009 was celebrated from September 17th to the 20th at the Simon Bolivar Conventions Center, located just 5 minutes away from the city’s modern international airport.
This year’s event featured the presence of over 170 originally decorated stands where more than 350 exhibitors from Ecuador and 40 countries of the five continents, displayed the best of their tourism attractions, culture, people, infrastructure and services, all related to the travel industry. A large number of specialized travel and tourism journalists from the host country and the visiting international press not only covered the event but were shown some of the most outstanding attractions of Guayaquil and Ecuador’s four geographical regions, the “Four Worlds in One Country” which Ecuador is promoting worldwide.
FITE was inaugurated by the Minister of Tourism of Ecuador, Veronica Sion and Guayaquil’s City Mayor, Jaime Nebot. The event congregated the elite of the travel and tourism industry from Ecuador and the guest countries. During the three days, some 70.000 visitors toured the Convention Center’s modern installations to admire the rich and varied exhibition and to inquire about travel destinations, tours and products from all the participant countries.
Parallel with the Fair, a complete agenda of specialized Seminars and Conferences were offered by national and international experts of the travel industry, as well as an International Folkloric Festival; an equally International Contest for Travel Journalists and the Audiovisual Contest “Ecuador, Four Worlds”.
Social, cultural and gastronomic events in several of the city’s splendorous locations complemented the Fair, which is consolidating as a one-of-a-kind top event every year. FITE 2009 provided one more opportunity to place Guayaquil and Ecuador on an increasingly popular and prestigious international showcase.
Guayaquil glittered for the occasion with its emblematic and superb “Malecon 2000” Waterfront Promenade alongside the shores of the mythical Guayas River; its ultra modern MAAC Museum, complete with some of the most advanced museum technology; the “Crystal Palace”; and the historic buildings of the old colonial city centre. Visitors had the opportunity to tour the city’s most important attractions, among them, the picturesque Santa Ana Hill with its pastel color restored old houses covering the historic hill which overlooks the Guayas River and location of the city’s Spanish foundation; the Simon Bolivar Park, better known as the “Park of the Iguanas”, where many of these rare and friendly reptiles roam freely among the by passers, right in front of the city’s imposing neo-gothic Cathedral and the colonial district of Las Peñas with its historic houses, art galleries and bohemian hangouts.
Guayaquil combines, with tropical charm, the old and the new. The Historic Center has been beautifully regenerated and preserved for posterity and shares its space with a modern and cosmopolitan city and port with its ample avenues, high-tech buildings, five star hotels, top class restaurants and a host of Mega Malls, a shopping haven for locals and visitors alike. The city’s night life is equally famous and the pleasantly warm temperature and year-around stable climate provide for an unforgettable experience for those who visit the “Pearl of the Pacific”.
Guess who knows Guayaquil better than anyone…? Call us and you will soon be on your way to this superb Pacific port, one of Ecuador’s two main cities, full of history, hospitality and ideal gateways for the unique Galapagos Islands.
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