Held under the theme “Tourism: A Challenge for Addressing Poverty,” the nineteenth Inter-American Travel Congress will focus on tourism as a mechanism for reducing poverty, the role of tourism in generating economic activity and ways to promote community inclusion and participation in the activities of sustainable tourism and its development. These issues will be discussed under the headings of: public-private partnerships for strengthening sustainable tourism development; cultural and heritage tourism as a key to community integration; business competitiveness and corporate social responsibility as axes for the development of sustainable tourism; and the challenges of sustainable tourism in the Americas. The Inter-American Travel Congress is the principal forum for hemispheric dialogue and the formulation of policies to promote sustainable development of tourism in the Americas. It is convened under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS).  

dates: 29-30 September 2011   location: San Salvador, El Salvador   contact: Office of Tourism, Department of Economic Development, Trade & Tourism – OAS Executive Secretariat for Integral Development   e-mail: rcampell@oas.org   www: http://www.oas.org/en/sedi/dedtt/itc/