It was a pleasure to return to the House of Commons last night for our annual parliamentary reception hosted by Fabian Hamilton MP, the new chairman of the All-Party-Parliamentary-Group to Latin America.
The event brought together MPs and Peers, Latin American ambassadors, diplomats, LATA members, key media, and the wider UK travel industry to celebrate a number of key achievements and personalities that have contributed to building positive relationships between Latin America and the United Kingdom.
LATA SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
LATA was delighted to present Studio Lambert, the multi award-winning production company behind BBC One’s Celebrity Race Across the World, with this year’s LATA Special Recognition Award. Series two, which aired in the autumn last year, saw four celebrity teams embark on an epic 12,500km race of a lifetime from Belém in Northern Brazil, to the finish line in Frutillar in Southern Chile. The race highlighted the beauty of the region and warmth of those people the teams met on the way. In a recent poll of LATA members, 60% reported an increase in enquiries to the places shown during the series, with Brazil seeing the most interest
Collecting the award on behalf of Studio Lambert was Executive producer, Charlotte Woolley who said “On behalf of the production team and the cast we are thrilled to receive this award. Knowing that we’ve shone a positive spotlight on Latin America and encouraged people to step out of their comfort zone and travel the lesser travelled route is something that we’re all immensely proud of.”
Joining the evening was the series’ runner-up, Mary-Ellen Moriarty who said “Getting the opportunity to race through Latin America was a privilege that didn’t pass either of us by. The culture, the landscapes as well as the people we met will stay with us forever.”
LATA HALL OF FAME
The ceremony also saw Alfredo Ferreyros inducted into the LATA Hall of Fame; an honour which celebrates members of the travel community who have made a significant contribution to the growth, progress and success of LATA and the travel industry. Alfredo is widely considered to be the father of adventure tourism in Latin America, beginning his journey in 1974 when a group of German travellers approached him to guide them along the then unknown Inca Trail. Inspired by his passion for the Andes, he founded Explorandes in 1975, creating a platform to share the wonders of the Peruvian highlands with adventurers from around the world. Alfredo founded the Peruvian Association of Adventure and Ecotourism (APTAE) to bring together like-minded individuals and companies and served as its president for over a decade. He worked tirelessly to establish stringent safety standards for adventure operations, ensuring the well-being of travellers.
By the 1990s, Alfredo began reflecting on the broader impact of tourism recognising that whilst it brought economic development to Andean regions, it also left a significant mark on local communities and environments. In 2000 he made a groundbreaking decision to eliminate single-use plastics from Explorandes operations, a concept far ahead of its time. Now, at the age of 75, Alfredo plans to step back from the daily operations of Explorandes, but his legacy of exploration, sustainability, and professional excellence continues to inspire the global tourism industry.
Alfredo was unable to join the evening but spoke to Martin and Danny ahead of the evening, and the award was given to his son Joaquin at the event.
Jude Berry, Chair of the LATA Foundation, LATA’s charitable arm, highlighted some of the key charity initiatives being funded across Latin America, as well as introduce Rachel Nicoll, the Foundation’s first paid employee, to the wider membership.
Martin also presented Megan Parkinson with a certificate and meal voucher to recognise her ten years of exceptional dedication and service to LATA, the Latin American community and all our members. We are all so grateful for Megan’s work and input into shaping LATA to what it is today.
Thank you to everyone for joining us and celebrating the Latin American travel industry.
The full image library can be viewed here. Many thanks to Gregg Brown Photography.