Chairman of the Latin America Travel Association, Martin Johnson, shares his thoughts on how to give your Latin American business a boost
“The start of 2026 has been eventful. Uncertainty tends to make travellers think harder about where they go and who they book with. For those of us focused on Latin America, that's not necessarily bad news and we see an opportunity for potential new business for travel agents and operators.”
Room for growth
“We have already seen airlines add capacity on routes with Costa Rica having British Airways fly five times per week from later 2026 and KLM flying in from Amsterdam. TAP Portugal has also expanded its network from Lisbon across Brazil. We hope more will follow.”
“At the end of last year, we employed Georgia, as our fantastic Business Development Manager and also opened the LATA membership to travel agents. Georgia is working hard to encourage more agents to join us at LATA Expo. For agents and operators who haven’t experienced the new residential format of LATA Expo, I urge you to give it a go.”
“After two excellent years, and our move this year to a fabulous new venue in the Cotswolds, now is the time to take the leap. I firmly believe there is no better opportunity to enhance your Latin America business, with trusted and valued LATA overseas members, in a format that is both inspirational and enormously useful – all without even having to leave the country.”
“LATA members have complimentary access to specialist partners. The Long Run runs our Sustainability Training Programme and The TRIP Group organises insightful webinars and masterclasses into travel risk management – vital for all businesses now more than ever.”
Looking to the future
“Later this year we will be launching our long-awaited new website, which will have improved resources for agents and operators. We are also working with The Travel Hub Collection, a fantastic training resource for agents and travel designers, and will be announcing locations for this year’s LATA Roadshow in the coming weeks.”
“When travellers are cautious, reputation and reliability matter more, not less. I can think of no better time to be part of the LATA network: made up of the best UK travel companies to arrange those trips and look after your customers from start to finish; Latin America’s most reputable ground handlers to expertly care for those customers once they land; the best hotels, cruises and experiences enabling them to see the very best of the continent; and our network available to you to leverage and support you.”
“It’s easy in crisis moments to hunker down, become insular, and focus only on managing the situation immediately in front of us. Let’s work together, leverage the strengths of the LATA network, and keep looking at the bigger picture. I believe there’s never been a better time to develop your business into Latin America.”
The LATA Expo 2026 will take place on June 7th-10th in the Cotswolds.
