Tourism

According to World Tourism Organization (WTO), visitors will be flocking to South America during the 2010-2020 period, in numbers above the average for the world and the Americas. This means excellent prospects for Venezuela, due mainly to its extremely favorable geographical location as a gateway to South America and the ideal point of departure for those traveling from South America to the United States and Europe.

Thanks to its triple identity as an Andean, Amazonian and Caribbean country, Venezuela is definitely a multidestination tourism magnet. Outstanding among the many attractions the country has to offer are:

• 1,700 square kilometers of sand and coral beaches.

• 72 islands, islets and keys of unique interest to visitors. Those most favored by
   foreign tourists are Margarita Island and the Los Roques archipelago

• Imposing mountain ranges: The Andes and the Eastern and Central Ranges; Cerro El
  Ávila, the mountain that separates Caracas from the Central Coastline, is part of this
  latter range.

• 430,000 square kilometers of rain forest, home to unique species of flowers, wildlife
  and vast rivers. Major attractions include the Orinoco River and Angel Falls, the
  world’s highest waterfall.

• 300,000 square kilometers of plains, crisscrossed by rivers and the habitat of a rich
  variety of wildlife. Some species that are close to extinction can be found here,
  among others manatees, otters, caimans, turtles and jaguars.

• 39 national parks and 41 natural monuments, covering a total of 14,000,695 hectares  (16.04% of the country’s territory).

The main segments for tourism development in Venezuela are sun and beach, nature, and business. It is this latter category that accounts for the largest number of visitors, most of whom head for the country’s main cities and the centers hosting the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, among others.

Given this great demand, the world’s best-known hotel chains are represented in Venezuela: Hilton, Marriott, Radisson, Hesperia, Intercontinental, Sol Meliá, Embassy and Best Western, among others. Moreover, the country has one of the most widespread transportation networks in Latin America: Thruways and roads, airports (11 international, 50 national, 2 state and more than 150 private), public and private urban ground transportation services, and ports dotting the coastline.

Well aware of this potential, the government considers tourism a strategic sector for the economic development of the country, as stated in Article 310 of the National Constitution. In keeping with this policy, the Ministry of Tourism is implementing a strategy that revolves around 7 poles of development, based on the natural, cultural and production-related attractions of each, and backed by a package of incentives for investors.