6. TOURISM

A. Sub-Regional Sectoral Agreements

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1. Acuerdo para la Promoción Turística de América do Sur (ALADI/AAP/14TM/4 - 05/04/92) (Agreement for the Promotion of Tourism in South America)

DATE: May 4, 1992

MEMBERS: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela

Summary of Provisions

Objective:
Article 1: The signatory countries agree to jointly develop actions considered necessary for the promotion of South America as a tourism destination, at the intra regional level, as well as at extra regional level. 

Article 2: In order to achieve this purpose, the national measures required to facilitate and promote tourism flows from third countries to countries of the region, and between the countries of the region, will be adopted.

Cooperation Actions and Technical Assistance:
Article 3: The official tourism entities of the signatory countries will meet annually with the purpose to analyze, review and program the joint actions destined to:

a) Promote tourism toward South America;

b) Spread the cultural values of the region;

c) Promote the intra regional tourism;

d) Make cooperation actions possible between the tourism operators of the region, with the purpose to increase the regional capacity to absorb and canalize the tourism flows;

e) Organize seminars and completion courses oriented to increase the specialization level of the human resources dedicated to tourism.

Article 4: The signatory countries commit to stimulate the bilateral cooperation between them in the different fields covered by the tourism activity, and to provide technical assistance to develop their programs.

Article 5: The competent authorities of the signatory countries will supply maximum facilities, within their respective legal orders, for the entrance and exit of nationals of the countries signing this agreement, and will make interventions tending to harmonize the current standards and procedures in the area.

Entities and Cooperation Mechanisms:
Article 6: The signatory countries agree to create the South American Commission of Tourism , which will consist of official authorities in the area of tourism or their properly accredited representatives, with the purpose to promote tourism towards and between the South American countries, and to lean in the direction of a better use of the available means and resources for tourism development of all and each of the countries signing this Agreement.

Article 7: The South American Commission of Tourism will develop the activities described in Article 3 through specific projects, according to the functions and attributions established in the Statute, which is presented in the Annex and is an integrating part of this Agreement.

Article 8: The South American Commission of Tourism will designate a President, a Vice-President, and a Controller among its members, for a period of two years, renewable for an equal period, who will have the functions and attributions established in the Statute and determined by the Commission. The Commission’s headquarters will be permanently located with the Latin American Association of Integration (ALADI).

Article 9: The ALADI’s General Secretariat will perform the functions of Technical Secretariat of the Commission, in a permanent basis.

Adhesion:
Article 10: This Agreement will be open to the adhesion, through negotiation, of the other countries which are members of ALADI.

Article 11: The rest of the Latin American countries may adhere to this Agreement, through negotiation, once its has entered into force in all of the signatory countries.

Article 12: The adhesion will be formalized once its terms have been negotiated between the signatory countries and the country requesting adhesion, through the signature of an Additional Protocol to this Agreement, will enter into force 30 days after its deposit with the ALADI’s General Secretariat.

Entry into Force and Duration:
Article 13: This Agreement will enter into force in the date when the signatory countries and adherents announce that it is administratively in effect, and will have a duration of four years, automatically renewable for equal periods.

Differential Treatments:
Article 14: Given the particular natures of this Agreement, the signatory countries convene that it does not affect or harm the principle of differential treatments covered in the Treaty of Montevideo 1980.Denouncement:Article 15: Any country signing this Agreement may denounce it after two years of participation in it. For such, it will notify its decision with an anticipation of sixty days, depositing the respective instrument with ALADI’s General Secretariat, which will inform the denouncement to the other signatory countries. Thirty days after the denouncement has been formalized, the rights and obligations assumed because of this Agreement will cease automatically for the denouncing country.

However, the programs or projects under execution in which the denouncing country is involved, and whose culmination surpasses the period anticipated by the denouncement, may be continued in common agreement with the participating countries.

Evaluation and Revision:
Article 16: The signatory countries will annually evaluate the results achieved because of this Agreement.

Article 17: The commitments derived from the revision and the adjustments convened will be formalized through the signature of Additional Protocols.

General Provisions: The Association’s General Secretariat will be the depositary of this Agreement.

2. Decision 171: “Programa Andino de Desarrollo e Integración Turística” (Decision 171: Andean Program for Tourism Development and Integration)

DATE: [sic.]

MEMBERS: Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela)

Summary of Provisions

Objectives:
Article 1: The Andean Program of Tourism Development and Integration will have the general objective of promoting the integrated development of tourism between and towards the Member Countries. It will also have the following specific objectives:

a) Promote the subregional tourism through actions of facilitation and jointed promotion.

b) Turn tourism into an element of education and promotion of the Andean community.

c) Promote and coordinate promotional campaigns to increase attraction of the world demand for tourism.

d) Contribute to the diversification of markets for the subregional supply of tourism.

e) Promote, through joint action, the technical and administrative improvement of the tourism resources of each Member Country.

f) Seek the rational utilization and conservation of the natural resources related to tourism.

Joint Supply of Tourism:
Article 2: The Competent Official Entities of the Member Countries will gradually identify axis, corridors or circuits of tourism as well as projects for tourism development with the purpose to structure a joint tourism supply.

Means of Transportation:
Article 9: With the purpose to make possible and facilitate the joint tourism supply, the Member Countries will promote the arrangement of agreements allowing the national airlines to supply regular or special services in the intrasubregional circuits of tourism, in conformity with the standards established by the Competent Official Entities.

Article 10: The Member Countries will take the most adequate measures for the improvement and coordination of land, maritime, river and lake means of transportation for tourism.

Lodging:
Article 11: The Andean Group’s Board of Directors for Tourism will elaborate an Andean Regulation for Lodging Establishments and will submit it to their respective Governments.

Travel Agencies and Tourism Operators:
Article 12: The Andean Group’s Board of Directors for Tourism will elaborate an Andean Regulation for Travel Agencies and Tourism Operators and will submit it to their respective Governments.

Article 13: The tourism services for organized trips from a Member Country to another, or to other countries of the Subregion, should be provided through Travel Agencies which are properly authorized, and which will be directly responsible for the contracted obligations.

Facilities for Tourism:
Article 14: The Member Countries will adopt measures to facilitate the transfer of tourists from other countries towards the Member Countries and between them.

The Member Countries will grant to the national tourists of the Andean Countries a preferential treatment which facilitates their circulation in the Subregion. The Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism will analyze the topic every year and will take or recommend pertinent actions to make the achievement of this objective possible.

Joint Promotion:
Article 15: The Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism will define the axis, corridors or circuits of integration and will coordinate their commercialization, through programs for joint promotion.

Professional Formation:
Article 18: The Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism will elaborate a gradual and unified basic education system relating to the tourism sector in its varied levels and modalities, as well as for the recognition of titles granted by the Member Countries in this sector. The Board will submit it with its criteria to the consideration of the competent entities of the “Andrés Bello” Agreement.

Statistics:
Article 19: With the purpose of unifying the collection and the information processing regarding the tourism development of the Subregion, the Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism will coordinate the establishment of a system of tourism statistics in the Subregion, providing basic information on the evolution of the tourism supply and demand in the Member Countries.

Creation of Subregional Tourism Enterprises:
Article 20: The Competent Official Entities of the Member Countries will promote the creation of enterprises in the tourism sector with the participation of subregional capital.

Institutional Support:
Article 22: The Commission and the Board of the Cartagena Agreement, at the request of the Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism, will support the Member Countries’ actions in subregional and international entities for obtaining financial resources and technical assistance which will contribute to the Annual Plan for the Development of Tourism Integration.

The Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism:
Article 23: The Andean Community’s Board of Directors for Tourism will consist of high personnel of the official entities in charge of the formulation and execution of the tourism plans and policies of each Member Country and will meet al least once a year. It will have the following functions: 

a) formulate and approve the annual plans for tourism development and integration; 

b) evaluate the progress of the Annual Plans and the Andean programs fro tourism development and integration; 

c) elaborate and approve its own regulations.