Guatemala announced as inaugural recipient of CNN’s ‘Go There Media Fund’
Picture caption L-R: Minister of Tourism of Guatemala, Jorge Mario Chajón; Vice President, Americas, CNN International Commercial, Corinna Keller; Jaime Alberto Cabal Sanclemente, Deputy Secretary General, UNWTO
Following the devastating and unexpected volcanic eruption in Guatemala earlier this year, the country has been selected as the inaugural recipient of CNN’s ‘Go There Media Fund’.
Announced by Rani Raad, President, CNN International Commercial (CNNIC), at last year’s World Travel Market, the ‘Go There Media Fund’ is an initiative that provides travel and tourism expertise to distressed destinations and countries recovering from natural disasters.
Working closely with the UNWTO and international tourism and development advisor Anita Mendiratta, CNN identified Guatemala as the inaugural recipient of the Fund’s assistance as the country looks to the future after the El Volcan del Fuego eruption.
A dedicated team led by CNNIC’s VP, Americas, Corinna Keller is working with the Guatemala government and the UNWTO to develop a campaign that draws on the ‘Go There Media Fund’ to promote Guatemala as a tourism destination across CNN International, CNN en Espanol and CNN Digital platforms. The support via the Fund includes pro-bono consultancy, strategic direction and CNN airtime and inventory.
Rani Raad said: “CNN has been a leader in the Travel and Tourism sector for many years, working with over 100 countries on nation branding and destination campaigns that go well beyond traditional advertising. We are proud to use this unique position and the expertise we have developed over these years to give back to the sector and help countries such as Guatemala recover from disaster and tell their story to the world.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with CNN, a longstanding UNWTO partner and critical voice for global tourism development, to support crisis recovery through tourism. Travelling to a destination after a crisis provides important support towards its recovery, and Guatemala is a richly rewarding destination worthy of such support. We send best wishes to Guatemala as it works hard to restore its tourism sector and advance sustainable development,” added UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
“The eruption of the Fuego volcano was of great proportions and affected a specific geographic area of our country. Therefore, in the tourism sector we had an intervention strategy, whose main objective was to minimise the impact on the arrival of national and foreign visitors. Our communication strategy was based on key messages that indicated that the best way to support Guatemala was by visiting it. Also, that the tourist destinations were in appropriate conditions and that they were ready to receive visitors,” said the Minister of Tourism of Guatemala, Jorge Mario Chajón. “We are honoured to have been selected to be the first country to receive CNN’s ‘Go There Media Fund’. We are certain that the economic activity that will most help the economic reactivation of the country is tourism. Thank you for joining us in strengthening and encouraging it”.
The ‘Go There Media Fund’ is the latest step in CNN’s far-reaching commitment to the Travel and Tourism sector. Over the last decade, CNN’s specialist CNN TASK (Tourism Advertising Solutions Knowledge) Group has worked directly with over 100 countries around the world to create impactful and strategic communications solutions for destinations, hotels, airlines, high profile events and other critical sector role players. This has led to many award-winning campaigns from CNNIC’s branded content studio, Create, and a close partnership with the UNWTO.
Elsewhere at World Travel Market this week, CNN’s Richard Quest chairs the Ministers’ Summit on the morning of Tuesday 6 November; CNN will broadcast live from WTM at various points; CNNIC is shortlisted in the International Travel & Tourism Awards for its My Choice, Naturally campaign for Costa Rica; and delegates can experience CNN, CNN Travel, CNN VR and Great Big Story content first-hand at a CNN activation space next to the Asia and Italy Halls.
About CNN International Commercial
CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) is the division of Turner International responsible for the business operations of CNN’s properties outside of the United States. All commercial activities for brands such as CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Arabic, CNN Style, CNN Business and Great Big Story are aligned within the division. This encompasses the advertising sales, sponsorship partnerships, commercial content development, content sales, brand licensing, distribution and out-of-home operations, business development and marketing for the world’s leading international news provider. CNNIC is a recognised industry leader in international advertising sales and its use of award-winning commercial content, produced through its Create unit and driven by its advanced data usage and digital capabilities, has resulted in strong and enduring partnerships with many of the world’s most recognised brands. Its Content Sales and Licensing unit has relationships with more than 1,000 affiliates ranging from licensing the CNN brand through to content supply contracts as well as offering consultancy services. CNNIC has offices across the world, with key hubs in London, Hong Kong and Miami. For more information visit http://commercial.cnn.com