Convention
Highlights
Note: I have borrowed some
quotes from Travel World News in instances
where I did not personally witness the statements made by
those involved. Otherwise, these accounts are from
first hand knowledge.
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(Continued from Part-1)
Rocio Vazquez Alcazar, Ecuador's Ministra of Tourism,
had the following to say: "Tourism is one of the sectors where we have the greatest hopes for success and to which we have assigned the highest priority. The Government has issued a decree establishing state policies for tourism development with the goal of converting it into the most important generator of revenue for the national economy.
B.I.T.E. gives us the opportunity to present Ecuador as one of the most valued destinations in the world."*
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| Because there was no hall
available in the city large enough to
accommodate a show of it's scale, B.I.T.E. 2002
was held outside of Cuenca, in a building that
was once used as a factory. The organizers
did a remarkable job of converting it for use as
a convention center.
At left: The building
where B.I.T.E. 2002 was held. |
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The half-hour bus trip to the conference gave
those attending an opportunity to view marvelous
scenery including farmland on the sides of
mountains, lush valleys with rivers running
through them, and in Cuenca, marketplaces and a
river where women wash clothing on the rocks on
a river bank. Taxi's were available as an
alternate means of transportation. The
contrast between the traditional and the modern
is quite striking to the first-time
visitor.
B.I.T.E. 2002 succeeded
admirably in bringing much of Ecuador's
diversity to the attention of those attending
the conference.
At right: A demonstration
of the art of hand-weaving hats at the Homero
Ortega P. & Hijos booth. |
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"Sellers" made
appointments for meetings with buyers during the
first couple of hours on Saturday morning.
The "buyers" spent
the rest of the time, on Saturday and Sunday,
meeting with those "sellers."
Fortunately for me, I was there with an
associate who did most of the talking.
That gave me time to circulate and photograph
the show. Thanks Les.
At left: A conference
underway at the Mansion Alcazar/Mansion del
Angel/La Mirage booth. |
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| I was very
impressed by the ceramics and pottery I saw
while in Ecuador. There are all manner of
such things. There are examples of
traditional pottery - earth tone items such as
vases, bowls, cups, and such.
Then, there are the more
modern designs with brightly colored glazes and
non-traditional shapes. (I wish I had
photographs of some specific examples for these
pages - somehow I didn't get those shots.)
Besides beautiful vases and bowls, which one
might expect to see, there were many examples of
wall plaques (from single 3-inch squares to
medium sized example made of of perhaps a few
dozen pieces).
At right: A demonstration
of the craft of hand turning pottery. |
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| There are even
entire murals made of numerous individually made
ceramic pieces, which adorn the lobbies of
several hotels that I visited in Cuenca. (See
the photo on Page-4.)
One producer of decorative
ceramic items is Eduardo Vega, who is truly an
artist. If you have a chance to visit his
gallery - do so! His work is sophisticated
enough to impress those with an art background,
while still being accessible to the
masses. That is a tough thing to do.
Eduardo, I salute you!
At left: Artist
Eduardo Vega during a quiet moment. (His
associates at his booth were quite busy.) |
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(Continued
on the next page)
* Travel World News, March 2002
P.34 B.I.T.E. 2002: Ecuador's Premier Show
Ecuador glows from the success of its international trade show
By Joan Gonzalez
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