Argentina’s national institute of tourism (INPROTUR) recently unveiled their new creative campaign geared towards LGBTQ tourism to further enhance and reiterate how welcoming the country is to LGBTQ tourists and tourism. The new campaign was introduced to a roomful of conference attendees during the GNetwork360 international business conference, which for the past 9 years has been one of the most important conferences dealing with LGBTQ tourism in all of Latin America. The conference is highly attended by government representatives in the tourism field, tour operators, hotels representatives and tourism industry folks from all parts of Latin America and really sets a standard as the place to go and learn about emerging trends and topics when it comes to this particular travel segment.
The new initiative presented during the conference is simply Amor., with the period at the end of the word (love), being just as important as the single word representation of a country who truly is all about love; their love of food, their love of culture, their love of dance and their love of everyone.
Marcelo Costa, Director of Promotion for INPROTUR, Pablo De Luca and Gustavo Noguera, President and Vice President of the Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Argentina (CCGLAR) and men behind GNetwork360, made the announcement alongside Sebastian Perez Callegari, designer for INPROTUR, and one of the masterminds behind the project.
“We understood that the idea behind this was to find feelings. If we are talking about true identity it is to find powerful feelings that can be translated directly when speaking. So we thought we should appropriate something global, something that does not need translation, “said Perez Callegari. “It is love, period, nothing more. It is so great and simple at the same time. It’s comprehensive, inclusive and honest. It is love, something that everyone at some point has experienced and can relate to.”
Amor. will be displayed in all future promotional campaigns aimed at LGBTQ tourism which comes from INPROTUR. The new slogan will be accompanied by images of Argentine landscapes, couples, families, as well as more personal Argentine experiences and interests. The concept suggests that the LGBTQ tourist perceives Argentina as a place where they can feel free to express themselves freely, a place where they will be embraced by love and acceptance – a tall order for a Latin American country, but something that Argentina can definitely pull off due to its history with acceptance for the LGBTQ community and open minds of the majority of its citizens. The campaign is also accompanied by a social media campaign where #AmorArgentina will be promoted and used, with hopes that visitors will embrace the hashtag and use it during their visits and showcase their unique visions and experiences of the country’s love and acceptance.
Argentina was the first country in Latin America, the second in the Americas and the 10 country worldwide to allow same-sex marriage nationwide, having it declared law of the land in 2010. The country has always been more progressive than its neighbors and boasts one of the largest gay pride celebrations in South America, which typically takes place in October or November of each year. With this new campaign which is steering away from the more stereotypical rainbows and promotional material usually geared towards the LGBTQ travel segment, the country is making a push towards equalizing the word “love,” and hopes to emphasize that when Argentina thinks of love, they think of everyone, including those of us who fall under the LGBTQ umbrella. It’s simple, yet it’s bold and hopefully it will continue to keep the conversation going within Latin America, with hopes that others will follow the lead of a country who has truly been at the forefront of change and acceptance.