At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which opened the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas this morning in Orlando, Alberto ‘Pancho’ Motta, IAADFS President said he anticipates healthy first day visitor figures.

 

Pancho told TRBusiness he was pleased with the pre-registration figures, especially considering the current economic climate in the Americas, which he said would make 2015 a ‘difficult’ year.

 

He listed Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela as well as Ecuador – where protesting has broken out in major cities against the government – as countries that are currently experiencing difficulties. “All these factors – like the currency, protesting etc – all affect the number of travellers,” he said.

 

He also complained that Argentina has raised airline ticket prices, which would again deter travellers. According to the Buenos Aires Herald, the government has authorised an average 15% raise on domestic flights tickets.

 

But all of these factors have seemingly not deterred visitors from making the trip to Orlando, this year. “We will have more news by the end of today regarding visitor numbers, but it is looking very promising.” From one look at the onsite registration queue this morning, it is not hard to see why Pancho would say this.

 

And although some large international suppliers are absent this year – one being Coty – Pancho says that he believes that the show is still of great value to those operating in the Americas. “In three days you can see a lot of your partners. What you can save in air fares and accommodation, if you were to see all of these people individually, is huge.”

 

Six exhibitors, which took a break from exhibiting at the IAADFS Show, have returned this year. The companies are Leanez International, Neuhaus NV/SA, Premium Portfolio International, Safe Skies, Travelpro International, and Viva Sales and Service.

 

Michael Payne, IAADFS Executive Director, commented on the success of the first charity run, which took place yesterday.

 

“It was very successful, considering this is the first year we’ve done it.” He estimated that there must have been around 55-60 participants – impressive considering the meeting time of 7.30am on a Sunday morning.

 

The money raised from the event – which will be confirmed at a later date – will go to the Asociación Escuela de La Calle (EDELAC). The Guatemalan-registered, non-profit organization aims to lessen the number of children living and working on the street.

 

He also estimated that the Opening Cocktail, which took place last night, had attracted 10% more guests than last year – a conservative estimate – if not more.