“Armed robbery, mugging, carjacking and burglary are all very common and often accompanied by extreme violence” – so warns the UK Foreign Office in its travel advice for of Venezuela . The FCDO warns against travel to the the troubled South American nation. Yet package holidaymakers from Europe are flocking to Venezuela’s Caribbean beaches, mountains and wilderness – with tourism operators assuring prospective visitors they will be safe.
“Venezuela is completely open for tourism all around the country,” said Blas Fabian of HoverTours – a long-established tour operator based in the capital, Caracas. Mr Fabian was speaking to The Independent at the Latin American Travel Association’s Expo 2024 in Windsor. “We are running an operation from Poland ”, he added.
Charter flights are operating from Warsaw and Katowice to Caracas, with 11 different tour options. “Now we are also handling people from Spain and Portugal . We are reopening tourism all over Venezuela.
” In the 1990s, Venezuela was the first South American destination for many British holidaymakers – partly because the now-defunct national airline, Viasa, offered the most competitive fares from the UK to the nation. But as the economy slumped and crime increased, tourism collapsed. Many travellers have switched from Venezuela to neighbouring Colombia , which is now seen as a relatively safe country.
At the same event, Daniel Santin from the destination marketing company Inspiring Destinations sai.
