Eliminate a rate that makes airfare more expensive, but that serves to promote the country, has two visions in the tourism sector

Agencies support IATA approach, but another guild has repairs.

Every time an Ecuadorian or resident in Ecuador buys an air ticket to fly abroad, it must pay a $ 50 rate, which is additionally charged to the passage components. This rate is called Ecodelta and was originally created to obtain resources that allow promoting the tourist image of Ecuador.

Peter Cerdá, Regional Vice President of IATA for the Americas, a guild that brings together the main airlines of the world, raised this week to the Government of Ecuador that eliminates that rate and the tax on the outflow of currencies (ISD) as a way to push the recovery of air transport, impacted by the pandemic.

The international agency said that with a lower tax burden the industry could be stimulated and promoting trips. And that tax elimination, according to their estimates, could generate 44,350 employment places and represent additional $ 630 million of contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP).

According to estimates of productive sectors, the ecodelta rate generates about $ 60 million annually. The funds go to the unique account of the State and then a part is assigned to the Ministry of Tourism.

The IATA proposal generated various reactions in the tourism sector. Holbach Muñeton, president of the National Federation of Tourism Chambers, was in favor of going towards an elimination of the ISD, but considered that it would not be convenient at the moment to eliminate the Ecodelta rate, which serves to finance the promotion of the country abroad.

The leader indicated that neighboring countries assign greater resources than Ecuador to promote their destinations and attract tourists. "We have neighbors who are strong in promotion. At the moment the fate Ecuador needs to be kept in force and the flame of the promotion cannot be extinguished," he said.

Muñeton believes that the current government should assign more resources to the Ministry of Tourism for international promotion, because it said that not everything that is collected by Ecodelta goes for that purpose.

Weeks ago, Tourism Minister Niels Olsen said that of the $ 60 million that were collected in 2019 for fees in international air tickets, only $ 1.9 million arrived for promotion.

Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia invested more than $ 50 million each in tourism promotion that same year.

Within the travel agencies there are positions that support the suppression or, at least, the reduction of the ecodelta rate. Juan Pablo Proaño, president of the Association of Travel Agencies, Operators and Tourism Wholesalers, indicated that this tax undermines the plane ticket and has not been clearly invested for international promotion.

"That is a expensive tax. If there is a rate of $ 250, only that tax rises 20 % more. That tax should be reinvested in the promotion of Ecuador, but has only become a state of the State," he said.

At the discretion of the Proaño, at least that tax should be lowered to improve the rates canceled by Ecuadorian consumers who fly abroad.

Sebastián Reina, a lawyer specializing in aviation matters, estimated that the ecodelta rate reduces the competitiveness of the airline operations. He said countries in the region do not have this type of rates.

He considered that when that rate was eliminated not only that the passages would be cheaper, but the airlines could improve their operation and increase their frequencies.

"It is much more beneficial that these taxes are eliminated, the market will react in such a way that the State will enter more money for income tax, VAT, for the income paid by hotels versus a tourist contribution that affects competitiveness," said Reina, who believes that there are other mechanisms to boost the promotion of the country.

On the other hand, the specialist recalled that if Ecuador wants to specify an agreement for open skies with the United States, must eliminate the ISD, because in this type of agreements it is sought that there are equal conditions.

This newspaper consulted the Ministry of Tourism on the IATA proposal, but until 15:30 there was no response.