Chile comes in from the cold
Dear friends and colleagues,
As some of you may know, I am half Chilean and have always had a natural affinity with this unique country. With this in mind, I am utterly thrilled to announce the newest member of the Wendy McNeill Representation family is Chile’s newest DMC – Southbound.
Who are Southbound, I hear you ask. Well, hold on to your chupalla hats, because Southbound is the culmination of the merger of two of Chile’s most well established incoming DMCs, namely Protours and Latitud90.
Protours pioneered the concept of Chilean self-drive itineraries, and have spent the last 25 years building up an impressive inventory of products. Southbound will continue to tailor-make programs for FITs and Groups including traditional packages, cultural experiences, adventure programs and cruises.
Latitud90 have built up a huge selection of ‘off the beaten track’ discoveries that have been put together and marketed by their knowledgeable and well-travelled team over the last 20 years. Their passion for exploring the unknown has always been at the forefront of their business.
What a combo! The merging of these two companies gives Southbound an incredibly strong presence throughout Chile and allows them to provide a highly personalised and complete experience.
As it’s all about relationships, let me introduce you to Southbound’s key players:
- German-born Jens Häussermann travelled the world and chose Chile as his home over 20 years ago. Jens is passionate about people, cultures and travel.
- Chilean Alberto “Tito” Gana, trained as an architect. He is an avid rock climber, bike rider and trail running enthusiast who has been instrumental in helping many Chileans get to know and grow to love their country from a completely different perspective.
- General Manager René ten Berg was born in Holland but has been resident in his beloved Chile since 1993 and has over 20 years experience in receptive tourism.
- Commercial Manager Eduardo Doerr hails from Curicó in the heart of Chile’s wine country. Fluent in Spanish, English and French, Ed is a keen kayaker. He loves the outdoors and has a deep passion for the travel industry, its people and the power it has to help develop a country. Ed has also worked at Protours in the past, and is delighted to be working with his former colleagues again.
Southbound’s mission is to inspire people to travel and explore the farthest reaches of Chile. Through their innovative technology, customized marketing, strong product development and phenomenal management team they pledge to listen and to adapt; to not only meet expectations but to exceed them.
I have chosen to represent Southbound as they are bound together by their passion for travel, love for Chile and respect for doing business right, all of which get a big fat tick from me. And, with me being half Chilean, Southbound’s multicultural DNA is the perfect match with Wendy McNeill Representation.
René and Ed will be at ELA next week, giving you the perfect opportunity to get know Southbound! I am truly looking forward to working with Southbound, Chile’s newest but most experienced DMC and sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm for this fantastic destination.
| Chi Chi Chi! Le Le Le! Viva Chile – and Southbound! With best wishes and saludos, Wendy |