At FITUR 2025, a distinction served as a reminder that tourism innovation is not limited to new infrastructure or large-scale promotional campaigns. For the seventh consecutive year, the Central America Tourism Promotion Agency (CATA) was honored with the Excelencias Tourism Award, presented by Grupo Excelencias during the International Tourism Trade Fair FITUR, held at IFEMA Madrid.
This recognition highlights the Centroamérica Big Day project, a regional initiative that combines nature observation, biodiversity conservation, and citizen participation. Through this initiative, Central America positions itself as a territory capable of structuring a tourism offer around knowledge, living ecosystems, and collective engagement.
The Excelencias Awards: meaningful recognition
Created in 2005 by Grupo Excelencias, the Excelencias Awards recognize projects, institutions, and organizations that contribute to the development of tourism in Ibero-America and the Caribbean through innovative and responsible approaches. Applications are reviewed by an independent jury, based on criteria of quality, impact, and tangible contribution to the sector.
Within this framework, the award granted to CATA does not celebrate a one-off initiative, but rather sustained, long-term work carried out at the regional level over several years.
Centroamérica Big Day: when tourism becomes a tool for knowledge
Held simultaneously across Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, Centroamérica Big Day is a birdwatching event developed with the support of the eBird platform. The edition took place on March 15, a key moment when boreal migration coincides with the breeding season of many local species.
The results reflect the scale of the initiative: 445 complete checklists recorded and 772 species observed. These figures placed Central America among the top five regions worldwide on eBird in terms of number of checklists, and first globally for the number of species recorded in 2025. Beyond the numbers, the event generated significant international visibility, strengthening the region’s image as a leading destination for nature tourism.
Shared recognition at the regional level
This edition of the Excelencias Awards also highlighted other Latin American projects, reflecting the diversity of tourism dynamics currently shaping the region:
- FLAG #206 Expedition (Colombia), a scientific tourism project centered on marine biodiversity in San Andrés;
- the New Latin American Cinema Festival (Cuba), recognized for its role in promoting Havana’s cultural profile;
- the Climate Action Strategy for Tourism (Guatemala);
- – and Spa Natural Center (Dominican Republic), awarded for its approach to wellness and social inclusion.
In a context where tourism seeks to balance attractiveness, responsibility, and meaning, the projects recognized this year illustrate a profound evolution in practices. Far from purely promotional logic, they demonstrate how travel can become a space for learning, participation, and connection with territories.
Through Centroamérica Big Day, Central America shows that it is possible to structure a tourism offer around citizen science, regional cooperation, and the appreciation of living ecosystems—an approach that, rather than a model to replicate, opens up new ways of thinking about tourism in the long term.
Photo: CATA Centroamerica
