Carlos Enrique Meyer

Carlos Enrique Meyer (born 1953) is an Argentine businessman and public official who was appointed as the nation's Minister of Tourism upon the post's establishment on July 1, 2010.

Carlos Enrique Meyer
Minister of Tourism
In office
July 1, 2010 – December 10, 2015
PresidentCristina Fernández de Kirchner
Preceded bypost created
Succeeded byGustavo Santos
Secretary of Tourism and Sports
In office
August 21, 2003 – July 1, 2010
Preceded byGermán Pérez
Succeeded bypost promoted to Ministry
Personal details
Born (1963-01-12) January 12, 1963
Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires Province
Nationality Argentina
Political partyJusticialist Party
Spouse(s)María Lavirgen Enríquez

Life and times

Meyer was born in Ramos Mejía, a western suburb of Buenos Aires,[1] and was raised in Puerto San Julián, in remote Santa Cruz Province.[2] He completed four years of a Licentiate course in hospitality management studies in Buenos Aires, though he did not ultimately graduate.[1] Meyer became a tour guide in 1979, and was later the proprietor of a Santa Cruz tour operator.[1] He married the former María Lavirgen Enríquez, and they had three children.[2]

Meyer entered public service upon his appointment as Provincial Minister of Tourism by the newly elected Governor Néstor Kirchner, in 1991. He worked closely with private investors from early in his tenure, notably with the founder of The North Face outfitters, Douglas Tompkins, who in 1992 purchased a 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) ranch along the Santa Cruz River to establish the first of numerous nature preserves owned by Tompkins in Argentina.[3] He focused promotional efforts on El Calafate and the neighboring Los Glaciares National Park, and approved the construction of the Comandante Armando Tola International Airport at El Calafate, opened in 2000.[1]

Kirchner became President of Argentina in 2003. A subsequent dispute with the Vice President, Daniel Scioli, led to the dismissal of the Secretary of Tourism, Germán Pérez, and of a number of other officials recommended by Scioli.[4] Citing the need to "retake control of an office which needed a change in personnel,"[4] Kirchner named Meyer to the post on August 21.[1]

Meyer took office amid a strong recovery in tourism in Argentina.[2] He and Presidential Spokesman Enrique Albistur sought to further promote the sector by announcing the Marca País ("Country Brand") initiative, a concept akin to "nation branding" which served the dual purpose of obtaining political support from well-known figures in Argentine sports.[5]

Kirchner's wife and successor, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, had the Tourism Secretariat elevated to a cabinet-level post, and on July 1, 2010, Meyer was sworn in as the first Minister of Tourism.[6]

References
  1. "El turismo tiene que ser una política de Estado". Clarín.
  2. "Debemos ser más hospitalarios y mejorar los servicios para que los turistas sigan llegando". Gente. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
  3. Sánchez, Gonzalo (2006). La Patagonia vendida: los nuevos dueños de la tierra. Marea Editorial.
  4. "Kirchner y Scioli, lejos de reconciliarse". La Nación.
  5. "Cómo factura el Deportivo K". Noticias. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
  6. "Meyer juró como Ministro de Turismo". Instituto Nacional de Promoción Turística. Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.