Mexico’s outer layer may conform to its beach-town stereotype, but underneath lies a strong core of heritage and history. The country’s interior destinations are an amalgam of arts and culture and a link to Mexico’s past.
“We try to communicate to a meeting attendee that if they have some time, they can experience Mexico in a different way,” says Eduardo Chaillo, director of the new Washington, D.C., office of the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB). “We have 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and Chichen-Itza is a new wonder of the world. Attendees want to explore; they love to find a city full of surprises.”
According to Chaillo, the new office plans to offer a more strategic structure in giving guidelines to other offices about pairing planners with appropriate destinations for meetings. The office is also focusing on emerging destinations.
“My idea is there is always a meeting that can fit in any destination,” Chaillo says. “We’ll find out which is the field of the association or corporation and link it with a destination. For example, if architects go to Zacatecas, they will marvel at the clean buildings and 16th century atmosphere. But there are conscious limitations in infrastructure. Zacatecas is not for 1,500 architects. We have to work within a matrix.”
The main strategy, according to Chaillo, is diversification, bringing new destination possibilities to the table for groups.
Part of the tourism board’s job is now easier with an increase in carriers and flights from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico’s lesser-known destinations. A few of the airlines offering new routes include Mexicana, Aeromexico and Air Canada, as well as low-cost Click Mexicana, offering an extensive network of interior flights.
Meanwhile, the MTB’s website, www.visitmexico.com, now offers Meetings Online, a tool for planners to submit RFPs and check out properties and destinations.
Mexico also exempts international conventions, conferences and exhibitions from the country’s 15 percent VAT (value-added tax), a move implemented in 2004 that has significantly boosted meetings and conventions business.
Mexico stands in eighth place in the world as far as number of annual visitors but in 12th place for revenues. Chaillo says the next goal is to increase profitability and close the gap, partly with the help of the new initiatives to attract groups.
Mexico City
For sheer size and cultural opportunities, Mexico City is beyond compare. The city of 20 million features more than 150 museums, over 100 art galleries, dozens of theaters, and countless restaurants and nightclubs, as well as an Aztec history dating to 1325 A.D.
“In Mexico City you have both worlds: major Hispanic world temples and the technology of a modern city,” says Jose Alfredo Rodriguez Alonso, director of marketing for the Mexico City CVB.
Highlights include the Spanish Colonial-era Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace and the Aztec ruins of Templo Mayor in the four-square-mile Historic Center, ancient capital of the Aztecs.
Mexico City is also home to more than 65,000 guest rooms and more than 35,000 restaurants.
The city’s main artery, Paseo de la Reforma, featuring a number of hotels, restaurants, museums, and financial institutions, was recently restored to its former grandeur as part of a project to revitalize a number of the city’s main tourist sectors.
Reforma is adjacent to the sprawling Chapultepec Park, where groups can take advantage of facilities such as Chapultepec Castle, once an imperial and presidential residence that now houses the National History Museum, and the renowned National Museum of Anthropology.
Current renewal projects in the city include the restoration of the area around Basilica de Guadalupe, home to the shrine of Mexico’s patroness. The southern section of the city, which is home to the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, is also getting a makeover, as are the historic neighborhoods of San Angel and Coyoacan. Coyoacan features the Frida Kahlo Museum, while neighboring San Angel hosts a colorful Saturday art bazaar.
Mexico City is also focusing on tightening security for groups. To ease transport between the hotels and convention site, police escorts are being used, according to Alonso.
Recent additions to Mexico City’s vast stable of hotels include the NH Santa Fe and NH Centro Historico; Holiday Inn Mexico City Tlalpan Churubusco; Embassy Suites Mexico City–Reforma; Crowne Plaza Mexico City–World Trade Center; and Camino Real Pedregal. Starwood’s St. Regis Mexico City is slated to debut in 2008. Presidente InterContinental Mexico City also plans to complete an additional tower with 240 guest units, meeting facilities and a spa by mid-2009.
Other popular meetings properties include Sheraton Centro Historico, Camino Real Mexico City, Fiesta Americana Grand Chapultepec, Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, Gran Melia Mexico Reforma, Hotel Nikko Mexico, Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel and Towers, W Mexico City, and Galeria Plaza Hotel.
Among the city’s many large group venues are Centro Banamex, Expo Bancomer Santa Fe Mexico and Expo Reforma.
Guadalajara
Guadalajara, known as the “Pearl of Jalisco,” stakes its claim not only as Mexico’s second most populous city, but as the birthplace of mariachi and a performing arts mecca.
The Chamber Ballet of Jalisco, Folkloric Ballet of the University of Guadalajara and University of Guadalajara Contemporary Ballet are all based here. It is also home to the Guadalajara International Film Festival, which has brought attention to Mexican cinema. Also in the works is the Guggenheim Museum, which will be constructed over the next 10 years.
According to Yolanda Cisneros, promotion director for the Guadalajara CVB, one of the most exciting things that is happening for Guadalajara is that it was chosen to be one of the first featured destinations in “Your Best Reward is Mexico” (YBRM), a program designed by the Mexico Convention Bureau to spotlight emerging incentive destinations in Mexico.
“This program is giving Guadalajara a chance to bring meeting planners to the destination on FAM trips so the city can showcase itself as an incentive destination, and it is also improving the quality of services for incentive groups in the destination, with all of the hotels, restaurants and DMCs that are part of the YBRM program now,” Cisneros says.
But meetings and conventions are still the biggest group market for Guadalajara, and the city is opening new hotels and expanding group venues to meet increasing demand.
One of the city’s main convention spaces and one of Mexico’s largest, Expo Guadalajara, with nearly 500,000 square feet of function space, is growing under a renovation and expansion project that will add over 150,000 square feet by November 2008.
Another project under construction is the Torrena Tower next to the Plaza del Sol shopping mall, which will be Latin America’s tallest communications tower. Slated for completion in the next couple of years, the tower will include shops and restaurants.
Since last year, more than 2,200 rooms have been added through new hotels and other expansions, including new offerings from Hilton, Fiesta Americana Grand and Fiesta Inn.
Camino Real Guadalajara Expo, another relative newcomer, joins the ranks of Crowne Plaza Guadalajara, Fiesta Americana Guadalajara, Hilton Guadalajara, Presidente InterContinental Guadalajara, and Quinta Real Guadalajara as top group options.
With other new properties opening in the coming years, the city plans to have a total of 22,000 hotel rooms by 2011, when it hosts the Pan-American Games.
In preparation for the event, other new facilities are under construction at the University of Guadalajara campus, including the Centro Cultural Metropolitano, a 10,000-seat sports and performing arts auditorium that will be used for the Pan-American Games.
Aside from the new projects, one of Guadalajara’s main attractions is tequila production in the outlying areas. Attendees can visit the town of Tequila via a train ride on the Tequila Express, with several facilities offering private tastings and options for group events, including Mundo Cuervo.
Shoppers will find an array of arts and crafts at Tlaquepaque village, where groups can have dinner and watch mariachi performances.
Monterrey
Set in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental range, Monterrey delivers its urban amenities with a country-style view. Just east of town towers one of the city’s symbols, the Cerro de la Silla, or Saddle Mountain.
Within its expanse, the Old Quarter, or Barrio Antigua, pulses with restaurants, bars and clubs. On Sundays the Corredor de Arte is lined with antiques, paintings and handicrafts. Other attractions include nearly 20 museums, nearby caves and a waterfall just south of the city.
This has been a year of change for Monterrey, which has been busy preparing to host the 90-day Universal Forum of Cultures from September through December of this year. In preparation for the event, which will feature music, film and performing arts, the city invested more than $300 million in infrastructure improvements.
The $40 million Convex Center opened in 2005 with a 57,000-square-foot exhibit hall and 69,000-square-foot area for conventions, and this month, the Lewis Exhibition Center will debut with 130,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Julio Valdes, executive director of the Monterrey CVB.
A second terminal is also planned for Monterrey International Airport.
Other projects include the new Steelworks Museum, located in the multiuse Fundidora Park, celebrating the city’s industrial history, and an expansion of the Mexican Museum of History that will feature a new annex showcasing the history of Northern Mexico and Texas.
“Downtown is changing quite a lot,” Valdes says. “We are constructing our own river walk along 1.8 miles of river that connects downtown with the area for the convention centers.”
New hotel additions include Fiesta Inn Fundidora, and two hotels scheduled to debut next year: NH Valle and Habitat.
The city has more than 11,000 hotel rooms, including the relatively new Camino Real Monterrey, Courtyard Monterrey San Jeronimo and Staybridge Suites Monterrey–San Pedro, as well as established properties by Presidente InterContinental, Fiesta Americana, Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, Quinta Real, and Doubletree.
For off-site venues, the Mexican Museum of History can host cocktail receptions and other events, as can the Old Federal Palace, Bishop’s Palace Museum, MARCO (Museum of Contemporary Art), and Garcia Caverns.
Beer is another specialty of Monterrey, home to Dos Equis, Sol and Carta Blanca, which features a beer garden.
Chihuahua/Copper Canyon
Capital of the largest state in Mexico, Chihuahua is entrenched in history as the battleground of the Mexican Revolution, a battle between revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa and federal forces.
“The state of Chihuahua has a lot of diversity,” says Erika Flores, director of marketing for the Chihuahua CVB.
The Chihuahua desert is one of the largest in the world, Paquime is an important archaeology zone, and the city itself is located on the banks of the Chuviscar River.
In addition to its natural surroundings, the city features an active arts scene with a number of museums open to groups, such as the Historical Museum of the Revolution, Quinta Gameros Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, and Don Miguel Hidalgo Dungeon in the Casa Chihuahua Museum.
The Chihuahua Exposition and Convention Center is the city’s largest group venue, with 70,000 square feet of meeting space, and the city offers 1,700 four- and five-star rooms. Brands include the Westin, with a capacity of 1,000 for meetings; Fiesta Inn; Radisson; Holiday Inn; and Palace del Sol.
Most attendees take a side trip to the region’s most notable attraction, the Copper Canyon, four times the size of the Grand Canyon. A 95-mile train ride on the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad passes through numerous tunnels and spotlights waterfalls, stunning rock formations and wilderness regions. Groups can take a two-day excursion, with an overnight in one of the towns en route.
Puebla
Founded in 1531 as La Puebla de los Angeles, Puebla is an UNESCO World Heritage Site with an historic downtown featuring hundreds of buildings constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries, including the Puebla Cathedral. It also boasts one of the largest concentrations of museums in the country, such as the Automobile Museum, Museum of Mexican Railroads and Amparo Museum of Mexican art, and is considered the gastronomy capital of the country.
The Puebla Convention Center, housed in several restored historic buildings, hosts large events, and a new convention and exhibition center is expected to open in 2009.
The city’s most popular meetings-friendly properties include Camino Real Puebla, NH Puebla, Crowne Plaza Puebla, and Fiesta Americana Puebla, and plans call for the addition of a Hilton and a Camino Real.
Puebla is reaching out to international markets for meetings and conventions. Historically, about 5 percent of the total meetings, which in 2007 is expected to reach roughly 46, are international groups, according to the Puebla CVB.
One important international event coming in 2008 is WorldMUN (World Model United Nations), with approximately 1,800 international students convening to discus world issues.
Colonial Cities
Small groups and incentives can dig deep into Mexico’s past in its myriad Spanish Colonial cities, each with its own Old World atmosphere.
Morelia’s historic downtown houses more than 1,000 colonial buildings and churches, which earned the city UNESCO World Heritage status in 1991. Attractions include its many colonial monuments and its Baroque cathedral. The primary spot for groups is the Morelia Exposition and Convention Center, and standout properties in town include Villa Montana, Hotel Los Juaninos, Villa San Jose Hotel and Suites, and Casa de la Loma Hotel and Suites.
San Miguel de Allende, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is filled with colonial mansions, iron balconies, elegant patios, and old churches. One of the city’s hotel highlights is the Casa de Sierra Nevada, located in several historic buildings on cobblestone streets and currently managed by Orient-Express Hotels. The property has been undergoing renovations and an expansion, including 20 new suites and a full-service spa.
Another colonial gem, Guanajuato was founded in 1554 and played a pivotal role in the Mexican War of Independence. It is also the birthplace of artist Diego Rivera. Large events are accommodated at the Guanajuato Convention and Exposition Center and the State Auditorium.
Known for its annual Day of the Dead celebrations, Oaxaca also attracts visitors to its striking Santo Domingo Temple, Government Palace and Macedonio Alcala Theater. The region is known for its handicrafts, including wood carvings, black pottery and textiles. The Camino Real Oaxaca, housed in a restored former convent, is a favorite hotel for groups.
Once one of Mexico’s premier silver mining towns, Zacatecas now draws visitors for its cobblestone streets, historic mansions and many churches, including an ornately carved cathedral. Meeting spaces include the Zacatecas Fair and Exposition Center and Bonito Pueblo Convention Center, and there is another convention center project in the works for up to 3,000 people, with a tentative opening set for next year. Meetings-friendly hotels include Quinta Real Zacatecas, housed in a restored 19th century bullring.
Merida, located in the state of Yucatan, is drawing attention for its nearby Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza, recently named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a public poll that garnered more than 1 million worldwide votes.
“It has always been a Mayan city that is very well known and visited, but this adds more value to attract tourism in general,” says Virginia Arana Perez, promotion manager for the Yucatan Convention Bureau.
According to Perez, the government is taking measures to improve services for tourists and preserve the archaeological site. Road access to the site, which draws 1.5 million visitors per year, will improve.
Yucatan’s new governor, Ivonne Ortega, is also focusing on tourism projects, namely meetings and conventions, according to Perez.
“With this stability, many investors are coming back to Merida, so they could continue investing in new hotels for the city,” Perez says.
Currently, Merida offers 5,000 rooms, with four chain hotels, including Fiesta Americana Merida, Hyatt Regency Merida and Presidente InterContinental Villa Mercedes. Under construction is the Vienna hotel, which is slated to open next year and feature 75 guest rooms as well as meeting facilities.
The Century 21 Exposition and Convention Center is the city’s primary meeting venue.
For More Info
Chihuahua CVB 011.52.614.429.3320
www.chihuahua.gob.mx
Guadalajara CVB 011.52.333.122.7544
www.guadalajaramidestino.com
Guanajuato State Tourism Office (Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende) 011.52.473.732.7622
www.guanajuato-travel.com
Mexico City CVB 011.52.555.211.2136
www.mexicocity.gob.mx
Mexico Convention Bureau 011.52.555.278.4200
www.visitmexico.com
Mexico Tourism Board (Washington, D.C.) 202.265.9021
www.chihuahua.gob.mx
Monterrey CVB 011.52.818.354.1819
www.ocvmty.com.mx
Michoacan State Tourism Office (Morelia) 011.52.443.312.7289
www.michoacan.gob.mx
Oaxaca State Tourism Office 011.52.951.502.1200
www.aoaxaca.com
Puebla CVB 011.52.222.242.2546
www.puebla.gob.mx
Yucatan Convention 011.52.999.942.1954
www.mayayuctan.com.mx
Zacatecas State Tourism Office 011.52.492.922.6751
www.turismozacatecas.gob.mx
