This year has been nothing short of eventful for Mexico, in more ways than one.
It’s been a time for celebration, as the nation commemorated the bicentennial of its independence from Spain as well as the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. But it’s also been a time of challenge, as Mexico grappled with economic difficulties, the shutdown of one of its largest airlines and headline-grabbing violence in a handful of destinations.
Through all the contrasts of the festivities and difficulties, Mexico’s largest destinations have remained focused on maintaining and growing their offerings for meetings, conventions and incentives.
"It’s almost like all the ancient gods decided for some reason to punish Mexico," says Jose-Manuel Garcia, president of IVI Destination Management, a Cancun-based DMC with offices in Los Cabos, Monterrey, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. "But we’re a tough and resilient bunch. Despite everything, it’s a miracle the meetings market declined by only about 30 percent in comparison with other years. We foresee a good recuperation for 2011.
"We’re working like dogs to publicize and promote our great destination to our target markets and the media, and it seems to be working," he adds.
Indeed, both the Mexico Tourism Board and individual convention and visitor bureaus—as well as DMCs and hotels—have made a major push to combat misperceptions and educate planners, groups and the traveling public about the real situation in Mexico, and to ramp up enticements to draw even more business.
There is a lot to promote, of course. Mexico now has some 12 million square feet of event space, with 495,000 hotel rooms available for attendees, plus 71 venues for congresses, conventions and exhibitions, as well as 57 international airports.
Meanwhile, the country is providing numerous incentives to meeting planners.
"Mexico continues to make it easier and attractive for meeting planners to bring their events to Mexico," says Eduardo Chaillo, meetings industry executive director at the Mexico Tourism Board. "Certifications processes such as the CMP, CMM, CEM and CITE designations are being supported by local CVBs and the [Mexico] Tourism Board in order to have more suppliers demonstrating their willingness to speak the same professional language as the clients."
In addition, the Mexico Tourism Board has joined with the Ministry of Tourism and the Society of Incentive Travel Executives to create the Your Reward is Mexico program, which certifies destinations based on their ability to serve the needs of incentive groups. Participating destinations include Veracruz, Guadalajara, Campeche and Oaxaca, while Ixtapa, Queretaro and Cozumel are currently in the certification process.
Another incentive is the zero value-added tax, which allows meeting planners to save between 11 percent and 16 percent on the overall cost of their event.
Growth Trends
Apparently, planners are taking note of the many initiatives. According to the International Congress and Convention Association, Mexico ranked 14th worldwide in the number of attendees at hosted events.
Alfonso Sumano, regional director of the Americas at the Mexico Tourism Board, predicted that after the recent challenges, this year and next year would end up returning to the impressive figures of earlier years in both the MICE and tourism categories.
"We can expect what we had in 2008," he says, "and that is essentially our goal."
Additionally, making travel—and meetings—greener continues to be an important trend in Mexico, according to Chaillo.
"Sustainability, corporate social responsibility and technology are the new rules in the meetings industry game, and Mexico is playing them all," he says.
Safety in the Spotlight
The issue of safety in Mexico has become an all-too-common concern, thanks to headlines about drug-related crime. All of the planners interviewed for this section were well aware of Mexico’s geography, and that what happens in Ciudad Juarez has little to do with the scene thousands of miles away in places like Los Cabos or Cancun. But for those planners with clients or delegates who are a bit skittish, education—and perhaps a reliable map—can work wonders.
"The first thing obviously is to address the issue, and also to keep clients well-informed," Sumano says. "In our country, we have certain areas close to the border that are always in the headlines, but those areas are actually away from most of the tourism destinations—sometimes 1,000 miles, sometimes 2,500 miles. The best way for us to spread the word is by testimonials [from] people who are actually enjoying themselves in the destinations, having no problems."
Cristina Baker, co-owner of Hacienda Xcanatun, a luxury hotel just outside of Merida, agrees.
"Sometimes I just pull out a map and say, ‘Would you like me to show you where you are?’" she says. "It’s an educational process for a lot of people."
In addition to pulling out a map, mentioning the wide variety of successful events that have been held recently—some 143 congresses around Mexico in 2010 alone—can also help quell any concern, according to Oscar Garcia Ramos, director of the Leon CVB.
"In August, the World Youth Congress ONU took place here in Leon," he says. "They wouldn’t have large United Nations conferences in a city that wasn’t safe."
