With natural beauty, culinary delights, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, archaeological treasures and adventure pursuits complementing an expanding infrastructure, Mexico is building for the future.
“During the first quarter of 2011, private investment in visitor projects was $902.96 million, 127 percent higher than the same period last year,” says Teresa Matamoros, director of incentive and corporate meetings with the Mexico Tourism Board.
As stated by Economy Secretary Bruno Ferrari and Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara earlier this year, “investment in the tourism sector is expected to amount to about $3.5 billion over the next three years,” she adds.
According to Matamoras, destinations including Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Morelia, Tampico, Queretaro, Puebla and Cuernavaca are finding a place on the meetings map.
“These destinations have the right infrastructure and mature supply chain to make for successful programs outside the typical beach resort destination,” she says.
Meanwhile, Guadalajara, Ixtapa, Queretaro and Oaxaca—all of which have gone through product development and training in conjunction with Site Global and its Mexico Chapter—are among the country’s blossoming incentive draws.
Established destinations are expanding, too, as the following round-up reveals.
BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA
One of Mexico’s premier group destinations, Los Cabos is flexibly equipped for conventions, trade shows, product launches, fishing and golf tournaments, incentive trips and much more.
“Our location at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula sets us apart,” says Gonzalo Franyutti, president of the Los Cabos CVB.
“With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Sea of Cortes on the other, we offer a unique island-like sanctuary easily accessible from the U.S.”
With construction under way, Cabo’s first convention center debuts next summer in time for the 2012 G20 Summit. Opened in February, the stunning Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa features 320 ocean-facing suites and villas, while Tesoros Los Cabos and Marquis Los Cabos recently rebranded to the Wyndham Los Cabos and Secrets Marquis Los Cabos, respectively. In 2014, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Los Cabos becomes Mexico’s first Ritz-Carlton Reserve property, while the Morgans Hotel Group is expanding its Delano brand to Los Cabos in the same year.
PACIFIC COAST
Puerto Vallarta
With world-class infrastructure and superior facilities, this picturesque resort city nestled beneath the Sierra Madre Mountains on the Mexican Riviera is among Mexico’s leading group destinations.
“From luxury boutique properties to large beachfront resorts, Puerto Vallarta can accommodate meeting and incentive groups of all sizes,” says Salvador Pena, director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. “Add to this our diverse tourism activities and world-class service, and we welcome meeting planners and their guests to our shores,” she says.
After 36 years in Acapulco, Mexico’s premier tourism conference, Tianguis Turistico, moves to Puerto Vallarta in 2012. The event will be staged at the $43 million Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center, offering over 105,000 square feet of space.
Meanwhile, north of Puerto Vallarta is the blossoming Riviera Nayarit region, home to golf courses, spas and a wealth of natural attractions and adventure activities, as well as standout meetings properties such as Four Seasons Punta Mita and St. Regis Punta Mita.
Acapulco
Acapulco is brimming with group venues, including the famed Acapulco International Convention Center, which features 355,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and is planning a renovation; the new Il Duomo Convention, Exposition and Entertainment Center, boasting more than 730,000 square feet of convention space and the largest ballroom in Mexico, and the new 20,000-square-foot Diamante Exhibition Center. The recently renovated Grand Hotel Acapulco and Convention Center is another preferred venue for groups and conventions.
Huatulco
The new 440-room Pacific-facing Huatulco Resort & Spa is AM Resorts’ first Dreams-brand property in Oaxaca.
YUCATAN PENINSULA/GULF REGION
Cancun
Served by over 200 daily flights from the U.S. and Canada and providing 34,000-plus hotel rooms and over 1 million square feet of meeting space, Cancun continues to evolve.
Opened in December 2010, Cancunmesse offers over 200,000 square feet of indoor exhibition space along with 100,000 square feet of outdoor space. Expansions over the next two years will turn Cancunmesse into the first Latin American venue to meet international trade fair standards.
Leading Spanish hospitality brand Iberostar Hotels & Resorts has invested $100 million into rebranding the former Hilton Cancun. Set to reopen this month as the all-inclusive Iberostar Cancun, the beachfront property will feature 426 rooms and villas, around 49,000 square feet of convention space and 60,000 square feet of outdoor space.
Riviera Maya
Renowned for its eco adventures, white-sand beaches and ancient Mayan treasures, this coastal paradise along the Caribbean Sea counts over 50 hotels with some 25,000 rooms and 600,000 square feet of space, of which 80 percent are all-inclusive.
The new 900-room Paradisus La Perla Playa del Carmen features 25,000 square feet of meeting space plus five luxury restaurants and a spa.
Work is under way on Kanai, an exclusive luxury resort incorporating properties from St. Regis, Marriott, W Retreat, Auberge Resorts and Park Hyatt.
“With these and other projects over the next three years, Riviera Maya is becoming one of the most prominent destinations in Mexico and Latin America for meetings, conventions and incentive trips,” says Dario Flota Ocampo, director general of the Riviera Maya Tourism Board.
Merida
Known as “the White City” for the color of its historic buildings and its cleanliness, Yucatan’s state capital will debut the 100-room Doubletree by Hilton Merida Yucatan with 3,000 square feet of meeting space in January.
INTERIOR MEXICO
Mexico City
Mexico’s vibrant capital comes with a comprehensive, contemporary infrastructure for groups, meetings and conferences, along with a trove of off-agenda discoveries, including historical monuments, 150 museums and nine archaeological sites, four designated “Humanity’s Heritage” by UNESCO. The Ministry of Tourism also recently declared “five magical neighborhoods” to outline the city’s lesser-known treasures.
“Mexico City’s unbeatable connectivity, vast infrastructure and unique cultural offering make it the No. 1 destination in Mexico for unforgettable meetings and events,” says Carlos Collado, executive director of the Mexico City Congress and Convention Office.
Located in the popular Polanco neighborhood, Meet In Polanco is a stylish new conference center with 11 meeting rooms and outdoor terraces.
Scheduled to open in 2014, the W Santa Fe will be Mexico City’s second W Hotel.
Meanwhile, Hilton Mexico City Reforma recently unveiled a 26th-floor executive lounge that has two small meeting rooms.
Guadalajara
Welcoming over 1 million attendees to some 1,685 events in 2010, Mexico’s second-largest city continues to draw global gatherings such as the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the International Book Fair and recently, the XVI Panamerican Games. Birthplace of tequila, mariachi and charreria (a Mexican-style rodeo), the city offers more than 21,000 hotel rooms, with 3,000 in all categories within walking distance of its premier group facility, Expo Guadalajara.
Featuring 221 rooms and ample meeting space, the sleek new Westin Guadalajara opened in September across from the expo center, becoming Westin’s seventh property in Mexico.
Leon
Located in Mexico’s heartland, this rising meetings destination combines history and culture with world-class infrastructure, connectivity and culture. Offering more than 4,000 guest rooms among 42 meetings-capable hotels, the city has broken ground on a Courtyard by Marriott within the 460,000-square-foot Poliforum Leon Convention and Exposition complex.
Latin America’s second-largest leather and shoe producer, modern Leon is near Guanajuato, a Spanish Colonial-era UNESCO World Heritage site, and artistic San Miguel de Allende, another Spanish Colonial gem that is also home to a large American and Canadian expat population.
Last summer, Leon became the first destination in Mexico where the CVB, principal convention center and meetings hotels all received Cvent Supplier Network and electronic RFP training.
“We know that we’re competing in a global marketplace and that planners are looking for a partner, not just a destination, so we are focused on outstanding client service,” says Oscar Garcia Ramos, director of the Leon CVB. “From your initial site inspection through the final accounting, we’ll work with your team to ensure the success of your event and that you meet your organization’s goals.”
San Miguel de Allende
Inaugurated by Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon in March, the luxurious 67-room Rosewood San Miguel de Allende is Rosewood’s third resort in Mexico after Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos and Rosewood Mayakoba on the Riviera Maya. The property features 12,500 square feet of indoor meeting space along with prefunction space, a rooftop terrace, an event lawn and an outdoor amphitheater.
Queretaro
Within walking distance of the Queretaro Convention Center in this emerging destination, DoubleTree by Hilton Queretaro opened in July, becoming the upscale, full-service brand’s first hotel in Mexico.
