The idea of experiential travel has taken a hold on the general tourism industry as well as the meetings and incentives market, as planners aim to engage meeting and incentive groups. In step with that trend, Mexico offers a wide range of options for memorable group experiences, whether at a coastal beach destination or an inland city or town.
“Mexico is a great destination for meeting planners looking to treat their groups to immersive and unique experiential programs,” said Selene Salas Gonzalez, meetings and conventions director for Guerrero’s state tourism office. “In addition to offering top-notch facilities that cater to meetings of all different sizes, it is a destination brimming with culture, folklore, gastronomy, nature, history and a plethora of added values that have been developed for groups, making each event an extraordinary experience.”
Ella Messerli, general manager of Hotel El Ganzo in Los Cabos, agrees about the value of immersive and experiential group activities.
“A new generation of groups are arriving to Mexico, and they are now more curious than ever about our heritage, community and traditions,” she said. “Mexico is a place of great cultural value, and Mexicans are proud to share these customs with visitors.”
Maile Johnston, destination marketing manager of Mayakoba, the resort complex on the Caribbean coast, praised the wide diversity of options available for planners.
“The destination as a whole is extremely diverse, with no shortage of dynamic locations to choose from,” she said. “From big cities to sugar-sand beaches, lush mangrove forests, jungle-clad mountains and ancient ruins, Mexico continues to be a hot spot for personal and business travel.”
Planners should make the most of the diverse possibilities, according to David Manzella, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Fiesta Americana Hotels and Resorts.
Around Mexico, he said, “Each area offers distinctive immersive options that allow attendees to connect with the setting they are in. It may be interacting with the local community who share their historic traditions with the group, or an activity that allows participants to connect with the natural landscape. Mexico offers numerous options.”
Arts and Culture
Mexico offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to dive deep into the nation’s rich culture and artistic traditions. As the nation’s largest city and cultural hub, Mexico City is a logical choice for planners looking to expose groups to unique activities.
Among the local companies that cater to groups is Street Art Chilango, which offers customized private art walks in the trendy Roma and Condesa districts. Mexico Cultural Travel, meanwhile, specializes in group tours focused on modern and contemporary art, history, architecture and design-focused tours in the capital and other cities, including Guadalajara, Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende and Merida.
Also noteworthy are the options from a company called Context Travel, which offers a private guided tour in Mexico City called Frida and Diego: A Lover’s Story, during which groups are joined by an art historian or artist as they learn about the lives of the destination’s most world-famous artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Included are guided visits to the Frida Kahlo Museum and Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, the former home of both artists.
The historic and industrial city of Puebla is another rewarding place for groups to meet and enjoy culture.
“In addition to a well-developed tourism infrastructure, Puebla has activities for people who want to know more about culture and traditions,” said Alejandro Canedo Priesca, secretary of municipal tourism for the city of Puebla. “You can find workshops, customized visits and classes led by teachers and local artisans in their own work spaces.”
Among the options: visits to a Talavera tile factory, a workshop to make Day of the Dead “catrina” skeleton decorations, as well as glassblowing demonstrations and classes.
PageBreakNear Acapulco, groups can combine nature and culture with a visit to Tres Palos, a lagoon that offers outstanding birdwatching activities as well as opportunities to interact with locals and learn about local customs and traditions, including the use of a rich mud that coats the lagoon for a skin-revitalizing mask.
In the Riviera Nayarit, the Huichol Indians are a major draw for groups interested in exploring authentic indigenous cultures. Tours allow participants to visit their workplaces and learn about their famed skills with yarn painting and beading classes.
Experiential Hotels
Many hotels in Mexico are expert at offering immersive group experiences, making it even easier for meeting planners to coordinate.
The newest hotel in the Mayakoba resort complex on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, the 214-room Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya opened in December 2016 and offers a variety of options. Resident “Andaz Mayakoba Cultural Insiders” include Senkoe, a Riviera Maya graffiti artist, and Sol Tamargo, who designed Frida’s Wardrobe, an exhibit that pays tribute to the famous Mexican artist.
The property’s resident Experience Curator helps groups plan everything from Spanish language classes to cooking lessons. The hotel’s Mayan Encounter Expedition, meanwhile, is a private tour that teaches groups about indigenous culture, with a focus on medicinal practices, while also supporting a social program that aims to preserve the Melipona bee.
Groups at each of Mayakoba’s other hotels—the Banyan Tree, Rosewood and Fairmont—can benefit from the services of a resident biologist who leads boat rides through the property’s six miles of waterways and mangroves to learn about the more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife that make their home there. In addition, the complex recently opened El Pueblito, a “village” modeled after Mexico’s traditional historic town plazas, with a chapel, park and cooking school that offers a variety of customized classes for groups.
Banyan Tree Mayakoba also offers a small-group experience called HAAB, which showcases Mayan culture through presentations, a sundown ritual and traditional Mayan dinner.
Also on Mexico’s Caribbean side is The Explorean Cozumel, where groups can experience a traditional temazcal bath accompanied by a ceremony designed to lead participants toward “pachamama,” a rehabilitating state.
In Mexico City, one of the most luxurious hotels is also one of the best for immersive experiences. The 189-room St. Regis Mexico City has a Cultural Curator service that can arrange everything from personal shopping tours to private visits to various museums and landmarks, as well as meetings with curators and VIP invitations to special openings and events.
Even smaller hotels can be surprisingly creative with their group offerings. The eight-room Casa Lucila hotel in Mazatlan, for example, offers full property buyouts for small groups with an array of interesting programs.
“Mazatlan is a unique city that fuses both culture and beach life, unlike anywhere else in Mexico,” said Concepcion Valades Valdez, Casa Lucila’s owner, noting that language classes are especially popular for groups, as well as a variety of other options. “One is an art immersive experience with local artists. Having the opportunity to meet one of our very own Mazatleco artists, Antonio Lopez Saenz, who studied alongside Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, could be arranged.”
Los Cabos’ Hotel El Ganzo is another smaller property with decidedly unique offerings, including art classes with a local artist and four-hour cooking classes. And at Hotel Punta Jamaica, in the southern part of Guerrero state near Acapulco, groups can sign up to participate in a baby sea turtle release program that helps to protect the tiny sea creatures.
Larger hotel chains, of course, offer a variety of options in various destinations.
“In addition to culinary options, our resorts feature authentic Mexican entertainment experiences that allow our group attendees to immerse themselves into the local culture during their group program,” said Fiesta Americana’s Manzella. “For example, we offer Mayan fire dances at our Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun All-Inclusive resort that invite participants to not only watch this traditional dance but also learn the dance moves themselves and partake in the activity. In Los Cabos, we offer a barefoot wine-and-dine experience on the beach where guests participate in the traditional ritual of grape stomping followed by reflexology massages with grape-based body creams while relaxing under the stars.”
Velas Resorts also offers a number of options. Groups can learn how to create their own traditional dishes during a Yucatecan Cooking Class at the AAA Grand Velas Riviera Maya, or join a two-hour gallery tour while staying at the adult-only Casa Velas in Puerto Vallarta. Just north of Puerto Vallarta, the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit offers an in-depth tequila tasting experience that includes a visit to what is billed as Mexico’s oldest tequila house, Casa San Matias, via private plane or car. Designed for high-level executives and other VIP groups, the experience includes a Mexican picnic in the agave fields.
