Mexico: 'A Natural Choice for Meetings and Incentives'
Strategically located in the Americas, with easy connectivity via air and sharing the same time zones as the United States, Mexico is a natural choice for meetings and incentives. “With its rich history, benign climate, fine hotels and remarkable natural beauty, Mexico has become a leading destination for the international tourist industry,” says Liliana Fernandez, PR Liaison for the Mexico Tourism Board in Chicago. “For all these reasons – and many more – Mexico is also fast becoming a leading host of congresses, business conventions and incentive travel.”
The country offers more than 3,100 luxury hotels with more than 245,000 guest rooms, 55 convention centers with 3.7 million square feet of meeting space and 2.2 million square feet of exhibition space. And best of all, Mexico offers a variety of destinations to please any group. Here’s a look at some of the most popular destinations:
Acapulco/Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo
For more than 50 years, millions of tourists have fallen in love with Mexico’s Guerrero region and its coastal destinations of Acapulco and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. With mountains, beaches, abundant vegetation and endless nightlife, the region is now popular with meeting and incentive groups as well.
Along with excellent accommodations and meeting facilities, Acapulco offers plenty of attractions. While its beaches and natural surroundings are among its most popular sites, the city is also home to the Fort of Saint Diego History Museum, an architectural jewel built in 1616; Our Lady of the Soledad Cathedral; House of the Mask, which features beautiful cultural masks made by Mexican craftsmen; golf, water sports and shopping.
About 140 miles northwest of Acapulco, the resort destination of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo beckons meeting and incentive groups. Nestled between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, this destination consists of the picturesque town of Zihuatanejo, which has a traditional rural feel, and Ixtapa, a modern tourist resort town with top-quality hotels and a marina with more than 600 boat slips.
Guests can enjoy gorgeous beaches like La Ropa and Playa Linda, which are ideal for windsurfing and relaxing, go scuba diving along coral reefs, or go fishing for sailfish – the destination hosts the Zihuatanejo Annual International Sailfish Tournament each spring. Rife with lush vegetation, the area is also a great place for ecotourism outings and wildlife observation.
Guadalajara
“Guadalajara is home to many of the most representative traditions of Mexican culture,” says Ana Lidia Cerna Zazueta, Groups and Promotion Manager for the Guadalajara Convention and Visitor Bureau. “In fact, most of the folklore that represents our country internationally was born here, including tequila, mariachi and charreria.”
Zazueta notes that Guadalajara is a city rich in architecture, history and invaluable treasures, such as its old convents, mansions and small palaces. “We are people who have never forgotten [our] roots that are seen in the city’s high towers, its frescoes and its sacred images portrayed on stained glass windows, patios and fountains,” she says.
Guadalajara offers everything from historic sites and more than 20 museums to traditional architecture and monuments that attest to its nearly 500 years of recorded history. Interesting places to visit include the Government Palace, the Institute of Jalisco Handicrafts, the Museum of Archaeology of Western Mexico, the Jose Clemente Orozco Museum, the Museum of Huichol Indian Handicrafts and the Museum of Journalism and Graphic Arts.
For attendees who enjoy outdoor recreation, Guadalajara offers large parks ideal for hiking and extreme sports. The city is also home to the Liberty Market, the largest enclosed market in Latin America, where more than 1,000 vendors sell local blown glass, leather goods and other handicrafts.
Cancun
Long known as a spring break haven for college students, Cancun has undergone a complete renaissance, transforming itself into an upscale, sophisticated destination that is ideal for meeting and incentive groups.
According to Fernando Cervantes, Groups and Conventions Director at the Cancun CVB, the city is popular with groups for a number of reasons, including more than 27,000 hotel rooms with 85% in the five-star category; more than 700,000 square feet of meeting space; a modern convention center with cutting-edge technology; warm hospitality and attention to detail; and a wide range of cultural activities, sports and entertainment, including snorkeling, fishing, spas, golf, shopping malls and flea markets.
Not only are Cancun’s meeting properties newly renovated and affordable, but most also offer convenient convention facilities right on site. “The best hotels for groups include the Melia Properties, Coral Beach, the Paris Resorts, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Hilton and Le Meridien,” Cervantes says. “They all have convention centers on their properties, and some accommodate up to 1,500 people.”
Aside from water adventures, Cancun still has plenty to enjoy. Chichen Itza, a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Mayan civilization, was recently named one of the “new seven wonders of the world” and is an extremely popular place for tours. Tulum, Coba and other nearby sites with impressive Mayan ruins offer visitors evidence of a fascinating and legendary culture.
Mexico City
This metropolitan gem of 20 million residents throbs with activity 24-hours a day, offering visitors endless opportunities for entertainment. Built on the ruins of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City is currently the world’s third largest metropolis after Tokyo and New York City.
For history and architecture buffs, check out the Templo Mayor & Museum on one side of Zocalo, which houses rare exhibits of ceremonial offerings and cultural artifacts. The Metropolitan Cathedral – the largest in the Western Hemisphere – includes excellent examples of Spanish Religious art. Across the plaza stands a group of buildings known as Palacio Nacional, first begun during the days of the Viceroyalty and then expanded over the years since. The halls of this great complex are decorated with Diego Rivera murals, which explode with symbolic depictions of Mexican history.
There are a number of hotels that will place you conveniently in the midst of the city’s sights, and for trade shows and conventions consider the Centro Banamex, designed as a multifunctional space offering high quality services for exhibitions, fairs and conventions. The center can accommodate diverse meetings – groups as few as 10 or as large as 10,000.
Puerto Vallarta
“Puerto Vallarta is known as the world’s friendliest city,” says Gaston Ramos, Executive Director of the Mexico Convention Bureau. “[The city] offers 64 km/40 miles of coastline and a diverse topography, including tropical jungles, rocky riverbeds, steep mountain sides and arid flatlands. Each region brings a uniqueness that adds to the entire charm of Puerto Vallarta.”
A new, full-service, public-owned convention center is currently under construction in Puerto Vallarta and is scheduled to be available for groups in Spring 2009. In the meantime, there are plenty of meeting hotels and resorts offering function space for groups. According to Ramos, the area’s beaches are ideal for off-site events. Some groups enjoy meeting on El Malecón, where they can walk along admiring the sculptures. Of course, golf courses and spas are readily available for group events as well. And local art galleries, the municipal craft market, the Municipal Archaeology Museum, the Puerto Vallarta Zoo, the Botanical Garden and the Dolphin Center are all available for group events.
“The downtown area is very walk-friendly with its quaint cobble-stoned streets, white-walled houses, wrought-iron balconies and red-tiled roofs – and it’s home to most of Puerto Vallarta’s finest restaurants, arts and crafts markets and designer boutiques,” Ramos says. “The town’s famous Arcos – the Arches – across the street from the main square, regularly has open-air concerts and performances.”
