March / April 2006 Article

Mexico: Warm and Welcoming

If you like to include al-fresco receptions and outdoor recreation in your meetings, Mexico is a location tailor-made for you. Year-round you’ll find a spot where the climate is excellent with little or no chance of rain, reports Peter Crossley, president of Destination Mexico.

Another appeal of Mexico, Peter explains, “is that it is a completely different destination from the United States with much of its attractiveness resting on its traditions, customs, history and folklore.” His company likes to give visitors a glimpse into the ‘real’ Mexico and introduce them to the true Mexican cuisine, very different from what’s served by the fast-food chains in the U.S.

“Welcome to Mexico, the country that has it all!” proclaims the official tourist web site. Quite a boast but when you consider the sun and sand and surf, the charming colonial cities, the incredible archaeological sites, and wide range of recreational activities, the official greeting doesn’t feel exaggerated.

And to make sure you feel welcome, and safe, the Mexican government has launched some visitor-friendly programs.

Tax exemptions: In January 2004 the Mexican Government introduced a bill designed to stimulate the growth of Conferences, Congresses, Conventions and Trade Shows/Expositions in Mexico. The bill basically says that all such events will be exempt from the local tax known as IVA, which is charged at 15%; 10% on the border and on the Caribbean coast. The bill does not apply to programs that are incentives only. The bill has helped make Mexico one of the leading destinations for conferences, Peter says.

Safety: “Happily” Peter reports, “over the past few years there has been a considerable improvement … the Government of Mexico has embarked on a large-scale project designed to protect the visitor to the country. This has had quite a profound effect on the tourist industry in general and tourist markets … feel the country is a good place to visit again.”

Currency: A new stability has been established in the country and the Mexican peso is now a safe currency as the rampant inflation, which was the cause of earlier problems, has been brought under control. The present exchange rate lies around 1 US dollar = 11 Mexican pesos with slight fluctuations. This rate has remained stable for about the past two years.

Meeting location choices range widely from the expansive beach resort of Cancun to the bustling Aztec and Spanish influenced Mexico City to the more leisurely colonial gem of Puerta Vallarta.

Here’s a brief summary of what the key locations have to offer.

MEXICO CITY: Meeting spaces include the World Trade Center and Centro Banamex, each with over 360,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and a 5,000 person capacity, Coming soon is the Centro Bancomer, which will be the biggest meeting facility in Latin America. Many of the city’s hotels have good meeting spaces too.

Setting: Mexico City is the oldest established city on the North American Continent, the highest at over 7,000 feet, and the most populous with about 25 million inhabitants in the metro area. Yet the modern capital has retained much of the old Aztec heritage, as well as adopting the strong Spanish influence after the Conquest .The Historic Center of the city, where many of the most interesting and beautiful buildings lie, can be walked round without too much difficulty. Close to the center is the area known as the 'Zona Rosa' or Pink Zone, where many of the top hotels, as well as some of the best shops and restaurants in the city are located.

CANCUN has its own convention center with 75,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, 77,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, and a capacity of around 7,000 visitors. Combine the center with the hotel meeting space and the town can host 50,000 attendees at once. The rebuilding process after the hurricane last year has been going forward at a great pace and it is hoped Cancun will be back to normal by the middle of this year. (See story in this issue, “Cancun is calling you back.”)

Setting: The resort is renowned for the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea that wash up on nearly 14 miles of pristine beach. Numerous water activities include wave-runners and jet skiing, water skiing, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, parasailing and snorkeling. Cancun lies only 2 hours from the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza and just over an hour from the ruins at Tulum, overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean

PUERTO VALLARTA is a smaller destination but is probably the most typically ‘Mexican’ of all beach destinations in the country. There is no convention center in the resort but the major hotels have excellent facilities for smaller meetings and of course for incentives, which is what the resort chiefly lives from.

Setting: The town of Puerto Vallarta is situated on one of the Pacific Ocean's largest, deepest bays, the Bay of Banderas. Once a sleepy fishing village, Puerto Vallarta came to life in 1963 when director John Huston arrived with Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr to film Night of the Iguana. Huston, Burton, and Taylor stayed on for years. You can even see the ruins of the movie set. The town is now a protected area because of its distinct colonial feeling.

LOS CABOS is probably Mexico’s most dynamic destination at this time. Though there is no convention center, there are excellent incentive opportunities in this resort. Smaller meetings can also be held in many of the top hotels.

Setting: Lying at the tip of the Baja California peninsula, the resort sits at the end of a mountain range and offers adventure in the desert-like scenery, such as ATV riding, horseback riding, motorcycle or mountain bike riding. The area also features some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the Sea of Cortes and some of the most spectacular golf courses in Mexico. The town of Cabo San Lucas is famous for its world class big game sportfishing and also has many popular night clubs and restaurants.

ACAPULCO has had its own convention center since 1973 and is a favorite for conventions and meetings. It offers 700,000 sq. ft of space and halls with a capacity of up to 7,000 attendees. Many hotels also offer good meeting facilities.

Setting: The name of Acapulco has come to mean merrymaking, good food, a wonderful climate with sunshine guaranteed basically every day of the year along the magnificent Bay of Acapulco. Although known for its vibrant nightlife, the area provides plenty of daytime adventures as well including La Quebrada, the site of the world-famous cliff-diver's show; Isla Roqueta, an island reached by glass bottom boat, whose only inhabitants are burros; plus water parks, plenty of sports, and shopping.

Other meeting sites that Peter recommends include:

Guadalajara and Monterrey, both of which have convention centers and good hotels. Guadalajara in particular is a totally ‘Mexican’ city with a beautiful colonial center and many places of interest to visit

Smaller cities like Merida which also has an excellent convention center and a good hotel infrastructure and Leon with an impressive convention center and proximity to lovely places like Guanajuato and San Miguel Allende.

Among the incredible side trips to be taken in Mexico are:

Teotihuacan, towered over by the Pyramid of the Sun. built between 1 and 150 AD on top of a natural cave. Its height of nearly 230 feet makes the pyramid one of the largest buildings in Mexico. At its peak around 400 AD, Teotihuacan had a population of more than 100,000 and was one of the largest cities in the world.

Copper Canyon, a series of canyons far bigger than the more famous Grand Canyon in Arizona. The fabulous northern Sierra mountain range is little-visited by the traditional tourist. However this is one of the most spectacular areas in all Mexico, highlighted by a world-famous train ride through the mountains to the incredible canyon.

Meeting Services
“There is now a whole center in Mexico City that is dedicated to team-building, “ Peter reports, “and we understand something along those lines is being planned for Los Cabos also. In general we try to ‘tailor’ our team-building activities to the client’s needs and introduce what is available in each destination.”

As for visitors in general “the country continues to forge ahead with new investments and new projects designed to make the destination even more attractive in the world, “ Peter says.

Entering Mexico
Currently proof of citizenship such as original birth certificate, naturalization certificate or voters registration card and photo ID are required to enter Mexico. A Visa is not required of U.S. citizens for tourist/transit stay of up to 30 days. Tourist cards are required and can be obtained on most airlines serving Mexico upon arrival. However, as of Dec. 31, 2006 all travelers to or from the Americas, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to have a passport or other document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States.

About Destination Mexico
Destination Mexico was founded in 1988 as a full-service DMC for Mexico. Its headquarters are in Cuernavaca with branches in Acapulco, Cancun, Los Cabos, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta. An Anglo-Mexican company, the owners are English and Mexican respectively and also have full-time staff who speak various languages such as French, German, Italian and Japanese.