Officials’ goal is to double the number of foreign visitors in the next five years…
YUCATAN EACH YEAR RECEIVES 285 THOUSAND TOURISTS from the meetings sector, of which only 15% is of foreign origin, so the goal of the state in five years is to double this figure thanks to the new International Congress Center, said its Commercial and Promotion Director, Harold Sanders Palacios.
In an interview, the official said that Yucatán is a very attractive multi-destination for the international market and should bet on Latin American and European tourism, which is where it has the greatest potential.
“Today the Latin American begins to look for us, and the name of Yucatan now resounds throughout the continent. In a period of 5 years we want to position the International Congress Center as one of the 3 most important in the whole country, and in the international tourism segment we want to have double what we have today,” he said.
He stressed that today the percentage of meetings tourists is 85% national and 15% international, registering during the past year a figure of 280 thousand visitors.
He explained that objectives for the meetings industry include measuring the number of visitors who arrive in the state and overnight, but also the number of clients and how many services they are hiring, so one of the strategies of the CIC is to host the largest events in Yucatan.
“The meeting industry market for Yucatán is very well positioned, and I can tell you that for this year there are 17 congresses with an average attendance of 1,400 people. That is the strategy for the national and international market, but another plan for the local sector will be needed,” he said.
He also mentioned that by 2018 the state has already confirmed a total of 50 congresses in different venues, both for the CIC, the Yucatán Siglo XXI Convention Center and the different major hotels.
He indicated that the CIC promotion strategy will have different commercial teams that will divide by areas: national, international, local and customer service. They will also advertise through magazines or specialized print media, and at the same time that they will invest in digital marketing with a good communication strategy.
“We believe that digital is the new channel of communication to reach the people who make decisions regarding congresses and conventions,” he mentioned.
Text: Punto Medio / Roberto Ojeda
Photos: Courtesy
