“The meetings and convention industry is a crucial part of our growth plan focused on elevating the average expenditure of travelers,” said Hector Flores, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board. “We are continuing to invest in building Mexico’s profile for business events and are working closely with industry leaders around the world to bring more corporate and association events to Mexico while introducing them to destinations beyond our traditional sun and beach offerings.”
The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) reported that its 2017 Meetings and Events program has led to significant growth in the industry sector, showing a 6.7% increase from January to October, when compared to the same period in 2016. Mexico has taken a leadership position as a destination for meetings and events with the relaunch of its strategic partnership program with meetings industry organizations and initiatives that aim to elevate its ICCA ranking, as well as to increase the economic impact of the meetings and conventions industry in the Mexican economy, which currently accounts for US$25 billion. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranks Mexico as 3rd in Latin America, 5th in the Americas, and 21st globally for meeting and incentive travel.
Mexico offers businesses strong competitive advantages, including an ideal location, connectivity, infrastructure, affordability and a mature supply chain. Additionally, the country is home to convention and exhibition centers with spaces ranging from 13,000 to 960,000 square feet in more than 56 destinations, providing a wide variety of options for event planners based on the size and scope of any event.
The Mexico Tourism Board is also looking beyond capacity offerings and focusing on changing the narrative Mexican destinations use to approach the international meetings market. By connecting associations and corporate clients with their counterparts in the local communities and by closely partnering with the different public and private sectors, Mexico’s meetings industry is helping corporations to identify academic and business reasons to host meetings, and make the most of the different Mexican destinations.
To continue strengthening its position in as a top destination for hosting international business events, the Mexico Tourism Board launched…
