Quintana Roo’s Tourism Ministry announced last week the MICE segment (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) will have more capacity to operate: open spaces will be allowed to operate at up to 50% capacity; indoor venues will be allowed to operate at 30%, according to the maximum capacity of each venue.
This is thanks to the joint efforts of the entire tourism industry including the MICE segment, which has worked hard to recover and increase the number of visitors and groups arriving to the Mexican Caribbean. Since the beginning of the health crisis, the state authorities of Quintana Roo, including the Tourism Board and the tourism sector, implemented strict hygiene and sanitation protocols to guarantee the health and well-being of all its citizens and visitors; from airports, ground transportation, hotels, restaurants, recreational centers, as well as exhibition and meeting venues.
The increased capacity for MICE update was conferred in accordance with the “Epidemiological State Traffic Light”, a state government strategy that considers two key factors for resumption of business and other public activity: the decrease in active cases of COVID-19 and the region’s medical and hospital capacity.
Governor Carlos Joaquín González noted that during the transition of colors in the gradual reopening strategy, the reactivation must be orderly and responsible, without relaxing health and hygiene measures in order to protect local citizens as well as travelers. Protecting the public’s health remains the top priority in this re-opening strategy.
For the week of September 14, through Sunday, September 20, both the northern and southern regions of the state were in yellow color for tourism activities as well, (according to the epidemiological traffic light system in the state of Quintana Roo), thus allowing for more re-opening of public spaces. Destinations like Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Riviera Maya, Isla Mujeres, Costa Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Holbox and Bacalar allow now an occupancy of up to 60% in hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, theme parks, spas and golf courses, among other travel services and public spaces.
“The Mexican Caribbean has much more to offer visitors beyond the sun and beach. Our MICE segment is an example of our region’s broader offering for events and group travel. In 2019, this segment represented around 30% of hotel occupancy in the state, and we estimate that MICE professionals generated more than $4.5 million for the region,” said the director of the Quintana Tourism Board, Darío Flota.
