Within the framework of the event specialized in MICE tourism, IMEX 2023, held in the city of Frankfurt, Germany; Travel2latam had the opportunity to talk with Gustavo Staufert, General Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Guadalajara, Mexico.
What are the cultural and tourist attractions of Guadalajara?
Guadalajara is the place by which Mexico is known in the world. Tequila is a point, a city that is 40 minutes from Guadalajara and is the only place where this drink can be made, and what is between Guadalajara and Tequila are precisely fields that are part of the World Heritage Site, so when one travels those kilometers from Guadalajara to Tequila, he clearly sees all the plants that later become Tequila.
So, Guadalajara has the most Mexican icons, such as tequila or even Mariachis, but we also like to say that it is traditionally modern, because we also have large companies that are dedicated to information technology, communications and technology, for example. And it is these big companies, the ones that make the study plans in the universities, which are more than 250 in Guadalajara, and later hire all the engineers that come out of that school. And that is the great advantage of Guadalajara, because it is a place where people study
There are also great personalities, athletes and artists that make our city proud, the number two in Formula 1, Checo Pérez, is from Guadalajara, like Guillermo del Toro, who has won three Oscars at the Academy, among many important references. that they are from here In addition, Guadalajara has been the champion of the National Olympics in our country for 22 years in a row.
How is Guadalajara prepared to receive the MICE segment?
The city has the largest convention center in our country. Expo Guadalajara has 100,000 square meters and is very important for the region. In addition, we have 28,000 hotel rooms, so we are truly prepared to receive and further develop the meetings industry, which has yielded very positive results.
On the other hand, Guadalajara is the only Latin American member of the BestCities Global Alliance , 13 cities dedicated to exercising their strategy in the world of meetings. There we are positioned alongside Tokyo, Singapore, Cape Town, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Houston and Washington. So, for example, here at IMEX we have arrived several days before because it is where we meet with all these cities and together we weave and share strategies from the point of view of destinations for the meetings industry.