In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Alba Mingo, Marketing Director of Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts.
What expectations do you have for FIT 2024?
We are delighted to be back at FIT for another year. For us, it is an important market within the Bahia Principe market and the truth is that we feel a bit at home here. We have come with a fairly large stand to continue presenting our product, which is being innovated over the months. A lot of work is being done now and the local culture of the countries where we are present has been transferred to the architecture, gastronomy and entertainment offerings.
For example, Luxury Esmeralda, which opened in December of last year, is completely renovated in the popular Punta Cana area. We have a new Taino restaurant with Creole food and also our Matum show, which tells the story of the Taino people in the Dominican Republic. Also starting in November, the current and renowned Grand Bávaro hotel will be converted into Grand Punta Cana, which will be our largest hotel in terms of
services, pools and restaurants.
You have come here with a very important stand structure. How have the preparations been for this very important commitment to the Argentine market?
We have some established branding guidelines, but within that we wanted to innovate, to use a bit more wood, to make it a functional but attractive stand. We also try to make it as sustainable as possible. We are working hard in this area because we have a firm commitment to the United Nations 2030 Goals. All the activities we do in terms of sustainability are included within our movement “We are Ecoists”, which is a play on words and encourages us to be eco-friendly in our daily activities to have a better future, to be selfish to leave a good legacy for our future generations.
As for the stands, we have a notable presence at the fair, with two stands representing our hotel brands. On the one hand, Bahía Príncipe Hotels and on the other, Cayo Levantado Resort, our luxury brand and hotel located on a private island in Samaná, in the north of the Dominican Republic.
How has this year been for you?
The Argentine market, as of today, represents almost 10% more than last year in the production of Bahía Príncipe Hotels, which, given the difficult situation that the country is experiencing, is not bad data. We have recently finished the famous Happiness Day, the week of happiness, and at first the market had a little trouble taking off, but it has closed with very good results. In general terms we are quite happy.
And how have the rest of the markets responded?
It was a mixed year, there was a bit of everything. We have very good markets like Canada, Argentina and Chile, and others that are a bit more resistant.
What is the idea for next year? What are you planning?
We are currently studying projects for next year, as we usually close our budgets in November. We have many things underway and on paper, but they have not yet materialized. Obviously, we will continue to focus on product innovation, offering more premium room categories, maximizing digitalization, sustainability and, of course, community work in the countries where we operate, where we are continually supporting local communities to improve
their quality of life.
A large part of our budget is allocated to improving the quality of our employees in the destinations and to helping the local communities in the countries where we operate. We cooperate in the opening of schools and soup kitchens. We also invest heavily in sustainability and in improving the local beaches, fauna and flora.
What activities will FIT be carrying out in the coming months?
We have our own team in Buenos Aires and also representation in Chile. They are actively supporting the training provided by all sales channels. They are constantly on the move, always working to promote the Bahia Principe hotels in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica. We owe them the recognition that our hotels have in the Argentine market.