In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Jesús Almaguer Salazar, president of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres.
What expectations do you have for your participation in Cancún Travel Mart?
We are very positive, we have confirmed more than 25 countries participating with several buyers from each of our main markets. There are 800 business meetings scheduled with an economic projection of more than 5 billion dollars for the winter and spring seasons. We are continually breaking records.
This is the 36th edition, and we are ready to offer our business partners the opportunity to experience first-hand the destinations of the Mexican Caribbean. We have 12 destinations; Holbox, Isla Mujeres, Costa Mujeres, Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel, Bacalar and the Mayan zone which is located in the south of the state.
We attended the welcome cocktail for the event at a newly opened Hyatt hotel, a very important brand worldwide, which served as an example of the development we are experiencing, both for business partners and investors. In addition, the investment in Xcaret was announced today, and a few weeks ago the one in Mahahual, in the south of the state. The investment in Isla Blanca was also announced, so I am talking about 2.5 billion dollars.
We are nearing the end of the season. How has the Mexican Caribbean evolved in your opinion?
We have had peaks and valleys in our development. Tourism is cyclical and responds to countless factors, whether external or internal. Obviously, in November, North American tourism will be affected by the elections, but in December we expect a significant comeback that will extend into April, May and the rest of the year.
If you had a meeting with investors, what destinations would you recommend?
The north, the center of the state and the south of Bacalar, which is an important area, obviously it is important that they are investors with sustainable structures that respect the environment of the place.
If there is anyone who cares about natural resources and the beauty of the destination, it is us hoteliers, because that is our main attraction: the vegetation, the beaches and the reefs. We are fully aware of that.
How do you work to cooperate and exceed the expectations of repeat visitors to your destinations?
Training our people is a very important resource that distinguishes us from the rest of the Caribbean. The warmth and quality of service is undeniable and we work hard on monthly recognitions.
On the other hand, each hotel has an important marketing and promotion plan that we try to align with the CPTQ plans to give more strength to the destination. In addition, new technologies are incorporated, because today it helps them to know more about how to invest money to improve the customer experience.
There are characteristics that are common in hotels, such as the level of gastronomy. In fact, we implement the Michelin Guide and there are hotels with high-end restaurants in Traveler Choice, on Tripadvisor. We as a company have three restaurants in particular ranked in the top ten on Tripadvisor internationally.
There is a constant effort by hoteliers to stay in vogue and above all to outperform the competition, innovate and adapt to market demands, taking sustainability into account.
Today we talked about the spillover of corporate social responsibility. What reflections can you offer on this?
There is considerable awareness and effort on the part of everyone because you cannot do it alone as a business or as a government. There has to be synchronicity to be able to achieve it. And the most important thing is that our destination is a monoculture, because there is no other commercial, industrial or economic activity other than tourism. So it is necessary to facilitate and promote access. This is achieved with better actions by the responsible authorities to give a good first impression to the tourist both in Immigration and Customs, as well as facilitating visas electronically.