Mexico remains top travel destination for US market
Image via mexicanatheart.com
Oct 16, 2012
MEXICO CITY, Mexico - The Mexico Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico
Tourism Board reported that as a result of the promotional strategies
implemented in international markets, Mexico remains the top travel
destination for the U.S. market; in the second quarter of the year. In
addition, the intent of North Americans to travel to Mexico grew 5.3
percent compared to the same period in 2011.
The Governing Board of the Mexico Tourism Board, the Secretary of
Tourism and Director General of the Board, Secretary Gloria Guevara,
explained that in the period January to July 2012, the number of
international tourists (those which travel to Mexico, stay at least one
night, and cross the border) increased by 4.1 percent with respect to
the same period the prior year.
Before representatives of the tourism business sector including travel
agencies, hotels, restaurants, developers, trucking and air travel, as
well as the Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico's states and federal
authorities, Secretary Guevara noted that the spending of international
visitors has increased by 7.2 percent during this period, indicating
that not only did Mexico receive a great number of tourists, but also an
increased economic impact.
Visitor arrivals by air to Mexico during the period January to August
2012 increased 6.1 percent with respect to 2011, 4.9 percent compared to
2010 and 11.7 percent compared to 2008.
As a result of market diversification strategies, the period January to
August registered an increase in the arrival of international visitors
of 143 nationalities, among them Russia with 85 percent, Brazil with
51.5 percent, Venezuela with 45.6 percent, Argentina with 27.3 percent
and China 27.2 percent, among others.
Secretary Guevara said that the performance of the country's 70
principal tourist centers in terms of average occupied rooms reported
positive figures; average hotel occupancy has grown for 17 consecutive
months, and has already exceeded that of 2008.
Drawing upon the success of promotional initiatives, in the period
January to September of this year, the average number of occupied rooms
has grown by 8.5 percent and hotel occupancy has increased four
percentage points in the destinations of the Mayan World.
Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, Deputy Director General of the Mexico Tourism
Board, said that during the second quarter of 2012, the intent to travel
to Mexico in the North American market increased by 5.3 percentage
points, with respect to the same period the prior year. Among the main
country brands, that of Mexico registered the greatest growth during
this period, indicating that the intention to travel to Mexican
destinations continues to grow among the North American market.
He noted that the advertising allocation presented an increase of 3.5
percentage points with respect to the second quarter of 2011, well above
the variation presented by competitors such as Hawaii, the Caribbean
and Costa Rica. This variable measures how well the American consumer
identifies publicity about Mexico compared to advertising for other
destinations.
As for brand awareness, he noted that Mexico has the highest mention
about its competitors, registering growth of 3 percent with respect to
the second quarter of 2011. To measure this variable, potential tourists
were asked to name the destinations outside of the continental United
States that come to mind when they think of traveling, and Mexico
continues to be the most remembered.
Regarding Mexico's online and social media strategy, Lopez-Negrete said that Mexico has a world-class website (
www.visitmexico.com),
which has advanced from twelfth to sixth place, according to evaluation
studies; moreover, the website has doubled its number of visitors, from
2.2 million during January to August 2011 to 4.1 million during the
same period this year.
The growth in Mexico's social media channels has multiplied 54 times
with over half a million users, while the interaction with users has
reached levels exceeding industry standards. The destination has also
established a plan for updates which will see the launch of the new
version of "VisitMexico 3.0" in December in five languages.
During the meeting of the Governing Board, the Secretary of Tourism of
Baja California, Ruben Reachy Lugo, recognized the promotional work
executed by Mexico Tourism Board offices worldwide; studies indicate
that these are areas of opportunity.
The Secretary of Tourism of Sinaloa, Oralia Rice, noted the "historic"
support provided by the Federal Government to the state, for the
development of destinations such as Mazatlan.
The Secretary of Tourism of Mexico City, Carlos McKinlay, expressed
interest in strengthening the work of the city government, to work
closely with the Mexico Tourism Board for tourism promotion.
The Secretary of Tourism of Campeche, Luis Augusto Garcia, acknowledged
the support of federal authorities for emerging destination,
highlighting that Campeche reported average growth of over 10 percent in
the number of visitors.
