Rivera Maya Tourism Director Discusses Hosting Tianguis in 2014, Hotel News and More

Travel Agent sat down with Dario Flota Ocampo, director general of the Riviera Maya Tourism Board, last week and discussed the importance of hosting Mexico’s most important trade show in 2014, as well as the emerging destination of Tulum and several new hotel openings.

Although Puerto Vallarta will be the site of the March 2012 Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s annual tourism event, Puebla City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Quintana Roo (home to Cancun, Puerto Morelos, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel and the Costa Maya) will host the event in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Tianguis had been held in Acapulco for the last 36 years. Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism announced earlier this year that it would break that tradition, moving the event to new locations and showcasing a broader range of Mexican destinations to the hundreds of agents, tour operators, press and delegates who attend each year.

“This show is always so important for Mexico and hosting it can only add more awareness and exposure to our destination,” Ocampo told Travel Agent. “We are very exciting that Cancun/Riviera Maya be hosting this show in 2014 and think it’s definitely a great opportunity to showcase our destination -- and Mexico in general -- to the rest of the world. We think giving every destination an opportunity to host such a big show is really the smartest thing to do here.”

In other Rivera Maya news, a new airport in Tulum, expected to be completed around 2014-2015, is expected to put the destination in the Riviera Maya tourism forefront. Work on the project has currently stalled because of some minor design issues and is expected to be up and running again by the end of the year, Ocampo says.

“Tulum has always been a very popular spot amongst seasoned Mexcio travelers,” Ocampo says. “It’s a place where people who have visited Mexico before usually go to see some great Mayan ruins and something a little different from the rest of the region. But with this new airport, we are hoping to open up tourism in Tulum to everyone. Tulum will be a place where the first-time Mexico traveler would want to visit simply because of the easy flights, the ruins and the addition of several luxury resorts there.”

Also, Melia Hotels announced the opening of two new hotels that operate with the Paradisus Resorts brand. They will be located in the city of Playa del Carmen. They will open in the Riviera Maya on November 15. Sharing common areas but with a different philosophy, one will be for adults with a capacity of 394 rooms and the is other is centered around families with a capacity of 512 rooms. For more information, agents should e-mail [email protected].

Visit www.rivieramaya.com