With the aim of capitalizing on the growing international interest and diversifying its tourist offer, the municipal government of Playa del Carmen announced to El Economista the creation of a new Convention and Congress Bureau (OCC).
With the aim of capitalizing on the growing international interest and diversifying its tourism offer, the municipal government of Playa del Carmen advanced to El Economista the creation of a new Convention and Congress Bureau (OCC), a dependency of the Secretary of Tourism of the city council that will function as a one-stop shop to attract and manage events.
This decision arises from the success of the International Tourism Fair (Fitur), held in Madrid, Spain, in January, where a delegation of members of the municipal government and the business sector managed to position the city brand.
“As a result of the success of Fitur and the number of destinations and international organizers who are interested in coming to Playa del Carmen, we are going to launch this office,” revealed Mayor Estefanía Mercado Asencio.
The office will seek to facilitate the procedures and actively promote the destination for convention events, weddings, and international meetings. Although it is now public, it is expected that eventually the private sector will take an active participation.
The destination has a capacity of 47,800 hotel rooms, many of them luxury and with rooms for events, in addition to attributes “such as 22 beaches with public access for tourists and locals,” and a gastronomic offer that includes two Michelin-starred restaurants.
“Last year, intentional homicide fell 46%,” said Mercado Asencio, due to an investment of 1,200 million pesos in equipment and patrols, “the highest per capita investment in security in the history of the country’s municipalities.”
More than 90% of municipal economic activity is linked to the tourism sector, “we are all involved in a value chain,” and the well-being of the city depends directly on this economic engine, he explained.
The strategy is to migrate from the all-inclusive model that concentrates the spillover in the large hotel complexes to an all-inclusive model, so that “the multimillion-dollar economic spillover that is presumed per year, also welcomes farmers, artisans, and, most importantly, our native communities”.
Source: El Economista
