Mexico’s annual Tianguis Turistico will be held in Cancun next year. Tianguis is the most important travel trade show in Mexico, providing an important platform for travel industry professionals to meet with hundreds of Mexico tourism service providers. Unlike other travel trade shows, the three day event is entirely focused on one destination and topic: the promotion of Mexico.
For 36 years straight, the event was held in Acapulco, Guerrero before making its first move to Puerto Vallarta in 2012. Deciding which city to host the event after 36 years was not an easy task; destinations had to submit proposals as to why they should be host and prove they have the infrastructure required. It is clear why Cancun was chosen for 2014; it has over 32,000 hotel rooms (70,000+ if you include the Riviera Maya), several AAA 4 and 5 Diamond properties, the largest Latin American international airport with the most connectivity and high quality services and framework.
Cancun has already started preparations for Tianguis Turistico. The Mexico Tourism Board is making an initial investment of 40 million pesos, while federal and state government in Quintana Roo will invest 80 million pesos. In an interview with MexicoNews.Travel, Robert Borge Angula, Governor of Quintana Roo, said, “We are already preparing and doing very well with the first arrangements, regarding the productions of such a important event, while also evaluating all the areas of the event. We are very well prepared and we would like to have at least two venues for the fair.” Later it was announced that the main host for the event will be the Moon Palace Resort on the southern part of Cancun’s Peninsula.The Cancun Center and Xcaret are also being considered as a venue for opening and closing ceremonies.
The event dates are still not set, but it is speculated to be held in May instead of March or April.
Juan Carlos González Hernández, Minister of Tourism for Quintana Roo, is requesting this change because he says “[March through April] is a period in which hotel occupancy rates are an average of 92%, which would complicate the touistic festivities.” Cancun is also setting expectations for attendees; while 2013 Tianguis Turistico in Puebla was record breaking, Cancun is expecting to surpass it with at least 45 different countries present. Angula commented on the goal, “[Quintana Roo] is a very well positioned state not only in Mexico, but also in the whole Caribbean as well as Latin America…”
If you’re anticipating to attend this travel fair, you can get more information on their website http://tianguisturisticomexico.com.mx/, or by staying tuned on our blog. If you plan on visiting Cancun/Riviera Maya for any reason, give Journey Yucatan a call. We can help you choose the best accommodations for your stay and give you valuable inside information about the best things to do in this lovely part of Mexico.