Recommend December 2017 - 93

Mexico

2018 Brings New Booking
Opportunities

The Hotel Xcaret Mexico in Riviera
Maya opens this month.

Michelle Marie Arean

The new year brings with it an array of new
developments-from hotels to attractions-
offering even more booking options in
already-popular Mexico.
"Visits from the U.S. is growing at
11 percent per year, and Canada is also
growing," noted Enrique de la Madrid
Cordero, Mexico's secretary of tourism,
during the recent Cancun Travel Mart
(CTM). "It is important to recognize that 26
million visitors abroad [came to Mexico] this
year." With numbers like that, it's no wonder
the country is investing in new hotels,
infrastructure, renovated marinas and cruise
ports, as well as amped-up security.
"We think we as hotel owners need to be a
little more imaginative and develop medical
tourism and golf tourism," said Carlos
Gosselin, president of the Cancun and
Puerto Morelos Hotels Association, during
the Cancun Travel Mart. "The market for
marina is also starting to develop in Puerto
Maderos and Islas Mujeres.
During the CTM, De la Madrid Cordero
said, "Mexico is standing. Because of
the recent earthquakes some distorted
information was published about Mexico.

Mexico is well-standing and destinations
like this [Cancun] and Cabos, Monterey,
Guadalajara were untouched. It's important
that agents know and say that because
misinformation was published, which might
make some people cancel trips to Mexico."

Cancun & Riviera Maya
Remberto Estrada Barba, mayor of Cancun,
noted during CTM, that "tourism is the only
industry we have today, one we have seen
grow exponentially in recent years."
And lots of investment dollars are going
toward new developments to drive those
tourism numbers even higher. In the Cancun
area, there's the brand-new RIU Dunamar,
and future openings include the Grand
Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa, the
adults-only The Royal Suites Coral Hotel
in Costa Mujeres, SLS Cancun and the
Renaissance Cancun. In neighboring Riviera
Maya, two hotels opened this month: a
Nickelodeon property, and the Hotel Xcaret
Mexico. The latter is an "all-fun inclusive"
concept and the first hotel by Experiencias
Xcaret Group, which offers eco-amusement
parks and tours. The property, located

between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea,
features 900 guestrooms, 10 restaurants, eight
bars, infinity pools, tennis and paddle courts,
kids' and teens' clubs, three fitness centers,
and a Mayan-inspired Muluk Spa.
One of the biggest news to come out of this
tourism hub is the new Amikoo destination
experience. Amikoo, located between Cancun
and Playa del Carmen in close proximity to
Puerto Maderos, is a new theme park, and will
feature hotels, a downtown area, a museum,
a marina, and a convention center. Amikoo
will complete its first phase in November
2018, which will include the anthropology
and archaeology museum, the downtown area
and a hotel. In total there will be four hotels:
the first one with 1,600 rooms geared for
families and adults; the second hotel will be
on the beach and a location for concerts; the
third hotel will be an adults-only property;
and plans for the fourth property are still in
the works.
But these leaders are aiming for even more:
Gosselin mentioned that they're discussing
the addition of a fast train connecting
Quintana Roo to Tulum. And Estrada Barba
added, "The Cancun International Airport ➤
december 2017 93
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2017
