Mexico’s Events Industry Feels the Sting of Tourism Board Closure

When Mexico closed its tourism board in February, it wasn’t just leisure travel that was harmed. It raised doubts within the events industry as well, as destinations lost much of their funding. Bigger destinations have mostly been able to get along just fine, but smaller destinations have been hurt.

Even among the bigger destinations, however, Los Cabos emerged as something of a leader. The resort city’s event strategy, which it redesigned after the board dissolved, is so strong that other destinations are paying attention. The board is entirely funded by a private trust, and it has a unique meetings program.

Los Cabos isn’t keeping this information to itself. The city is working with other destinations to help them follow the same path. Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, talked to Skift about what Los Cabos is doing and what has changed since the closure in February.

Check out this story, and many more, below.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet @ikcarey.

— Isaac Carey, Travel Reporter

The Future of Events and Meetings

Los Cabos Is a Model for Mexico’s Events Industry After Tourism Board Closure: Los Cabos’ name recognition and infrastructure give it a huge advantage, so it makes sense that it emerged as a leader in the events space. Still, the city’s reworked meetings strategy has important info for other destinations.

Boutique Hotels Say They Face Unique Challenges Going Plastics-Free: For boutique hotels to cut back on plastics, customers have to demand it — and then cooperate.

All of Oyo’s Brands Explained: New Skift Research: Oyo’s multi-brand strategy speaks to its ambition to expand out of the budget category it started in. For now most of these brands are concentrated in India, which serves as a test market for Oyo. It will be interesting to watch how these regional offerings fare and evolve to fit into foreign markets.

Around the Industry

China’s Huazhu Group Is Spending $802 Million on a German Hotel Group: Deutsche Hospitality isn’t a massive player on the European hospitality scene, but it has some pretty ambitious plans, ones you would assume that Huazhu would now be able to help execute.

What Luxe Hospitality Can Learn About Engaging the Senses From a Live-Fire Chef: The state of luxury is evolving and morphing. And the commonality of those who are forging resonant experiences is that they are looking outside of some of the tried-and-true formulas, mining heightened sensory territories that evoke something deeper in guests.

Toronto Pushback Shows Path Forward for Smart Cities Is Full of Compromises: By pushing back against Sidewalk Labs, the city of Toronto has shown that the future of the smart city will be forged by compromise and collaboration with local authorities.

The Best Of EventMB

The Best of EventMB is our newest section, giving you a look into the most important and interesting content from EventMB, whether it be reports, articles, or resources for planners. EventMB joined the Skift family in September and is the largest online media resource for trends, technology, innovation, and education in the events industry.

Experiential Marketing: 100 Inspiring Examples — 2020 Edition: It’s all about the experience these days: attendee experience, speaker experience, user experience, and especially experiential marketing. Experiences create connections and connections bring people back, making your event super successful.

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Travel Reporter Isaac Carey [[email protected]] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.

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