Mexico’s Minister of Tourism, Rodolfo Elizondo, inaugurated the Mexico’s pavilion yesterday, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the 2009 Motivation Show, which began yesterday and will continue on through Thursday, October 1st at the McCormick Palace in Chicago.
Accompanied by the Consul General of Mexico in Chicago, Manuel Rodriguez; the CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board, Oscar Fitch and by various state tourism authorities, Elizondo thanked exhibitors and wished them much success in their efforts to continue to attract more visitors to Mexico, taking advantage of the benefits that Mexico offers the meetings and conventions industry.
According to the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Mexico has moved from 11th to 9th place in terms of number of attendees at conferences worldwide. This means that from 2008 to 2009, the number of attendees increased from 74,116 to 119,084, a significant boost of 6 percent.
The Motivation Show is instrumental for Mexico, being that it is the most important tradeshow for the incentive travel market, and is visited by more than 20,000 people throughout the world.
Also during his visit, the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE), awarded Elizondo the SITE Solidarity Award in recognition for the work that Mexico has done to promote its tourism, the governments response after the influenza outbreak and the continuous support it gives back to the meetings and incentives industry.
Elizondo also met with various industry leaders such as Orbitz and United Airlines, to discuss trends in travel and tourism opportunities in Mexico, as well as strategies to help restore air travel frequency to Mexico. He also met with Alumni Holiday International, one of the largest companies for educational and cultural group travel, with whom he discussed the opportunities for Mexico in this segment, including museum groups, schools, colleges, universities and alumni associations of the most prestigious institutions in the United States. Elizondo concluded his trip yesterday with a final meeting with directors of Martiz, the largest incentive programs company in the world.
www.magicofmexico.com
Photo 1: Oscar Fitch, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board; Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, Manuel Rodriguez; Juan A. Ochoa, Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority; and Mexico’s Minister of Tourism Rodolfo Elizondo inaugurate the Mexico Pavilion during the opening of the 2009 Motivation Show in Chicago.
Photo 2: Oscar Fitch, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board; Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, Manuel Rodriguez; Juan A. Ochoa, Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority; and Mexico’s Minister of Tourism Rodolfo Elizondo inaugurate the Mexico Pavilion during the opening of the 2009 Motivation Show in Chicago.
Photo 3: Mariachis entertained visitors serenading them with music.
Photo 4: Mariachis & Soccer players entertained visitors at the Mexico booth.