Yucatan gears up for coming travel season

Mexico’s Yucatan state brought its ‘full-time emotion’ to agents last night, showcasing the coming travel season including a new flight and offers from WestJet Vacations.

Yucatan is among the regions of the country which the Mexico Tourism Board is actively promoting across Canada this year, part of a $9.5 million investment into the Canadian tourism market. According to Fernanda Rosas, assistant director for the MTB, Canadian air arrivals to Mexico are up 3.6 per cent in 2015, with flights from 25 Canadian gateways to 12 Mexican destinations; the country’s overall tourism growth was projected at 10.8 per cent in April compared to the global increase of 4.4 per cent, Rosas added.

“Mexico’s tourism growth is outpacing the world,” she said.

Ana Palacios, director of tourism promotion for Yucatan Travel, told PAX that while numbers for Canadian visitors to the state are not currently available, the overall number of tourists to Yucatan continue to climb, with 130 passengers arriving each week.

While the state of the loonie may deter travel to some destinations, Rosas and Palacios said that the value of the Canadian dollar may make Mexico a more attractive option this winter, compared to U.S. sun destinations like Florida.

Dave Cecco, director of product for WestJet Vacations, detailed the company’s offerings in Yucatan’s capital of Merida, including packages featuring three of Merida’s four-star properties, namely the Hyatt Regency Merida, the InterContinental Presidente Merida, and the Fiesta American Merida. He added that city tours will also be available through WestJet’s packages, while travellers looking to hit the links at the Yucatan Village & Resort, the city’s Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, can take advantage of a preferred guest rate of $80 through WestJet.

Cecco described the city as one of the country’s “best gems,” citing Merida's culinary offerings (including cooking classes in Mexican cuisine), abundance of nearby archaeological sites and attractions such as cenotes, as well as its year-round affordability compared to other destinations.

“It’s between $400 to $500 less than Cancun or Riviera Maya, even during Christmas or spring break,” Cecco said.

Kim Barbisan, WestJet Vacations’ southwestern Ontario sales representative, said that the airline will also offer a new non-stop service from Toronto to Merida starting Dec. 15, featuring WestJet’s new Enhanced Plus seating class.

For agents, Palacios told PAX that a number of incentives will be launched in the near future to encourage even more Canadian bookings to Yucatan.

“We want to change the point of view of Canadians from just sea and sun to experience something different,” she said.

PHOTO: Dave Cecco, director, product, WestJet Vacations; Ana Palacios, director of tourism promotion, Yucatan Travel; Rosa Vermont, international promotion manager, Yucatan Travel; Fernanda Rosas, assistant director, Mexico Tourism Board; Bonnie Eccles, travel consultant, Moreno Travel; Ethel Hansen Davey, travel consultant, Uniglobe Enterprise Travel; Gonzalo Moreno, general manager, Moreno Travel.