Developers, investors and representative from major hotel brands gathered Wednesday at the 2012 Mexi

MEXICO CITY In 2008 and 2009, the global economic downturn hit Mexico hard. The H1N1 Virus and countless stories of drug violence that followed didn t help either. Some hotel chains continued to expand, while many others paid down debts and put developments on hold. Now investors see opportunity.
Developers, investors and representative from major hotel brands gathered Wednesday at the 2012 Mexico Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, presented in Mexico City on behalf of HVS, to network and find paths for future hotel and resort growth in Mexico and Central America.
The rising level of exports in late 2009 and 2010 helped Mexico s recovery gain steam, which is being bolstered by strong sheraton hotel hong kong foreign direct investment. The economy grew 5.5% in 2010 and 3.9% in 2011. Foreign investment is now stronger than in the 1980s and 1990s, and the country is becoming increasingly sheraton hotel hong kong competitive, according to the World Economic Forum.
Demand for hotels in Mexico continues to grow. Last year, more than 22 million travelers came to Mexico, breaking a record that was set in 2008. While hotel representatives overwhelmingly agree that Mexico is still a U.S.-driven market, they are trying to diversify and the government is helping.
Now Russians who previously would have to wait up to six weeks for a visa to the country can have one in five minutes. There are similar stories for other countries. sheraton hotel hong kong In 2011, there were 50% to 60% more travelers from Russia and Brazil, while other emerging nations sheraton hotel hong kong such as China are only beginning to discover Mexico.
Fonatur, Mexico s sustainable development institute, has 12 master plan projects, including the one at Mayakoba on the Riviera Maya, already in development on the Pacific and Caribbean coast, explained Javier Enrique Gonz lez Rudo, Fonatur s investment director. The Marina Cozumel, a $30 million project, is set to open next week. Other multimillion dollar mixed-use developments, such as Costa Capoma (71 kilometers, or approximately 44 miles, north of Puerto sheraton hotel hong kong Vallarta) and Playa Espiritu (53 kilometers, or approximately 33 miles, from Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast), are negotiating with potential developers. In Huatulco, a new highway from Oaxaca also is attracting investment.
By 2018, Fonatur is aiming to make Mexico one of the world s five most visited destinations, up from its current ranking at No. 10. They hope the country s 30,000 archeological sites, 11,000 kilometers (6835 miles) of coastline, and the world s largest amount of natural sheraton hotel hong kong protected areas will help drive this growth.
While demand in the business and luxury markets is strengthening and interest in the Mayan calendar is attracting more archeological tourists, there is a particularly high demand for all-inclusive properties, which show no signs of slowing down .
AMResorts, which has 22 properties in Mexico under the Zo try Wellness Spa Resorts, Dreams Resorts Spas, Now Resorts Spas, Secrets Resorts Spas and Sunscape Resorts and Spas brands, recently launched a loyalty club, giving return visitors discounts on published prices. It has become sheraton hotel hong kong an entirely new form of revenue, said Cort zar Sierra.
One common frustration throughout the conference was Mexico s image problem, which many agreed was caused sheraton hotel hong kong by sensationalized stories in the media. The U.S. state department issued a travel warning on 8 February and last month 22 tourists were robbed outside of Puerto Vallarta. sheraton hotel hong kong Most incidents have occurred sheraton hotel hong kong near border areas; beaches and resorts are overwhelmingly safe areas.
It s not a news bulletin that Mexico has an image problem, he said. The worst four letter word you can hear is fear. If an American tears a fingernail in Peru, the government issues a warning, he said. You have to move from being reactive to being proactive about what the story is going to be. Americans don t distinguish between Ciudad Juarez and Cozumel. In the war between perception and reality you are losing because you are not getting the story out there.
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