Cancun to host 200 congresses in the next couple of years

Tax exemption and promotional campaigns to lure incentive groups and congresses will bring an inflow of convention tourism to Cancun. However, the new regulations aimed at lifting taxes levied on international congresses and conventions won’t be fully in force until 2004.

For the Cancun’s Visitors and Conventions Office (OVC), the Department of Tourism and the hotels housing the facilities already rented for those events, this is going to be a major year to definitely strengthen this sector.

OVC executive director Miguel Borge Martin announced that Cancun will host at least 200 congresses in the next two years. The organization of a majority of those events is already in the bag.

For some of these events, planners expect an attendance of up to 3,000 people and their companions.

According to some information, the implementation of those reforms will allow Cancun to welcome 1.5 million additional visitors this year who will shell out as much as $200 million in all.

Most congresses already planned for 2003 are related to such topics as health, economics and sports.

Word is that one of the major events planned for this year –taking account of the issues to be discussed and the press coverage that it will bring on- is the 5th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) scheduled for September 10 to 14.

As to national meetings, Cancun will host the COPARMEX National Assembly next October with a projected turnout of over 1,000 entrepreneurs.

PR execs from the Hilton Cancun Hotel said the World Quality Forum (May 26 to 30), organized by the Latin American Quality Safety Institute, will take place on their premises.

The Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Hotel –one of the resorts taking the lion’s share of the city’s conventions and incentive groups- will receive at least 8,000 congress attendants in the first quarter of the year.

The stock of sport meetings and events to be held this year includes the National Convention of Mexican Leagues, scheduled for late February and early March at the Meliá Cancun Hotel.

Mad Sports is working on the organization of an international beach volleyball tournament and a long-haul triathlon match, both dated for October.

In that same month, the much-anticipated 19th Cancun International Nightly Marathon will fire the starting shot.

The month of November will also see some action with the International Triathlon Cup, one of the sport’s grand prix races scheduled for this year.