Martin AmbrosioViva Tours Managing Director

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Viva Tours is one of Spain´s major tour operators and a leading travel company on the Canary Islands, the Balearics, Europe and Latin America. More recently, the agency has started taking the Mexican market to heart. On that and other issues, Managing Director Martin Ambrosio talked exclusively with Caribbean News Digital.

Q.- How is the new campaign slated for Mexico´s Jalisco going to play out? What are you going to do and what new products have you come up with?

A.- We inked a recent agreement with the state of Jalisco and with the Mexico Tourism Promotion Council. This is supposed to be a stepped-up effort designed to cash in on the ongoing situation within our companies in order to spread the word and draw interest among Spanish customers in this particular Mexican state.

The products we put on the market are basically clustered in two major groups. All of our customers land at the Mexico City´s international airport because we rely on Iberia, one of the world´s leading airlines and the first ever that flew to Latin America. Based on that, we offer either trips to Guadalajara and the entire Jalisco area or other packages that combine stays in Mexico City with an option to enjoy the lovely beaches of Puerto Vallarta.

We must say we offer products for two different kinds of customers, and these offerings are made on a daily basis and in a tailor-made fashion. On the one hand, we give them a chance to delve into the country´s history and culture. On the other hand, they may opt to enjoy our gorgeous beaches and get kicks out of Puerto Vallarta´s great nightlife.

However, we´re working on the branching out of our products by giving Iberia the possibility of combining flights with Mexicana. That opens an array of interesting possibilities. In addition to that, we´re revamping part of our offer, and we´re counting on the help of the Mexico Tourism Promotion Council for that purpose.

Q.- What hotels will you be working with in Puerto Vallarta?

A.- For the spring-summer travel season in Puerto Vallarta, we´ll be banking on three hotels. The kind of customer Viva Tours operates with, middle-class to high-class tourists that come here an average of three times a year, they come looking for a specific product: flights with world-class airlines, great availability of plane seats, flexible timetables, fancy hotels. In a word, a top-notch product where they can decide the number of nights they want to stay and they can choose the exact day of departure without being bound to adapt themselves to rigid schedules. This is a kind of flexibility that only Iberia can deliver.

Q.- Do you make all-inclusive offers or just bed-and-breakfast choices?

A.- We always try to let customers make their own calls in terms of schedule and mealtimes. Most packages are offered under either the bed-and-breakfast category or the all-in format. As far as stays are concerned, we let customers pick freely the offer that fits their interests best, so they have a say in the kind of hotel they want to stay in or the kind of restaurant they want to eat at. However, we keep our customers posted on the ample and varied options they can find in Mexican soil.

Q.- Is there any specific hotel you´re working with?

A.- As we speak, we´re working with lodgings that belong to Spain´s NH Hotels and Sol Meliá, as well as with Camaleon Marival from Mexico. Nonetheless, we´re trying to branch out our hotel offer as much as we possibly can.

Q.- Are you planning to deliver some kind of extra-hotel offer in combination with restaurants in Puerto Vallarta?

A.- Right now, we just want to offer a get-up-and-go travel package with enough wiggle room to let travelers choose what in their best interests. That travel package will also include plane tickets, hotels and transfers. In this first stage, we´re not trying to get a much complicated product for our customers, but rather give them the chance of get the most of their spare time and what the destination has to offer. In a word, to let them enjoy their trips with complete freedom.