A Change in Strategy for Mexico's Caribbean Coast

Founded in 1974 after splitting from Yucatan, Quintana Roo is one of Mexico’s newest states. And now, as of June, the region is home to one of Mexico’s newest tourism organizations: the Quintana Roo Tourism Board, a new entity designed to replace groups that had previously promoted some of Mexico’s biggest tourism destinations — including Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Cozumel.

Spearheading a unified promotional strategy for a total of 11 individual destinations around the state, the new tourism board is headed by tourism veteran Dario Flota Ocampo. In this exclusive interview, he shares what this new organization means for one of North America’s most important tourism hot spots.

What factors led to the decision to create the Quintana Roo Tourism Board? 
The state government intends to promote tourism development in other parts of the state that are less known and less visited by tourists. The intention is to benefit from the experience acquired promoting Cancun and the Riviera Maya to help these places, such as Isla Holbox, Bacalar and Chetumal.

How will this decision impact hotel, resorts and other members of the tourism community in Quintana Roo?
The creation of the tourism board seeks to support emerging destinations that have fewer facilities and less promotion capacity, so they can be present on international exhibitions and on the market where most of their visitors are located. I believe that the tourism community, both hotels and service providers, will be our allies and will try to attract more visitors and generate more economic income in the destination.

Quintana Roo encompasses several popular destinations. How will each destination maintain its identity in the overall strategy?
For each destination, we have made a strategic plan to differentiate them, identifying their strengths, attractions, culture, nature, gastronomy and type of segment that can be attracted, such as couples, family, athletes, etc. We will present each of these destinations very differently in graphics and social media, to maintain an identity that differentiates it from the others. We hope that the potential tourists get to know the attractions and decide to visit one of the new destinations that Quintana Roo has to offer.

The state government intends to promote tourism development in other parts of the state that are less known and less visited by tourists.

We’ve read about proposals for a train linking Cancun and Tulum. Is that happening?
There’s a state project to build a train from Cancun to Tulum. But Mexico’s president-elect has indicated he would like to build a train with a longer route that would continue from Tulum to Calakmul and the Palenque archeological region. We will have to wait until the new government takes control to know the details. 

How would you describe the overall evolution of Quintana Roo as a tourism destination? 
Growth has been very fast in the last 10 years, especially in the Riviera Maya, and Cancun’s newest growth is in a location across from Isla Mujeres called Playa Mujeres, where we’re expecting growth of nearly 20,000 hotel rooms. We hope that growth will continue north to south; after Cancun, it was Riviera Maya, after Riviera Maya, it was Tulum. We hope that this continues farther south to Bacalar and Mahahual.

You’ve mentioned promoting lesser-known destinations. How are they different? 
We expect growth for parts of the state that are lesser-known, but with different objectives. Holbox and Bacalar are two examples of destinations that aren’t well-known, but they are ecologically very fragile.
We must be careful that they are ready to receive tourists and be careful about the number of visitors who arrive there. There are no big resorts, just small hotels. The experience that we will promote is contact with nature and a more relaxed ambiance. 

What are Quintana Roo’s biggest selling points? 
Quintana Roo has a great diversity of activities and attractions, which allows it to be an ideal destination for just about any type of visitor: for a couple, for a family, for business travelers and convention attendees, for anyone who wants to play golf, for anyone who wants to enjoy a spa, for anyone who wants to enjoy the sea and fishing, and for anyone who wants to enjoy culture.
That’s the big difference that the Mexican Caribbean has over other destinations in the Caribbean — in addition to the beauty of the sea and the beach, we have the legacy of the Maya culture, which gives a great richness to the region. 

How important are travel agents to your organization?
We are very focused on working with travel agents. We want them to update their knowledge of the attractions in the state, the new things that are happening and the new destinations that we want to share. 
We will create new technological tools — digital, seminars and webinars. We have an important job to do: to give agents tools so that they can answer questions and concerns about security, about the number of visitors that we have and so they can share the many experiences in Quintana Roo.