If you’re a travel advisor looking to grow your Mexico sales, Antonio Del Rosal has a suggestion: consider nature and adventure travel.
“There is true business to be done here,” said Del Rosal, who is the director general at the tour operator Experiencias Genuinas and the coordinator of ATMEX Adventure Travel Network, an annual trade event focused on adventure and nature travel in Mexico.
“There is a huge economic opportunity just waiting out there if we’re willing to scratch below the surface, not only going for the easy package to all-inclusive destinations, which are usually an easy sell,” he said.
In an exclusive interview during the most recent ATMEX, which drew some 450 suppliers, tourism officials and travel advisors to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, in December, Del Rosal explained the details of a bold challenge that ATMEX has announced for the industry: “25 to 25,” an initiative with the goal of making adventure- and nature-based travel account for 25% of total tourism sales in Mexico by 2025.
There is a huge economic opportunity just waiting out there if we’re willing to scratch below the surface, not only going for the easy package to all-inclusive destinations, which are usually an easy sell.
“It’s not really a daunting task, particularly if we consider that one of every four tourists can be considered an adventure traveler, based on information from the UNWTO from back in 2019,” he said. “Unfortunately, Mexico is way below its market share in terms of where it should be with regard to that statistic, so the idea is to join efforts with everybody from the private sector, the government, nonprofits, communities, chambers, associations and everybody involved with tourism, to create that movement."
Adventure Travel’s Untapped Potential in Mexico
In other words, there’s untapped potential just waiting to be explored, according to Del Rosal. His reasoning: Since Mexico is underrepresented in adventure travel sales compared to the global percentage of travelers who seek out those experiences, there must be a lot of adventurous, nature-loving souls out there who should be ready to explore what Mexico has to offer.
“If we just very loosely assume that there are at least another 11 million visitors who could be visiting Mexico, the implication of that in terms of GDP would be really profound,” he said.
It’s also good news for travel advisors, Del Rosal added.
“If we’re willing to put in the effort, to put in the time and learn about the rest of the tourism offerings in the rest of the country, then we can become specialists (and) carve a real niche for ourselves as travel agents and become that key distribution channel, which is what our operators are really lacking,” he said.
Opportunities for Travel Advisors at ATMEX
Several travel advisors who attended ATMEX in Chiapas agreed about the growth potential for adventure and nature travel — especially at a time when travelers are still grappling with pandemic-related issues.
“Adventure travel in itself is more isolated,” said Lisa Hartlage, owner of Change of Scene Travel in Elmhurst, Ill. “It hasn’t quite suffered as much as other types of travel in my eye, because you’re with smaller groups of people, you’re in areas that are a little more isolated, and you’re more on your own and experiencing destinations that have been, for the most part, isolating. People are looking for that. They’re looking to escape their normal reality, to get away. It’s a good fit.”
Hartlage, who has attended two editions of ATMEX, uses the event to make connections and increase her offerings.
“ATMEX is great because you get to meet so many different suppliers, and then I add them into my repertoire and work with them directly,” she said. “I don’t have to deal with anybody in the U.S.; I’m actually meeting one-on-one with these people right here in the destination. That’s how I build all my itineraries, directly through ATMEX.”
Julie Reid, the Baja California-based owner of Blue Window World Travel, agreed about the value of dealing directly with suppliers in Mexico.
“This has enabled me to create very specific itineraries with locals in their destination,” she said, adding that she also sees humanitarian benefits. “Utilizing locals versus a large tour operator helps to keep the clients' money in the destination. This, in my opinion, is one of the key reasons why I like to attend this event, as many communities are rich in culture, food and history, but are not rich in their pockets.”
Utilizing locals versus a large tour operator helps to keep the clients' money in the destination … many communities are rich in culture, food and history, but are not rich in their pockets.
“This type of travel, adventure travel, truly opened my eyes to how rewarding the shared experience can be,” Reid added. “That’s why I began to shift my focus to this segment of the industry.”
New Ways to Adventure in Mexico for 2022
The three-day ATMEX trade show included tourism representatives and tour operators from all around Mexico, providing attendees with opportunities to meet and learn about new travel experiences around the country.
In the state of Chiapas, for example, new tour options include Let’s Buggy, a company that rents dune buggy-style vehicles for touring, and Baktun Air, an air tour operator that launched in 2021 and plans to add a second Cessna aircraft in 2022. A company called Rutaventura Chiapas, meanwhile, has begun offering a new tour to the mountains of Soconusco, in the southern part of the state.
In the state of Quintana Roo, meanwhile, new activities are available with Kiichpam Kaax, a Maya family cooperative that offers a variety of guided experiences and, this year, will open a new temazcal.
Even Mexico City, the nation’s largest metropolis, was represented at ATMEX by companies such as Poray Biclaturs and Rentals, which continues to add new bicycle tour itineraries around the city and will open a second office in the trendy Roma Sur district this year.
The Details
ATMEX Adventure Travel Network
