Last month saw the launch of Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourism Board North American recovery campaign, intended to reactivate the country’s tourism industry. The beleaguered destination hasn’t caught a break in 2009. Instead of hiding its head in the sand, Mexico is pushing back with a three-phase multimedia campaign that will air into winter.
Phase one of the campaign consisted of television ads that aired late last month and were titled, “Believe It.” The campaign featured a litany of praise for the handling of the recent health crisis from members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harvard School of Public Health and even President Obama.
Phase Two is titled “Welcome Back” and will attempt to remind Americans of those moments that bond them to Mexico.
Phase Three, titled “Mexico-It’s Time To Go” hopes to entice travelers with appealing deals and packages. The campaign will focus on 12 major markets in the U.S. and six markets in Canada, Campaigns for Europe, Asia and Latin America are also planned for a later date.
The Mexican government received relatively high marks for its handling of the current swine flu crisis.
“Mexico and its tourism sector have proven yet again, that we are resilient to crisis. Not only are we back up and running, and receiving tourists every day, but we are showing the world that this administration represents responsibility,” said Oscar Fitch, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board.
Tourism is one of the most important industries in Mexico — in 2008, revenue generated by tourists reached $13.2 billion. Last year, Mexico welcomed 22.6 million international visitors, representing a 5.9 percent increase from the previous year. Of this figure, 18 million were from the U.S. and Canada.
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