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 Travel & Outdoors | December 2005 
Riviera Maya Picks Up Slack Until Cancun Fully Reopens
 Mark Chesnut - travelweekly.com
Solidaridad, Mexico - Upended furniture, denuded thatched roofs, sand-filled suites.
Gabriela Rodriguez Galvez, the secretary of tourism for the state of Quintana Roo, was looking at slides on a computer screen, taken just after Hurricane Wilma hit the El Dorado Royale resort in the Riviera Maya.
Samantha Frachey, the resort’s sales manager, was showing these images to emphasize the very different look the property has today - just beyond the windows where they were eating breakfast lay elegantly manicured lawns, a clean beach full of sun worshippers and pristine white buildings.
Rodriguez predicted that the Riviera Maya’s quick recovery will result in a surge of interest and bookings. In fact, state tourism officials hope to encourage some travelers who might ordinarily consider Cancun to instead book their vacations in the Riviera Maya to prevent the state from losing business before Cancun becomes 100% functional.
“We now have 29,000 guest rooms in the Riviera Maya, and we want them to receive guests as quickly as possible,” Rodriguez said. “If you have reservations in Cancun at the Ritz-Carlton and it’s going to be closed until April, what are you going to do, go to Punta Cana? No, no no. Go to the Riviera Maya. Rather than going to another country, it’s better that we bring them here because in the end, you’re in the same area.”
“If you want to go to Tulum, you can go from here. If you want to go to Chichen Itza, you can go from here. Our goal now is to fill the Riviera Maya and keep Cancun in the tourists’ minds. And little by little, as Cancun reopens, we will fill the hotel rooms there.”
Like many in the region, Rodriguez faulted the media for initially sluggish bookings.
“There has been a lack of information because news reports prefer bad news more than good. It’s much easier to sell an image of devastation and disaster than an image like this,” she said, sweeping her hand toward the grounds behind her. “We want people to know that we are ready for the high season.”
A quick tour of a few properties - the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort and El Dorado Royale - revealed a complete recovery. It would be difficult for a first-time visitor to guess that a storm had ever struck. The only signs that a hurricane hit were a few palm trees that were slightly less leafy than usual and a section of the El Dorado Royale that was close to reopening.
Rodriguez added that many consumers confuse Cancun and the Riviera Maya, which affects public perception about post-hurricane recovery. “What happens is that people who come to the Riviera Maya, on their ticket it says Cancun. So what we’re doing in all our marketing and our promotions is dividing [the regions]. The Riviera Maya is perfect. It’s ready. Cancun, we’re getting there.”
Dario Flota Ocampo, director of the Riviera Maya Tourist Board, said that Cancun and the Riviera Maya are dependent on each other, and that the Riviera Maya’s recovery, which he said now stands at 92% of its total inventory, has helped speed the return of airline service to Cancun’s airport.
“We are very closely linked, the Riviera Maya and Cancun,” he said. “We need them to recover, and they need us, too. The fast recovery of the Riviera Maya is going to help Cancun because as the flights are scheduled, as Cancun has rooms available, it’s going to be easier to fill them up.”
To keep travel agents and consumers informed about destinations in Quintana Roo (Cancun, Cozumel, the Riviera Maya, Chetumal and Isla Mujeres), the state tourism office established a bilingual Web site, updated every three days, at www.caribemexicano.gob.mx. |
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