The Mexican Tourism Board's new campaign promoting cultural and historical sites was greeted warmly by U.S. tour operators and travel agents in Mexico City for a kickoff event and familiarization tours.
They remain doubtful, however, that large numbers of Americans will venture beyond the country's beaches, at least for the near future.
"It's going to be tough, and it's going to take time," said Benjamin Schweikert, owner of Travel by Bob, Pittsburgh.
The MTB created 10 tourist routes, or rutas, that cover all of Mexico. They are designed to showcase the rich history and culture of the country, which includes more Unesco World Heritage sites than any other Latin American nation.
Schweikert said his fam of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and other Mexican Revolution-era cities was "excellent," but he thinks it would be difficult to persuade many clients to go. "People still have concerns about traveling to Mexico outside of the beach resorts," he said.
Once and again
Pleasant Holidays is reviewing the routes, said Amy Terada, vice president of marketing, who attended the launch event.
"They all look incredible and like something we want to experience," she said. "They are the cultural, hidden secrets of Mexico. So many people have been to the beaches, and many may want to see something different."
Terada added that she doesn't think it would be a challenge to sell them as long as they are marketed properly, and to the right group.
"But it's not something that we would throw in our normal marketing efforts," she said. "We'd have to find the right agents and customers that this would appeal to."
Showing travelers Mexico's history and culture is the goal for Stephanie Schneiderman of Tia Stephanie Tours.
Her clients are sophisticated travelers who know Europe and Asia well, she said, but don't know their neighbor to the south. Once exposed to the richness of Mexico, she said, they are "embarrassed and even ashamed" that they had not discovered Mexico earlier.
Apple Vacations also welcomed the new initiative. "Mexico is such a diverse country with many things to offer outside of the beaches," John Tarkowski, vice president of sales development, wrote in an email.
The rutas are "a step in the right direction," he said, adding that "Mexico's commitment to creating these new tours will help overall awareness to the destination."
See http://rutasdemexico.visitmexico.com.
This report appeared in the June 21 issue of Travel Weekly.