 States
of Opportunities
 Quintana
Roo, The cradle of mexico´s Caribbean Resorts
One prime example is Cancun -Mexico's most successful tourist destination. Just 20 years ago, Cancun, sitting like a jewel with white sands surrounded by the turquoise-blue waters of the Caribbean coastline in the Quintana Roo State , was just another sleepy fishing village. Today, its shores are dotted with 542 hotels, mostly Grand Tourism and five-stars, trying to keep up with the 5.8% growth rate of tourists registered last year. The business traveler is also an important generator of new clientele, says Ritz Carlton Cancun General Manager Luis Marco . The five-star hotel, which has carried away the Mexican National Quality Award twice, says its prime Caribbean location and infrastructure to house conventions and business meetings make the business traveler the source of 50% of its occupancy rate. The Sheraton and Westin Cancun are also highly frequented hotels by business travelers. According to Patrick Sanchez , Managing Director of Starwood hotels Cancun , the Westin is a luxury property addressed to a very particular clientele, and the Sheraton name speaks for quality and excellence.
The unprecedented growth has warranted new projects, estimated at $550 million, to build a high-level golf course and an international marina, according to Quintana Roo Governor Joaquin Ernesto Hendricks . Quintana Roo State also encompasses other popular destinations like Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Chetumal, La Costa Maya, Puerto Morelos and Carrillo Puerto, though Governor Hendricks would like to see those destinations gain popularity. Quintana Roo has a lot to offer besides Cancun, with projects in Costa Maya, supported by Fonatur, development of the marina, natural scenery in Chetumal and improved roads, highways and airports throughout the state.
Development in the south of the state is especially being touted, where real estate is less expensive, and the development potential is multifold. Striving to gain a "multi-destination" reputation, and uphold the 70% of its income that depends on tourism, the state is working jointly with federal and municipal officials, appealing to investors to recognize the potential. Development requires not only hotels, but services and infrastructure, potential investors will find not only ample opportunities to enter the market, but a government that is willing to cooperate in order to facilitate all the procedures needed to establish a business, said the state's Tourism Secretary Guillermo Martinez . The Hotel Association of Quintana Roo is another organization that can help investors checking out the market. It knows the ins-and-outs of financial and labor situations, and can be a good source of information. Though it mostly focuses on Cancun, it is venturing into other major tourist towns like Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres.
Baja
California Sur, The Up-and-rising Peninsula
Baja California Sur 's periphery alone makes up 23.4% of the nation's coastline, providing its scenic dunes 'n waves topography. It thrives off of its tourism income, concentrated in Los Cabos, La Paz and Loreto, but is looking for ways to balance its overall economy, and develop its agricultural industry. The Los Cabos zone is the area that has grown the most in recent years, seeing specialized and high-level investment geared to develop tourist attractions for the wealthy traveler. Almost 80% of the state's investment in tourism comes from the U.S, 10% from Canada, and the remainder from a few European investors, most of it pouring into Los Cabos. Infrastructure projects to build a highway that unites San Jose del Cabo along the gulf with La Rivera to Los Planes and La Paz, are expected to augment the potential growth of Los Cabos. "We have huge potential for development. Baja California Sur has low population density and high security, with a crime rate far below the national average," said State Governor Leonel Cota Montano .
His newly seated opposition government prioritizes promoting a climate hospitable to investor confidence. The fishing industry has also seen new regulations, doing away with corruption and exploitative fishing over the past few years, and expected to boost the nature-given industry. In industrial activities, the state hopes to foster growth in salt extraction, phosphoric mineral mining, gold mining in the El Triunfo San Antonio area, and gypsum production.
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The Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas is a unique and established area. Just 25 years ago, there wasn't even one direct flight to the location, and now its is sprouting with urban areas and infrastructure. The Diaz Rivera family owns and built the ideal urban neighborhood on a picture-perfect piece of Real Estate, on a hill that overlooks both the bay and the Pacific beaches. More than 70% of the residents are foreigners, lured by the colonial, coastal lifestyle just a step away from the U.S. The Diaz family has another very ambitious project which is composed of a hotel perched by a mountain and whose only means of entry is via a tunnel drilled through the mountain. Leticia Diaz added "the Pedregal is the best geographically located place to construct and invest in the long term future of the area, we are very open to investments and would like a major hotelier group to join us". Another example of real estate development is the Rancho Paraiso development.
With its motto "listen to the view," one need only experience the incredible panorama from its perfect location.
Perched on the top of a cliff, the Westin Regina resort set the standard for hotels in Los Cabos. This hotel offers the Westin quality with the unique desert ambience of Baja California Sur. Created to evoke and stimulate the senses, Las Ventanas Al Paraiso experience begins the moment you enter through the gates. The architecture and interior design combine Mediterranean and Mexican influences, emphasizing the natural surroundings with views of cascading waterfalls, mountains and the glittering Sea of Cortez. Edward Steiner, Managing Director , emphasized "Las Ventanas appeals to a wide range of international clientele, from many diverse nations and cultures. We promote the resort to discriminating and sophisticated travelers who seek and expect the very best in hotel/resort experiences, worldwide".
Prior to NAFTA, Baja California Sur was one of the nation's only free trade zones, making competition tough once the whole nation received that status. The state has been actively seeking funds to promote its export-agriculture industry, and achieved conveying its cause to investors in Washington and Canada. Spanish inflows have also been important to the industry, and the state is hoping to convince Japan to join in. The Japanese have ventured into the state, with interest in salt production. Baja California Sur is the national leader in salt manufacturing, as well as a major player in the world market.
The whales of the region are a prime natural resource that keeps fascinated visitors returning year after year, not to mention the government's mandate to keep its ecological resources in tact. Much of the state's territory has been transformed into natural reserves, like the Biosphere Reserve, Vizcaino, Sierra de la Laguna and the State Reserve, to preserve the habitat not only of the whales, but other creatures unique to the region like the wild lamb. The state's environmental policies have recently been lauded by the UNESCO. |
MEXICO
