By Jorge J. J. Martínez
The new director of the Tourism Trust
of Chihuahua (Fideicomiso de Promoción
Turística de Chihuahua), Teresa Matamoros is a capable woman with 30 years
of tourism experience. Ms. Matamoros is enthusiastically announcing to events
organizers that Chihuahua is ready for all types of meetings.
Both Ciudad Juárez and the eponymous
capital of the state of Chihuahua are epicenters of the MICE industry, and Teresa’s
primary objective is to restore their competitive edge on both a national and
international level.
“We have always been open, with a
policy of zero restrictions. Economic activity has not stopped, on the contrary
it has an added dynamism because of the border. Chihuahua is open for business,
with infrastructure and the value chain to receive visitors with all
preventative measures in place,” asserted Teresa Matamoros.
In Chihuahua, business tourism has recovered more than any other
type of tourism
In general terms, Chihuahua had 8 million
tourism nights in 2019; in 2020 that fell to 3.5 million, but in 2021 reached
6.5 million. In 2022 one expects to recuperate pre-pandemic numbers.
“Throughout the world, business
travel is the type that is recovering most slowly, but in Chihuahua recovery is
happening quickly due to our industries and manufacturing as well as being by the
border,” asserted Teresa Matamoros.
The pandemic impeded trade of
materials that historically have come to the United States from Asia. Businesses
therefore sought the closest area of production, and so the Mexican border
experienced a boom in sales of parts that used to come from Asia.
“The challenge for business travel destinations is that we don’t pay
them much attention because those travelers come for their specific business
ventures. We must offer these travelers more options in order to take advantage
of their visits, and for this reason we are creating a digital guide for
business travelers,” stated the director of Ah Chihuahua! Tourism Trust.
Multiple events for Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez are confirmed
To date 12 events have been confirmed for the period April to
August 2022, hosting between 200 and 2,500 in-person attendees, with more than
10,000 participants in all.
“The [pandemic] thermometer indicates
that reactivation is happening, that events with dates are being planned. A
significant number of events were held in January and February,” concluded Ms.
Matamoros.
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