It happens every year. Thousands of tourism industry insiders descend upon one lucky Mexican destination for Tianguis Turistico, the most important travel industry event in Mexico. I recently attended the 44th edition of Tianguis Turistico, which took place in April in Acapulco, with thousands of travel industry professionals from across the globe arriving to learn about all the regions of Mexico. Over 1,000 hosted buyers from 43 countries had the chance to meet 600 exhibitors spread throughout the 240,000 square feet of the Mundo Imperial, Acapulco’s newest convention venue, which has a capacity for more than 20,000 attendees.
I covered this action-packed event for TravelAge West, the leading travel trade publication and Website in the western United States, and you’ll soon be able to read my full report about what’s new in Mexico travel on that site. But for now, I’m focusing on the beautiful costumes and performers who graced the exposition floor. Every year, destinations and tourism suppliers bring a variety of performers, dancers, models and actors to the event, to draw more attention to the excitement and Mexican culture that is a big selling point for anyone considering a Mexico vacation. As a result, strolling the aisles of Tianguis Turistico is an entertaining activity, with lots of visual delights. In this post, I’m sharing a few of my favorite photos of the faces that represent various regions of Mexico during this tourism event.
As one of the largest travel events in Latin America, Tianguis Turistico is the site for more than 40,000 individual business meetings. Among the exhibitors are hotel companies ranging from international chains to independent boutique properties; airlines connecting Mexico to points across the globe; ground transportation companies, as well as DMCs, exhibition halls and other tourism-related companies and organizations. Importantly, all 32 tourism authorities from across the different states of the Mexican Republic will be represented, on hand for meetings, questions and other information about the entire country and its myriad travel destinations.
Tianguis Turistico is representative of the kind of large, complex conventions and other mega-events and gatherings Acapulco has held. Acapulco was recently host to the Telcel Mexican Tennis Open, which attracted world-class players including Rafael Nadal, Wang Yafan, Nick Kyrgios and many others for its doubles and singles competitions.
I learned a lot about the latest Mexico travel news during my time at Tianguis Turistico. And I also had an amazing post-convention stay in Acapulco that was filled with lots of exciting activities, delicious food and unforgettable accommodations. There’s always something new to discover and enjoy, and one of my goals as a travel writer is to find interesting things to do in Mexico, and to give you new ideas for your next vacation or business trip. Stay tuned for more travel tips about Acapulco, and my other favorite destinations in Mexico.
Oh, and every now and then my goal is to get some lucha libre wrestlers in a head lock.