Queretaro hoteliers and service providers seek to take advantage of the wedding market in San Miguel de Allende, in order to attract that segment to neighboring Querétaro. Their goal is to turn this state into one of the most attractive destinations for weddings and romance in Mexico.
Querétaro wants to compete with San Miguel’s cobblestone streets, boutique hotels, high-end restaurants, hot air balloons and colonial buildings, that attract tourists from Northamerica, Europe, Asia and Southamerica.
In that way, Queretaro’s State Secretary of Tourism, Hugo Burgos, said that the government is preparing a special strategy to attract more “Wedding Tourism”. They want to develop specialized romance alternatives, with the collaboration of entrepreneurs that are currently working on initiatives for that particular industry. And expect to see the first results in this area next year.
(Image: elfinanciero.com.mx)
The authorities and entrepreneurs believe that romance tourism is complemented by meeting, convention and cultural tourism, helping to keep Querétaro as one of the important non-beach tourist destinations in the country.
Alberto Barroso, President of Querertro’s Hoteliers Association, declared that: “many hotels in Queretaro comply with the most exigent amenities and accomodations. Additionally, our hoteliers usually structure packages for this exclusive segment, such as promotions for weddings, including religious and civil ceremonies, as well as different options for wedding parties and wedding nights.
Barroso said that Queretaro needs to be advertised as a world class “Wedding Destination”; be present at international “Wedding Tourism” expos, and above all, use part of its annual budget to promote this activity.
Like him, other hoteliers, service providers, suppliers, restauranteurs and vineyard owners consider that Queretaro has the necessary conditions to position itself as a world class romance tourism destination.
This kind of tourist spends on average 20 percent more than one of another segment, considering that they are accompanied by friends and relatives, and also consume more products and services than a conventional tourist.
(Image: Google)
The director of the Association of Independent Coordinators Wedding and Professional Events AC (ACIBEP Asociación de Coordinadores Independientes de Bodas y Eventos Profesionales AC) of Querétaro, Veronica Palacios, stressed that the state has a privileged location, infrastructure, air connectivity to national and international destinations, and high quality service and product suppliers.
Palacios said: “this the ideal time for the state to showcase its services and attractions to all couples that want to get married, because San Miguel de Allende cannot handle the geat demand of this tourism segment”.
“It is necessary to combine efforts and establish parameters in order to be able to offer high quality products and services” she pointed out.
Regarding the economic impact, Queretaro can be more attractive than San Miguel de Allende for the Weding Tourism Industry. The favorite sites for weddings in Queretaro are haciendas, mainly Viborillas, Jurica and Juriquilla, where the average is 400 guests per wedding, with an economic spill of $1,500 pesos (79 USD) average per person. The amount may vary, depending on the location and the type of service.
But when people come to a wedding, they usually stay for at least a weekend, and the economic spill ranges between 10,000 pesos (527 USD) and 60,000 pesos (3157 USD) per person, depending on the location and the type of accomodations.
In San Miguel de Allende, a romance tourist spends an average of $ 2,500 pesos (132 USD) per day, including food, transportation and hosting.
According to “Bride 2 Be wedding”, catering service companies in Querétaro, offer options starting at $200 pesos ($10 USD), to $2,000 pesos (100 USD), per person. While in SMA the average is around 1,500 pesos (79 USD) per person.
Source: http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/
