Quintana Roo Toursim Board Announces Plans to Reopen Toursim
June 12, 2020
This is the time to visit Mexico. Firstly, the economy needs increased revenues from tourism. It is a major stimulus generator in terms of jobs and the sale of goods and services.Secondly, the Mexican Peso is now strengthening after having hit a low of 25.36 MXP per USD to 22.34 MXP per USD today. Mexico needs our dollars to keep the many large projects that are underway active. Vidanta is no different. Without tourism, the promects we are all waiting for will not be completed on time. Vidanta World is moving slowly ahead, Cirque du Soleil has closed their shows and the Estates project has two pods, one of which was to be open in November.
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Mexican Caribbean Announces Plans for Reopening
Source - JANEEN CHRISTOFF JUNE 11, 2020
Cancun, Mexico. (Photo via Jonathan Ross / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Quintana Roo Tourism Board has announced the Mexican Caribbean's plans for reopening and its new marketing campaign for the U.S. and Mexico, “Mexican Caribbean, The Best of Two Worlds.”
The Quintana Roo Tourism Board handles the marketing for 12 destinations under the umbrella of the Mexican Caribbean and the Grand Costa Maya, including Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel, Isla Holbox, Isla Mujeres, Chetumal, Costa Mujeres, Maya Kaan and Mahahual.
Last year was very successful for the region in terms of visitation with nearly 23 million total visitors and cruise ship passengers. Cancun alone received 6 million visitors and more than 6.5 million people traveled to the Riviera Maya. Cruise ships brought in more than 7 million passengers.
This year will obviously be a different story. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread to Cancun, Quintana Roo closed its borders. Now, the region is ready to receive visitors once again having developed new cleaning and safety protocols and moved into a safe phase for reopening to visitors, according to government officials tracking cases of coronavirus.
As reopening begins, visitors will notice new safety standards and social distancing guidelines at airports, hotels and attractions.
A new Clean Safe Certification has been instituted for hotels and resorts, water and amusement parks, golf courses, spas, food and beverage establishments, travel agencies, car rental companies, transportation companies, tour operators and more.
Five thousand companies have applied for the certification, which was developed in concert with national and international health organizations as well as private companies, hotels and tour operators. It is free of charge and can be taken online. The certification includes more than 250 health and safety guidelines as well as protocols that are specific to each industry.
Once the certification is complete, businesses receive a Safe Travel logo from the World Travel and Tourism Council that businesses can display to show they meet cleanliness and safety standards.
Right now, the Mexican Caribbean is in the “orange” or second phase of reopening. The region is allowed to operate restaurants, hotels, amusement parks and transportation at a 30 percent capacity.
“These colors are reviewed every week,” said Dario Flota, CEO of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board. “We expect to move to yellow and then the green.”
Flota stressed adherence to safety guidelines.
“We need to reopen without losing control of the epidemic,” he said.
Visitors who travel to the Mexican Caribbean can expect heightened screening at the airport. Employees will undergo temperature checks, and passengers will be monitored by thermal screening. Passengers fill out a risk factor questionnaire, and social distancing floor markers are at all security checkpoints and throughout the terminal. Public spaces undergo constant cleaning.
Air connectivity is coming back as well. United offers daily flights from Houston, Chicago and New York to Cancun and will fly Houston to Cozumel starting August 3, 2020. American offers daily flights to Cancun from Dallas, Miami, Charlotte and Philadelphia as well as flights between Cozumel and Dallas and Charlotte. Delta will restart daily flights from Atlanta to Cancun during the second half of June.
PHOTO: Cozumel, Quintana Roo (photo courtesy Quintana Roo Tourism Board)
Suncountry, Spirit and JetBlue will also be restart air service. Spirit will relaunch service June 25 from Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston and Chicago to Cancun. JetBlue will offer flights from New York, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Boston to Cancun and Southwest will offer flights from Houston, Denver and to Cancun in July and Houston and Cozumel starting in January 2021.
Cruise ships begin returning at the beginning of July with Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Viking, Carnival, Virgin and Princess all planning to call in the destination by the end of summer.
“Right now, 30 percent of hotel rooms are open for the next week and that will grow to 45 percent by June 15, said Flota. By July 1, 75 percent will be operating. However, many chains are just opening one property in each region.”
Attractions in the region are also opening with limited capacity.
Cancun Adventures, Xcaret and Xel-Ha all open June 15. Alltournative opens June 21 and Xoximilco, Xenotes, Garrafon, Xensesm, Aventuras Mayas and Joya all open at the beginning of July.
In order to make visitors aware that the Mexican Caribbean is open, a new marketing campaign has been launched in the U.S. and Mexico. Mexican Caribbean, The Best of Two worlds highlights how the region combines various aspects of travel such as culture and entertainment, romance and adventure and more.
The new campaign also showcases the Safe Travels certification and a new digital environment, MexicanCaribbean.Travel, where visitors can find all the information that they need about the destination.