Six months after the Mexico Tourism Board rebranded Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit as Vallarta Nayarit in its marketing campaign, it appears that the strategy is playing well among domestic and North American wholesalers.
The $43.5 million campaign launched in September with two TV spots highlighting the Vallarta Nayarit region on the Pacific coast and the other promoting Mexico City as a leisure destination. A third spot showcasing the Yucatan came later.
In addition to the federal budget, more than $10 million in federal, state and regional funds was specifically earmarked for rebranding Vallarta Nayarit in the U.S. and Canada.
The Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau polled wholesalers during the recent 2014 Gala Vallarta Nayarit trade show for their opinion of the rebranding promotion.
They agreed that the joint effort spearheaded by the Mexico Tourism Board is a strategy that is boosting their sales and simplifying their workloads.
The challenge is to sell the destinations to new clients, since once they have visited the area, they will return, according to Sue Zacharias, West Coast product manager for Apple Vacations.
“The support given to travel agents, along with the training and information provided as well as the fam trips, is definitely working,” Zacharias said.
Selling the two destinations as one enables agents to reach more clients, according to Colleen Flaherty-Reyes, product manager for MLT Vacations.
“The promotion and marketing that is being done creates a harmonious image. I think the campaign is going well,” she said.
Domestic wholesalers concurred.
“The campaign already is showing results and has created awareness of the destinations,” said Sergio Cantu, a spokesman for GoMexico.travel, an online agency.
