MICE in Mexico Grows and Shows Signs of Recovery

The arrival of foreign tourists to Mexico for business purposes shows signs of recovery, and Guanajuato stands out as a recipient of business tourists.

In the last nine bimonthly periods, Meeting, Incentives, Conferencing & Exhibitions (MICE) has continued to grow, the latest increase being 14.6%. From May 2021 to October 2022, meeting tourism in Mexico has grown between 3.4% and 18.8%.

Because of this, it is worth remembering that from September to October 2021, growth was 4.4%, although it should also be mentioned that it was the highest percentage of that year.

In the cumulative 2022, from January to October, the behavior was 10.5% more than what was recorded in the six bimesters of 2021.

"Growth is observed and has been increasing as the two-month periods progress," published the Strategic Information Portal of the Meetings Industry in Latin America (PEIIR).

According to a survey applied by the portal, in the fifth two-month period of 2022, 83% of those who participated in events did so in person, "a trend that continues to grow as time progresses." In the same period of 2021, participation was 58% face-to-face and 42% virtual.

It was also observed that hybrid events have remained constant, but virtual events have decreased in favor of face-to-face events.

Re-employment of Personnel

The Mexican Meetings Industry Council (COMIR) and PEIIR mention in a report that during the July-August 2022 period, "80% of the participants were face-to-face, a trend that continues to grow as time goes by. According to the trend for this year, there will be 38 thousand more events than in 2022".

In 2022, 1.3 more event participants have been registered than in 2021. In 2023, according to trends, there would be 29.7 million participants, a record number, higher than that recorded in 2019.

The DataTur system (federal government system to monitor occupancy in tourist lodging services in Mexico) indicates that as of the second four-month period of 2022, the average number of available rooms had an increase of up to 3.6%, concerning the same period of 2019.

In absolute terms, COMIR reports around 403,648 rooms in destinations with more than 2,000 rooms, an increase of around 14,024 rooms.

The re-hiring of collaborators has maintained a great dynamism, it has grown by 254,000 vacancies since 2020 and will still maintain a high 6.1% growth for 2023, so it would be 1.5% higher than the job sources offered in 2019.

Today, the supply of specialized positions in the meetings industry is greater than the demand and is being covered by temporary personnel. It is expected that by 2023 there will be a return to the proportion of 56% permanent and 44% temporary employees that existed before the health emergency.

Guanajuato Booms in Meeting Tourism

The meeting tourism industry in Guanajuato is one of the tourism segments that has shown the greatest recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The state is no exception in this area, as it is located in one of the most privileged regions of the country due to its geographical location, which is why it has become one of the favorite destinations in this segment.

Meeting tourism in Guanajuato is ranked as the 5th destination nationwide in this segment, thanks to its qualified meeting suppliers. For example, it has 313 service providers that meet the needs of meeting venues, event organizers, furniture, and audiovisual equipment, among others. In addition, there are 388 hotels in categories 3 to 5 stars, grand tourism, and boutique hotels, totaling 701 establishments. Of the total number of specialized suppliers, 58% of the companies are concentrated in the destinations of León and San Miguel de Allende.

Guanajuato had some achievements in terms of hosting major events in 2022, such as the World Meetings Forum held last April in the World Heritage City of San Miguel de Allende; the Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit, which was held in Leon last August; in addition to the Belief Retreat from July 13 to 16; Atmex and Love Mexico, to name a few of international stature.

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