Last October, Mexicana Airlines took 14 agents on an educational to Mexico. Flying into Mexico City, they spent a week visiting the popular tourist resorts of Acapulco and Cancun, then explored the hinterland regions including Oaxaca. We asked three agents for their impressions before and after the trip.
Before: I had never been to Mexico before and I imagined it all to be rather mass market, brash and glitzy like Cancun and Acapulco. I was selling quite a few holidays to these resorts because they certainly meet the demand of many holidaymakers. But I didn’t think of Mexico as offering much to those clients who avoid big, busy resorts. I think clients were rather wary of travelling inland to less well known areas because of old stereotypes of bandits and a vague, undefined feeling that it might be dangerous.
After: Oaxaca is wonderful – it’s rather like Spain was in the 1960s with lots of character, lots of local interest, superb food and really good, small hotels. The hinterland of Mexico is quite beautiful and the sights are absolutely fascinating. I realise now that Mexico is not just for the mass-market holidaymaker but is also superb for the real traveller who would hate the glitz of the big resorts. The trip has helped me sell Mexico to many more people and I have already had feedback from some really delighted clients.
David Brown, Senior Partner, David Brown Travel, Chippenham, Wiltshire, Age: 51
Before: I lived in Mexico for a year and loved the place. I was a student backpacker on a low budget, so I didn’t have the benefit of a guide or the opportunity of staying in any particularly nice hotels. We specialise in tailor-made sales and get quite a lot of interest for Mexico, but I have mostly booked seat-only deals for backpackers and haven’t had much chance to sell ground arrangements.
After: For me, Acapulco was the highlight. I hadn’t been there before but it was exactly what I expected and I could see why it has always been so popular. Of course, it is tired and tacky in some places but the bay is superb, the mountains are wonderful and the cliff divers just have to be seen to be believed. I wasn’t so keen on Cancun – too big and too much concrete for me. Mexico City is very polluted but there is so much to see that it’s well worth putting up with this for a few days. My favourite place is Oaxaca – I’d go again at the drop of a Mexican hat.
Claire Plummer, Sales Consultant, Trailfinders, London, Age: 33
Before: I had never been to Mexico before and thought only of mass-market resorts like Cancun and Acapulco, which didn’t appeal to me at all. I imagined those resorts to be very much like Benidorm and the rest of the place to be very dry and barren. I haven’t sold many holidays to Mexico because my clients don’t generally want mass-market resorts, and as I didn’t know much about other parts I couldn’t persuade them to go.
After: Acapulco is not my kind of place but it’s worth a quick look. Cancun is a real playground by the sea and more upmarket than I imagined. People know of the Aztecs and Incas but not so much about Mexico’s Mayan civilisation and it is really fascinating. I was amazed by how lush and green Mexico is. Going through the jungles to the pyramids and Mayan ruins is like being in an Indiana Jones film. I have sold loads of holidays to Mexico since my return because I realise you can tailor-make the most wonderful itineraries there, which really appeals to my clients.
Jackie Sedgwick, Assistant Manager, Haslemere Travel, Haslemere, Surrey, Age: 30