WITH relatively low online travel penetration and a population of more than 120 million, Mexico is a market of great untapped promise. According to a new Phocuswright report, the country had the world’s 13th largest travel market in 2013. Mexican airports transported over 55 million passengers in 2013, and despite concerns about personal safety related to inter-gang violence, international arrivals jumped 10 per cent between the first half of 2013 and the first half of 2014. On the heels of an economic upswing, Mexico’s middle class will drive domestic demand for both leisure and business travel in the coming years.
Totalling $24.3 billion in gross bookings, the Mexican travel market was Latin America’s second largest in 2013. According to Phocuswright’s “Latin America Online Travel Overview Second Edition”, growth projections suggest that it could overtake Brazil to take the first place within the next decade, particularly if economic conditions improve and online travel agencies (OTAs) continue to make headway with Mexican consumers. Because traditional channels hold sway, online penetration is low – more than 80 per cent of leisure travel is booked offline. But some OTAs are now partnering with local travel agencies in hopes of tapping into Mexico’s huge offline market.“Hotel bookings in 2013 surpassed Germany, the UK and Spain,” says Phocuswright’s director, research, Luke Bujarski. “Traditional travel agents still capture a large share of the leisure market, but the pendulum is swinging toward direct and online bookings. This will create opportunities for online travel agencies with local market knowledge and technical know-how, as well as for web-savvy suppliers in tune with the latest channel management and digital marketing applications.”Meanwhile, the third edition of World Travel Market Latin America is scheduled to take place from April 22 to 24 this year at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo, Brazil, devoting a much larger area for the growing Travel Tech Zone.Targeting technology companies that work with the tourism industry, the section on the exhibition floor will be expanded to meet the demand and showcase the new products that are available. Last year, more than $341 million was transacted in contracts signed during and after the event, with further growth predicted for 2015.