Travco in FITUR 2018

1. Armando Figaredo:

We´re here transmitting from the Madrid fair, the 38^th edition of FITUR

And we are with Aritz Saenz Castaño and Morgane Mabit of TRAVCO.

Pleases tell us, what is TRAVCO?

1. Aritz Saenz Castaño, Travco Hotel Dept. Regional Supervisor

It’s a hotel wholesaler, we ask for budgets from hotels from around the world, and the hotels that we have available are the latest the agencies have to offer.

1. Armando Figaredo:

Tell me what have you come to do here in the Fair. What are you true objectives?

1. Aritz Saenz Castaño Travco Hotel Dept. Regional Supervisor

We´ve come here to FITUR to focus more on sales. Because here is we are able to collect new clients, more than six thousand tour operators from around the world, and since we are product contractors, we also talk to hotels and we talk about the possibility to collaborate together, so we can purchase from them at good rates and sell to our tour operators around the world.   One could say that the agencies are connected with us and when they are searching for an example, we want to go to Cancun, we then act as a provider and we make an offer in price and hotel depending on how they have made their search. We are business to business, we sell exclusively to the tour agencies, we don´t sell on line, basically  we are a hotel wholesaler.

1. Armando Figaredo:

What is the importance of this fair?

1. Aritz Saenz Castaño, Travco Hotel Dept. Regional Supervisor

It´s important to be here, it´s important to make an act of presence and to visit people and the personal contact is yes, of course important human warmth always needs to be present always.

1. Armando Figaredo:

Your home base is in London?

1. Aritz Saenz Castaño, Travco Hotel Dept. Regional Supervisor

Yes in London, we have, I believe twelve offices around the world divided into all the continents as Latin America, Europe, in the main cities as are Paris, Berlin, Rome, Barcelona as in the Middle East, in Cairo, we also have in Australia, Beijing in the whole word.

1. Morgane Mabit,Travco Hotel Contracts and Free sale Mexico

I´m in charge of contracting hotels in Los Cabos, They provide me with the rates, with a yearlong contract and I resell to agencies we have around the world. So then we do the hotel promotion with its description and the hotel promotion for all of them. Our method we use is thru sending newsletters, thru the mail to all the agencies, all the hotels services, the rates and their special offers and also we have sales agents throughout the world.

1. Armando Figaredo:

How is Los Cabos perceived by these clients?

1. Morgane Mabit, Travco Hotel Contracts and free sale Mexico

The products in Los Cabos are different than in the rest of Mexico.  It is, we could say, a product considered Super D ´Lux so we promote them with a different kind of public.

1. Armando Figaredo:

           How have you done with Los Cabos?

1. Morgane Mabit, Travco Hotel Contracts and Free sale Mexico

Good. We are working on this providing follow up and we are having good response from all. And the hotels are very pleased to see and to be able to see new clients, new nationalities and the agencies are also all very happy as well since they have been asking for new products.

Armando Figaredo:

Thank you and good bye.

Rodrigo Esponda Director of the Tourism Trust of Los Cabos, spoke of the work carried out in the 38th edition of the International Tourism Fair of Spain FITUR, and of the role played by Los Cabos in the European continent.

The Secretary of Tourism of Baja California Sur commented on the work that has been done in the destination to attract the European market and the amenities that exist in the State and especially in Los Cabos for the Luxury segment, as well as the new Convention Centers in La Paz and Los Cabos, which make the destination even more attractive for the Groups and Conventions segment, which will begin its functions in March of this year and next April the Destination Wedding Planners convention will be held in Los Cabos.

During this year’s Los Cabos Half Marathon, about 2,5 00 runners participated. Both locals and foreigners competed in 3, 5, 10 and 21 kilometer in different categories: youth, free, master veterans and veterans.

In its fifth edition this marathon brought together families, promoting the healthy practice of sports.

Tim Marie Wallace (British Columbia Canada) ... "Awesome, it was a beautiful course and it's great to be here, I never done a race out of our country, I did a personal best today I beat my last time by 10 minutes ... It's wonderful I love it, I'll come back "

The starting line was at Plaza Mijares in San José del Cabo. 

At seven AM sharp runners started the races over local streets to Puerto Los Cabos, returning on Centenario Boulevard, passing by the Estuary to return to the Plaza Mijares where the finish line was located.

Pablo Romero (local runner) ... "It's the first time he participated but I want to participate the following year ... I felt very comfortable, it  was a very complete course, the staff was very friendly, everything looks very organized ... I'm very comfortable, very happy to have finished this and the next year I hope to run the 21km "

Throughout the year Los Cabos hosts various international sporting events projecting a positive and health image.

Roxana Silva (director of Los Cabos Half Marathon) ... "We are very happy that we continued to grow in our fifth edition, and we are going for more in the sixth edition.  Everything went terrific, on Friday the boat trip went very well, as well as the Expo yesterday and the race today "

Serena Jones (Pensilvania): "It's absolutely wonderful, it's just wonderful, if you have not been to Cabo, come on down, wonderful place to celebrate and wonderful place to vacation."

The winners in the three-kilometer children’s category for kids five to seven years old were as follows:

Third place went to Pablo Roberto Valle, Second place was Santiago Flores and First place went to Sebastian Garzón, with a time of 14 minutes 32 seconds.

Praises for the competitors in the 21 kilometer - Veterans Plus category, for those 60 or more, went to Salvador Chávez in third; Alfonso Ojeda- second and the first place went to José Luis Pérez.

With information from Armando Figaredo.

I´m Tony Perez Dillon

For Cabo News Today.