BestCities Global Alliance is thrilled to welcome Guadalajara, Mexico as the 12th destination in its global network of business events destinations. The agreement extends the alliance into Latin America, expanding its worldwide footprint and furthering its aim of promoting positive impact through business events.
Guadalajara is a natural fit for BestCities, sharing a commitment to support meetings that create a positive, lasting impact on the host destination. The city has earned a reputation as an impeccable host to international conferences and aims to attract even more opportunities by joining BestCities. The city went through a stringent process to join the alliance, which includes a detailed site inspection and tour of the city and meeting the BestCities Commitments.
Guadalajara, a place where traditions and modernity seamlessly unite, has a rich history of hosting world-class meetings and events. The city is home to the biggest convention centre in Mexico, along with 61 unique venues, 22 arenas and stadiums, and 23,500 hotel rooms in the metropolitan area. The Guadalajara Visitors and Convention Office, together with the Tourism Trust of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, has helped to attract, and provide extensive advice and support, to congresses, fairs and exhibitions for over 50 years.
“We are thrilled to welcome Guadalajara as the newest member of BestCities – they are an excellent complement to the destinations in our network,” said Kit Lykketoft, Chair of BestCities. “With this important partnership, BestCities builds on its reputation as a truly global alliance while providing association clients with an even greater choice of host destinations. We look forward to showcasing this incredible city to delegates and planners around the world.”
“The city of Guadalajara has built over the years a strong heritage in the business events industry,” said Gustavo Staufert, Executive Director, Guadalajara Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our Convention and Visitors Bureau was the first in LATAM. We were also founding members in the creation of the Latin American Convention and Visitor Bureau Association. We were groundbreakers in initiating reporting accountability and measurement tools in Mexico. Our aim is the pursuit of excellence, and that is precisely the opportunity we find in the BestCities Alliance. We are excited by the possibility to learn from the best, and also, to share our own knowledge.”
“We are very pleased that the City of Guadalajara, the leading destination for the meetings industry in Mexico, has joined the BestCities Global Alliance,” said The Minister of Tourism of the State of Jalisco, Claudia Vanessa Pérez Lamas. “We know that we will learn from our partnership with 11 of the world’s outstanding meeting destinations, and as the only LATAM member of the Alliance, we will actively share with them our specialist knowledge, too. This Alliance fits in well with the State’s commitment to work hand in hand with the Guadalajara Convention and Visitors Bureau to host events of excellence.”
The epitome of Mexican culture, Guadalajara offers a world of culture to visiting delegates. Whether the romance of the Mariachi, the silky-smooth flavours of Tequila (a picturesque town blanketed in deep blue agave), or the primal poetry of Charreria, the land is rich with history and culture, sumptuous cuisine, and personality-filled hotels ranging from luxurious five-star resorts to heavenly haciendas. At the centre is Expo Guadalajara, the country’s biggest convention centre, boasting over 300,000 square feet of functional meeting space that can be customized to suit any flavour of the event. Best of all, Guadalajara is easy to reach, with Miguel Hidalgo y Costillo International Airport welcoming over 20 flights daily from dozens of locations in the U.S., and flights arriving hourly from Mexico City.
For more information about BestCities Global Alliance, visit www.bestcities.net.
