83 Confetur Coventioneers visit Merida, Izamal, and Celestun

From May 21 to 24, Mérida was the headquarters for the National Convention of Confetur: Convivencia Femenina Turística. With chapters in México DF, Guadalajara, Chihuahua, Veracruz and Mérida, the members of Confetur are women owners or employees of tourism-related businesses, mostly travel agencies. Other members work in airlines, shipping companies, transportation companies, hotels, and tourism press. In each chapter the members work together, supporting each other in their businesses with information, sales, and knowledge. They also support each other by giving business to the members of the other chapters.

Each year the association has two conventions: one national and one international. As the saying goes, love arrives through the eyes. That's what happens at the conventions. The members visit the destination and get to know it well, visiting hotels, eating in restaurants, shopping and seeing the sights. Armed with this information, they return to their home cities and are better able to sell the destination to their clients: they can sell it with passion, for they have experienced it first hand.

The itinerary that the Mérida members prepared for their colleagues and friends, the members from México, Chihuahua, Veracruz and Guadalajara, included the stay in the headquarters hotel, Hotel El Castellano in the Centro Histórico, visits to the Macay Museum, the guided walking tour of the Plaza Principal of Mérida, free time for shopping and sightseeing, dinner at Hacienda Anicabal, and the traditional serenade at Santa Lucía on the Thursday night, where  they named distinguished visitors.

After getting to know the Centro Histórico of Mérida, the next day, Friday the 22^nd of May, they departed for the Magical Town of Izamal, where they saw the Convent of San Vicente de Padúa and the enormous pyramids in the center of town, they went sightseeing in a horse-drawn carriage, saw the spectacular Light and Sound show, went shopping in the Artisan market at the Plaza, and dined on exquisite Yucatecan cuisine at the Restaurante del Hotel Rinconada del Convento.

Saturday, May 23, the travelers went to Celestún to see the natural beauty and hotels and restaurants located there. They visited the Hotel Eco-Paraíso Xixim, the Hotel Los Manglares, and the restaurant La Palapa, followed by a boat tour to see the ría and the flamingos. Afterwards, they had free time in which to enjoy the beaches and shop for crafts and souvenirs. The Confetur women are famous for their shopping, which means Mérida, Izamal, and Celestún were thrilled with the economic benefit provided by the conventioneers.

Sponsors for the convention included: La Secretaria de Fomento Turístico of the state of Yucatán, through the Depto. de  Congresos y Convenciones, the H. Ayuntamiento de Mérida through the Depto. de Desarrollo Económico y Turístico, Transportadora Carnavalito, Patricia Viajes,  Yucatan Today, Tecnología Turística Total, Hotel El Castellano, Hotel Eco-Paraíso Xixim, Hotel Los Manglares, Hotel Rinconada del Convento, Restaurante La Palapa, Asociación de Hoteles de Cancún y la Riviera Maya, and the Secretaría de Turismo de San Francisco de Campeche.