From the Publisher's Desk January 2004

From the Publisher's Desk

The Pacific Pearl always invites comments from our readers. Your ideas, perspectives and insights enrich our community. This month in From the Publisher´s Desk we are publishing a letter received from an American reader with 25 years of tourism industry experience, and a 25 year veteran of visiting Mazatlán. Her suggestions for improving our tourist trade are on the mark.

"Dear Sir:

Cooperation for Tourism

I would like to applaud the letter from Mike in the November issue (From the Publisher´s Desk) of the Pacific Pearl. He extends an invitation for the Mazatlán government tourism officials to work in concert with the great majority of businesses (both Mexican and American operated) who wish to provide a more proactive campaign to draw tourists to Mazatlán and to provide those tourists with a welcoming atmosphere encouraging them to return.

As a 25 year veteran of the tourism industry in the United States and also being a 25 year veteran of travel to Mazatlán, I know the frustration of trying to promote Mazatlán as a travel destination while competing with the marketing strategies of places such as Cancún and Cabo. Mazatlán´s image is viewed as a dirty, poverty ridden city that is old and has little to offer, similar to what Acapulco experienced about 15 years ago. Acapulco changed their image by marketing strategies and also by working with the US tourism industry to revamp their image. Mazatlán must do the same or face the continual decline of tourism in the city. There are a lot of people in the city with great ideas to motivate tourism in Mazatlán, but little has been done to coordinate the ideas and produce an effective marketing campaign that would change the image to a place that can be marketed as a family destination, one promoting both historical and ecological tourism. Mazatlán has the colonial city background along with ecological possibility that are unique and that should be promoted.

I would suggest that a panel be formed that would include Mexican-Mazatlán tourism representatives, US-Canadian tourism industry representatives, along with business owners of Mazatlán, both foreign and nationally owned. This panel should study the best way to promote tourism to find Mazatlán´s niche market and to coordinate ideas to make it happen.

I agree that the Pacific Pearl has been the single most effective tourism tool in the last 12 years — providing tourists with the information they need. Thank you, Mike, for being there to provide this information and for continuing to support the efforts to promote tourism.

Judy Kudrle

Mankato, Minnesota"