~ Russ & Naomi BlackAttending THETRADESHOW in Las Vegas this last weekend, as what we deemed ourselves to be “ambassadors” from Puerto Penasco, was a great experience! Russ and I spoke with travel professionals from many countries, and we came to the conclusion that Puerto Penasco is to many an unknown - or at least and unfamiliar - travel destination. In fact, even the map of Mexico hanging in the Mexico Tourism Booth did not include Puerto Penasco!
So, with our photo albums in hand, we made many introductions to our favorite beach town. And we found that this fishing port turned tourist destination is intriguing to many people. Travel agents as far away as India showed an interest in adding Puerto Penasco to their itinerary. One lady books Poker Cruises and was interested in what types of boats would be available to her. Many were particularly interested in fishing and scuba. And the eco-tour concept with nature related activities, such as CEDO’s NaturArte tours seems to be on the top of everyone’s mind!
Some attendees’ first opinion was that Puerto Penasco is “too difficult to get to” and many mistakenly believed that there are no rental car companies that will allow vehicles into Mexico or that there are no other transport options available. We explained that at least five rental car companies at Sky Harbor International Airport have international car rental available, along with the option of our local Head Out to Rocky Point shuttle service. Turning again to our photo albums, we pointed out that for the first-time visitor to the southwest, even the drive to Penasco includes some sightseeing points of interest.
In addition, Russ had the opportunity to discuss bus tours with a major bus company that is looking to add Puerto Penasco to their expanding list of places to visit. We will be following up with this company along with dozens of travel professionals. We will continue to work with them to schedule their Introduction Trip to Discover Penasco! We will be organizing specific tours for some companies and we will definitely be contacting many local businesses as these trips begin to take shape.
We are convinced that attending THETRADESHOW opened some new tourism doors for Puerto Penasco! We will not forget what ‘Happened in Vegas!’ Puerto Penasco will see newcomers as a result of being a part of THETRADESHOW in Las Vegas in September of 2009! Stay tuned!
