Campeche, Mexico

• Client: SAVE Travel Alliance
• Partners: SAVE Travel Alliance team and Fundación Avanza
• Project Duration: July 2015 – May 2016

Project Overview

The region of Campeche, Mexico is a culturally rich and ecologically diverse destination on the Yucatan Peninsula. Campeche’s status as a World Heritage Site holder, its Mayan heritage, its proximity to hundreds of species of birds, the entrepreneurial drive of rural communities, and the many opportunities for volunteering there attract tourists from each sector of the “SAVE” market—including Scientific, Academic, Volunteer and Educational travelers.

From July 2015 through May 2016, the SAVE Travel Alliance and local Campeche SAVE Center team, supported by Fundacion Avanza and the project’s stakeholders rolled out a Campeche SAVE Center Marketing Pilot Project to identify the part of the state’s premier SAVE products and connect them with sending organizations from the US and Canada. These municipalities included San Francisco de Campeche, Calakmul, Calkini, Hopelchen and Hecelchakan. Project activities included an assessment of products and experiences in these regions, the development and distribution of Campeche-specific SAVE collateral, the development of an SEO-forward website and identification of and outreach to potential Campeche SAVE partners from abroad. The project concluded with a 7-day Discovery Trip in April 2016, where the Campeche SAVE Center and Fundacion Avanza hosted potential partners for SAVE products and receiving organizations in Campeche.

In executing these activities, it became evident that implementing the SAVE Center has allowed for communities outside of the tourism value chain to be drawn in and benefit. With more awareness and more visits by sending organizations to communities, this effect will grow with the development of long-term, sustainable SAVE partnerships. Assisting communities is the primary goal of the SAVE Center, and is supported by our stakeholders, implementing partners and receiving organizations, as well as public institutions such as the Campeche chapter of SECTUR.

Major Activities

• Assessment and project strategy
• Outreach and SAVE product identification
• Development of a marketing plan and website
• Campeche SAVE Center Kick-off
• A 7-day discovery trip to introduce tour operators to SAVE products within Campeche
• Ongoing outreach and new product development

Results

• Identified and cataloged 30 SAVE tourism products within Campeche for inclusion on the SAVE website: http://www.save-travel.org/destinations/campeche-mexico/
• Increased awareness of the viability of Campeche’s SAVE travel products in worldwide consumer markets through educating 166 SAVE sending organizations on Campeche
• Identified a criteria for developing future SAVE products in Campeche that will continue to attract visitors
• Built Campeche’s capacity to sustain SAVE projects over the long-term through targeting training of 7 communities