Volume 2, No. 20. October 25, 2002
Political
considerations
The waterpark industry
not only is booming in the country of Mexico, it has attained a level of public
awareness—i.e. political clout—it has never known before. With that
the industry is poised to achieve even more growth in numbers and stature over
the next year.
At
the heart of this newfound standing is AMPABA, the Asociación Mexicana
de Parques Acuáticos y Balnearios. At its latest annual conference September
24-27 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, AMPABA attracted 400 attendees and saw its
membership jump from 90 to 120. “That’s a fourth more,” noted
Elena Hannan, an international public relations consultant who works with AMPABA.
“That’s a lot for us.”
In Mexico, however, it's not how many you know but who you know. After a previous
association sputtered in the early 1990s, Margarita G. Saravia, owner of Las
Estacas natural water spring in Morelos, founded AMPABA five years ago. She
served as the association’s first president for three years before being
named the secretary of tourism for the state of Morelos.
She was succeeded at AMPABA by German Ireta who owns Reino de Atzimba waterpark
in Michoacan. He came to the association post after serving as secretary of
tourism for Michoacan, and prior to that he was the mayor of Michoacan’s
state capital, Morelia. “He had the political background in addition to
being a waterpark owner,” Hannan said. “He could give the right push
needed by the association to open more doors for government assistance and recognition.”
That has manifested in dignitaries attending the association’s annual meetings.
Last year, the governor of Hidalgo attended the convention’s inaugural
event, representing formal recognition from a state government. This year, with
the closing banquet coinciding with International Tourism Day September 27,
the association attracted Mexico’s minister of tourism, Leticia Navarro.
“This is cabinet level,” Hannan said, “and with her was the whole
hierarchy of important government members at all levels: federal, state and
municipal. You should have seen the range of politicians there.”
For once, AMPABA was getting the kind of political recognition larger tourism
industries, like the hotel and motel association, get. With that recognition
came press coverage. And with that came new interest from other waterparks around
the state. Next year’s meeting, headed for the state of Puebla (the dates
have not been set), will for the first time include parks in Mexico’s southeastern
states, Hannan said. Other changes are afoot, like a change of name to incorporate
all water recreation facilities.
Hannan said the industry in Mexico grew over the past year, even in the aftermath
of 9/11 which hurt Mexico’s resort businesses. Mexico still saw plenty
of driving tourism from north of the border, and many of those tourists visited
water attractions. Meanwhile, Mexicans stayed close to home and hit waterparks
in increased numbers. “It’s the best business they could be in (now)
and they are getting an influx of visitors,” Hannan said of waterparks.
“And they are investing in better equipment and improving their facilities,
making things more modern with clean, fancy dressing rooms and spas.” These
improved amenities appeal to the upper socio-economic population in class-conscience
Mexico, and that in turn has pumped new life into waterpark visitation.
It’s a cycle, one AMPABA looks to ride to even greater influence in the
coming year.
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