Be a sport • Chapter summary
Por Mexico,
Why was 2019 a successful year for Mundo Cuervo, and how have you continued this success in 2020?
While 2020 will be considered unprecedented in all senses, 2019 was the best year to date for Mundo Cuervo and a welcome continuation of progress for the destination. The main goal of Mundo Cuervo is to promote the destination of Tequila in a sustainable way and contribute to the quality of life of its residents, by supporting the economic, social, and environmental development of the region. In this sense, our greatest achievement of 2019 was to see the fruits of over 15 years of labor come to fruition. We achieved the highest number of visitors to date and were able to support our local residents with employment opportunities, cultural events, and city-wide festivals, all which acted together further the appreciation of the magical town of Tequila. In addition, Mundo Cuervo is contributing to certify Tequila as the first smart tourist destination in Mexico.
How many visitors did you receive in 2019, and how does this compare to previous years?
2019 was a banner year for Mundo Cuervo, with a total of 191,398 visitors from January to December, up 2.5% over 2018. Of the six experiences of Mundo Cuervo—including two hotels, the distillery, events center, cultural center, and the train—our most solid attractions continue to be the José Cuervo Express Train, which transports over 34,000 travelers each year, and the La Rojeña Distillery, which welcomed close to 140,000 visitors in 2019. One of the most exciting advances for the destination was the consolidation of La Hacienda el Centenario as the premier convention and events location for the region, which held events that gathered some 25,000 people in 2019. On top of this, in its first full year of operation, the Juan Beckmann Gallardo Cultural Center received over 9,000 visitors to its installations.
What strategies is Mundo Cuervo using to adapt to COVID-19?
Our main strategy is sustainability. We reacted to the ever-changing needs of the COVID-19 crisis by banding together closely with federal, state, and international authorities to ensure we move lockstep in response. To ensure the safety of our community and the residents of Tequila, we adopted all security and sanitization measures to reduce transmission of the virus—including closing down attractions for tourists and the hotels—and have supported the local community at every opportunity possible. Starting in March, and coinciding with the closure of our installations to the public, Mundo Cuervo also adopted a new communication strategy focused on the desire to continue to dream about travel. In our social media posts and online, Mundo Cuervo offers inspiration to and encourages travelers everywhere to continue to dream and lets them know we are working to welcome them back, as soon as that is possible. Finally, Mundo Cuervo is actively working with the authorities and other tourism entities to develop the best re-opening strategy possible. Following global and national mandates, Mundo Cuervo will fully reassess its operations protocols to ensure the safety of the community and its visitors. We will also take a careful look at the quality of our experiences and the level of safety we can offer our guests instead of focusing on the quantity and volume of visitors.
What main projects are you prioritizing for investment in the first part of 2020?
Instead of investing in new installations, in 1Q2020 Mundo Cuervo focused on the maintenance of the current offering. The fall in the number of visitors has allowed us to complete the scheduled reforms quickly and will allow us to reopen with a fully refreshed offering. While future investments will depend on how fast tourism recovers as an industry, we are preparing ourselves in everything that has to do with quality management, hygiene, and safety for the visitor. In addition, we reaffirm our full commitment to our community and Tequila and look forward to continuing to develop the destination as we move forward. ✖