Alternative Sports an Innovative Path to Tourism

Mexico is among the most visited countries in the world and its tourism industry is economically strategic, accounting for 8.7 percent of national GDP, according to the OECD. To maintain this growth pace, the industry needs to diversify to continue competing with other major tourism powers such as France, the US and Spain, says Ernesto Rivas, Co-Founder and Director General of Altius Events, a company that promotes Mexico through the organization of innovative sports events and marketing strategies.

“Altius Events was founded 17 years ago with the purpose of marketing the country in a different way,” says Rivas. “The idea is to demonstrate how alternative sporting events and innovative forms of entertainment can improve the country’s image abroad. We work with the best athletes in the world and everything we organize is designed to popularize Mexico.”

Altius Events, a 100 percent Mexican company, puts worldrenowned athletes in attractive natural and urban spaces to create sporting challenges that make a difference, says Rivas. According to the Ministry of Tourism, sports tourism has become a catalyst to position Mexico abroad. In addition, it has also had a significant economic impact in cities and states that host events.

Former President Peña Nieto’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2013-2018 focused on economic development through strategic areas that included tourism. The plan emphasized the possibility of creating better economic opportunities, jobs and market diversification through tourism along with the preservation of natural resources and the promotion of Mexico’s cultural wealth. Altius Events saw an opportunity to work in close collaboration with the government to organize world-class events in places that have traditionally been left out of the mainstream tourism circuit. These events are reported to the general public using social networks and the latest video technologies. “We try to bring together the best elements from everything we are. Altius Events’ commitment is to create quality content to maintain our excellent position at a national and international level,” Rivas says.

Altius Event is recognized for organizing events with high media impact and for working with large organizations, such as Televisa, ESPN, Discovery Channel and TV Azteca, to guarantee customers a greater return on their investment. “One of the best events we organized took place in Puebla, where we combined a concert by the band Café Tacuba and a book-style motocross competition. This type of mixture helps to reactivate tourism and creates opportunities in places that need it,” says Rivas.

The 2018 Tourism Highlights Edition published by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) puts France as the most visited country in the world with 86.9 million arrivals, followed by Spain with 81.8 million, the US with 76.9 million and China with 60.7 million. Mexico ranks sixth with 39.3 million visitors.

The sports and entertainment industry in Mexico is small compared to other countries but Rivas believes Altius Events has revolutionized the way sports and entertainment are synchronized. “The work of Altius Events is not limited to organizing world-class events; we also focus on promoting Mexican athletes and having them compete at an international level. We believe this is the best way to promote Mexico’s image inside and outside the country,” he says.

Mexico has a unique tourism potential, since the country is perfectly positioned in different types of destinations: sun and beach, cultural tourism, ecotourism and adventure, health tourism and cruises, among other segments. Although the international expansion of Altius Events is a possibility, the company wants to keep Mexico as its central objective. “All Altius events were created to publicize Mexico and we want to continue doing it in our own style,” says Rivas.