Jewel of acapulco: annual trade show reflects strength of storied port, continuing vitality of nation's tourism sector.

The Tianguis Turistico is the nation's most important travel trade show, bringing together tour operators, wholesalers, corporate and incentive travel planners, charter operators, associations and more than 2,000 travel agents, as well as global press.

Tianguis, Latin America's largest such show, is held in Acapulco, one of the most famous Mexican resorts. Even first-time visitors can sense the trade fair wouldn't be the same if it took place somewhere else--despite tempting bids from other cleaner, inane and far less lusty destinations.

It takes place just after Easter, when the nation's peak tourism period has ended and is an opportunity to evaluate successes, difficulties and trends in the world of tourism and plan the agenda for the next season.

This year the tone of the late April event sponsored by Telmex was optimistic. It was attended by 15 state governors and representatives from 27 countries; among these a contingent of 30 Asian companies from Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as representatives from Australia, Poland and Russia.

Last spring, war in Iraq dampened the world travel industry, yet tourism did grow in Mexico from 2003 to 2004. Mexico ranks seventh as a world tourism destination, Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo claimed in a speech in which he was flanked by attractive promotional models known as edecanes.

"Mexico is a lot more than sun and beach," he said, repeating the government's mantra. He added the government has not forgotten the value of heavily visited tourist spots along the border, like Tijuana, and that federal officials would meet with governors from northern border states later this year.

The Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) will be assessing the success of this year's Tianguis in coming weeks through various studies, but the number of deals made--crafted through some 15,000 business appointments (in which tourism executives and personnel from around the world met and discussed projects)--suggest the event was a success from a networking standpoint.

BUSINESS AND PLEASURE

Tianguis follows a regular formula: The four-day extravaganza always starts with an open air "gastronomy festival" on a Sunday evening. Business starts Monday morning and seminars take place throughout the event, though the most important ones usually happen on Monday afternoon and Tuesday and often include panels featuring federal and state government tourism officials.

This year, promotional strategies focused on attracting more tourists to Mexico's colonial towns and how to entice more South American visitors and Mexican-Americans tourists who may be visiting Mexico for the first time, were among the top topics.

The second night, after a day of frenzied networking, is when sellers woo customers with parties. The Hotel Sol Melia party is commonly considered to be the most sumptuous. This year, Quinta Real together with the magazine Travesias stole everyone else's thunder with a chic pool party whose piece de resistance was a bed-and-palapa lounge on the Revolcadero beach.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tianguis cannot be evaluated in strict financial terms, Tourism Secretary Elizondo noted in his welcome speech, but rather it is a tool for promotion that yields long-term results. The presence in Acapulco of everyone who is anyone in tourism every spring demonstrates this. And it's not cheap fun, the heady whiff of decadence or even unimaginative "tradition" that weds Tianguis to this world-famous coastal city. What gives the brew its kick is the savvy of the town and of the event.

Acapulco has repeatedly had to recreate itself, with endless burnouts, nips and tucks. Each time, it resurfaces with its heart intact and a new coat of glitter to entice whole new generations. Tourism in modern Mexico has to do just the same and is doing it fairly well.

Barabara Kastelein covers tourism for Fodor's Travel Publications and also writes for The Scotsman of Edinburgh.