By Carola Rico
Photo by Alex Treviño.
The 46th Tianguis Turístico conference was held in Acapulco from May 22-25. San Miguel de Allende was awarded the Best Wedding Destination in Mexico by “México Desconocido,” a preeminent magazine in the tourism and travel industry. Experts in the field, as well as the general public, voted to grant this recognition to San Miguel de Allende. We asked local businessmen and service providers what this recognition means for the development of our heritage city.
Francisco Aguirre Dávalos, President of CANIRAC, SMA, pointed out that San Miguel is indeed an important wedding destination. He noted that over 600 weddings are held here annually, which requires the proper infrastructure, capacity, and professional wedding planners. He said that this award is important for other business sectors because weddings have collateral economic benefits for hotels, restaurants, transportation, infrastructure, event venues, furniture, flowers, musicians, and so on. A good deal of touristic activity is generated by the people who come to these events from outside SMA. He emphasized that this recognition speaks well of our city, and is reflected in the professionalism of this particular sector, as well as its infrastructure.
Pablo Téllez Pérez initiated the callejoneadas—the wedding processions through the streets of San Miguel. He feels that this award is a source of pride for all those who are dedicated to facilitating weddings. Having a wedding is an incredible benefit for SMA residents with businesses in the city. These events generate work for waiters, taxi drivers, and florists, creating an incredible chain. “As coordinator and organizer of events, I do my best so that they leave San Miguel with very good memories and a very good taste in their mouths,” Téllez added.
Dulce Perales Betancourt, President of CANACO SERVyTUR San Miguel said in an interview from Acapulco that she is happy about this recognition as the best wedding destination nationwide. She said that it is news that should be shared around the world. Perales highlighted that everything that San Miguel offers makes people want to get married here. There is cultural and culinary richness, and the city has won other very important awards for the warmth and hospitality that it offers. For her, this award is an important trigger for the city’s economy because of all the positive repercussions. When a wedding is held, you need security, banquets, hotels, restaurants, photographers. There is an entire industry behind it.
Juan Manuel Galicia Ramírez, Coordinator of the Association of Waiters and Bartenders of San Miguel, stressed, “We believe that this award may be important for the authorities, but for my sector it is not very relevant. For waiters and bartenders, we hope that some regulations will be put in place, because 70-80% of the workers at these weddings are personnel who come from outside SMA. They come from León, Querétaro, Celaya, Comonfort, and Mexico City. We have nothing against people who come from other places, but we do want regulation so that local people are hired first and really take advantage of the economic benefit. People who come in from the outside take their earnings back to their municipalities.”. He hopes that outside personnel will be regulated so that the economic benefit remains in the heritage city and with San Miguel residents.
Alex Treviño Films. The San Miguel-based company has been making professional videos for about 10 years. For Treviño, this award is fantastic. He added that his sector and its union are fortunate because they usually receive recognition through joint efforts between the government and individuals, leaving customers very satisfied. It is a professional sector with a lot of experience, and the influence of foreign clients has meant that weddings are not only local, but also international and with more impact. Treviño stressed that for his sector, these types of events are a great opportunity to show off the country and San Miguel. The best colors, the best songs, the best emotions and feelings. He explained that for this audiovisual guild, the job is to document these experiences. He commented, “We take care of providing a good memory and a testament of what they experienced without adding anything else.” He stressed that this award gives us the opportunity to continue working together.
José Benigno Torres Trujillo, President of the Business Coordinating Council of San Miguel. He congratulated all the businessmen and service providers that make these wedding events possible. Torres added that San Miguel is a world brand in weddings, and a benchmark for all those who want to get married and have a different experience. He added that the quality, warmth, and service SMA offers have distinguished and placed it among the best destinations in the world.
