The Latest News From the 2024 Los Cabos VIP Summit

Los Cabos, Mexico, continues to be among the top destinations for clients seeking a luxury vacation experience. But there’s still work to do, according to Rodrigo Esponda, CEO of Los Cabos Tourism.

We spoke with Esponda on the opening day of the 18th annual Los Cabos VIP Summit, which took place this year between Nov. 18-20 at Hacienda del Mar Los Cabos, Autograph Collection. Attendees also participated in a welcome beach party at Sur Beach House by Bahia Cabo, a formal gala at Quivira Golf Club, and a festive closing party at Acre, which was recently awarded a Michelin green star (one of only six green stars in Mexico).

During the three-day event, suppliers and travel advisors connected through structured one-on-one appointments and social settings designed to create what Esponda describes as "a meaningful connection…that is providing value to the destination."

Here, he shares more about the event, along with destination news and goals for Los Cabos in 2025 and beyond.

What is the goal of the VIP Summit?

The VIP Summit is a unique event — at least in Mexico — because it's not a tourism expo. We bring key people, influential people, [that represent both] the supply and the demand. We invite curated companies in a specific niche market to come and have direct contact with the suppliers in the destination — not only hotels.

We devote a lot of time to having experiences and specialty companies, and then we've been developing people from the rural areas in order to offer unique experiences. So, the summit is attended by 350 people from 14 countries and 110 companies; 55 who are the primary drivers of the business, and 45 who are developing companies that might not be generating a lot of travel, but they have the potential.

We have large wholesalers here, but there are also some companies from the U.S. that are niche, [focusing] on luxury or gastronomy or golf, and [they don’t sell] a huge volume. But [they come here, over] any other event. It's still a very important contribution, what they do for this destination.

Why should travelers choose Los Cabos over other destinations?

Los Cabos has three things that you will not find anywhere else. One is the quality of the product that we have. We have the best quality in the experiences, hotels, gastronomy and service over anywhere else in the Caribbean and Latin America, and we put a lot of focus on quality versus quantity. This is not a destination that is trying to have big masses, where the hotels are looking to have 100% occupancy. The hotels prefer to have 70% occupancy with a good quality service, rather than going to 100. You don't see that in any other destination. So that's unique.

This is not a destination that is trying to have big masses, where the hotels are looking to have 100% occupancy.

The second is the variety of experiences. You can go one day to the desert, driving in a 4x4, seeing cacti, and have all the experiences in the desert. The second day, you go out to sail and see whales jumping out of the water. And then, on the third day, you go to the mountain that goes all the way up, 7,000 feet high. You do bird watching in the middle of a forest with some endemic birds. And then we also have lagoons in the mountain (that's why it's called “Sierra la Laguna”), and there are ponds you can jump into.

That variety of experiences [is something] you cannot find in any of the Caribbean [islands] or other destinations. They will be concentrated on the beach and then maybe an amusement park. For us, “a park” is seeing whales, lions, turtles and dolphins.

Which travel markets are Los Cabos looking to expand in?

California is 33% of the market, but it's been getting much more broad —California used to be 40% — because we've been expanding in the United States. When I started [with the Los Cabos Tourism Board] eight years ago, it was very focused on the West Coast of the U.S., so we've been making a very cohesive effort to expand into the Northeast. We didn’t used to have a nonstop [flight] from New York, and now we have [nonstop flights] on a daily basis. And in the winter season, we have three or four daily flights from JFK Airport. New York used to be nothing, and now, 4% of all our travelers come from New York. That's very important, because we cannot keep relying on California.

RELATED: How Los Cabos Grew By 1 Million Visitors While Demanding the Highest ADRs in Mexico

We also used to have only 20 cities in the United States with nonstop flights, and now we have 31. But there are a couple of pockets that we still need to work on: Boston, where we don't have a nonstop, but it's in the top 20 origins in the U.S. (the only one without a nonstop); Philadelphia, which has also been growing; and then Miami.

When I started [with the Los Cabos Tourism Board] eight years ago, it was very focused on the West Coast of the U.S., so we've been making a very cohesive effort to expand into the Northeast.

From a luxury perspective, what attracts affluent travelers to Los Cabos?

It's an aspirational destination with a lot of variety, and it’s very safe. We have 10,000 people arriving every month on private planes, double the number post-pandemic and 20% more than last year.

We have 15 or 20 luxury brands here, and that would be difficult to find anywhere else in the world. We also have 18 golf courses — and three more are already in construction. We had the only PGA tournament in Mexico here, And they are connected to the real estate, so when [a luxury resort] comes, they bring a golf course.

Why does Los Cabos appeal to travelers who are concerned about sustainability?

The destination has been well-taken care of since the beginning. When Ernesto [Coppel, the summit’s keynote speaker and television personality] came 30 years ago, along with other investors, they decided it would be a destination that they would not allow to be overbuilt.

And then they decided there would be no billboards on the highway, and anywhere. That's because the private sector agreed that there would not be any billboards, and then they went to the authorities, and it was imposed as a law. So, no other municipality in Mexico says no billboards are allowed by law. Now, it's seen as a sustainability, but it was a long-term vision at that time because of a long tradition of a destination that we need to care about. So, we have a very strong basis for sustainability.

There are also many initiatives to ensure that, for example, the Sea of Cortez, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is maintained, and that there is no [ship] port. A big effort was made to build a port, because then more cruises would come, but they said no because this is a national park, and we need to protect it.

We brought many companies [to the summit] that offer eco-tourism activities, small marine safaris and small expeditions in the mountains; things companies would find interesting and unique and that they can't find in other places.