GrinGO App and COFETUR sign a joint Marketing Collaboration MOU for the re-activation and rapid recovery of Border Region Tourism

GrinGO App and La Comisión de Fomento al Turismo (COFETUR) del Estado de Sonora signed an MOU to cooperate on joint marketing and promotion initiatives during the re-activation of Mexico tourism and to support U.S. tourists in the Sonora region with travel safety resources, advisories, and information. This year the tourism industry worldwide experienced a complete shutdown due to the COVID pandemic, shutting down cross-border travel between the US and Mexico, and restricting travel to essential and trade only. With 45 million international visits in 2019, just over 33 million and 2 million visitors came from the US and Canada, respectively. The Mexican economy thrives on tourism, representing approximately 16% of its GDP. The COVID pandemic has crippled the country toward a deeper recession and many cities into a depression where tourism in border destinations such as Puerto Peñasco can represent up to 85% of their local economy and employment. As travel restrictions began to ease, limited international flight routes were re-established. It was predicted that Southbound tourists would prefer to travel to regional destinations, preferably by vehicle, or air travel to destinations they were already comfortable with and familiar with, such as the popular Los Cabos and Cancun.

“The MOU is a testament to the power of our mobile platform and border digital technologies ready to assist the State in its tourism re-activation and recovery,” says Brian Krupski, Founder/CEO of the GrinGO app. “Whether COVID, or the H1N1 and Swine Flu in the recent past, it’s important more than ever to reach tourists with facts and real-time information through official communication channels over 2nd hand information randomly posted in a Facebook forum chat group,” says Krupski. GrinGO will begin to deploy its border digital technologies for the coming 2021 tourism season on communication to US visitors visiting SONORA on both Travel and Health Advisories, with latest COVID biosecurity protocols.

Dr. Luis Nunez, Coordinator General of COFETUR agrees that “Today we live in an era of digitalization within the tourism industry and it is essential to embrace mobile platforms, new marketing channels, and other digital technologies to reach today’s traveler. Partnering with GrinGO will add an innovative approach to our existing strategies focused on increasing tourist spend and visits to the great State of Sonora from our neighbors to the North.”
With a second wave of the COVID Pandemic currently casting another shadow of uncertainty in the tourism industry, the expected April release of a Vaccine brings hope to a full tourism recovery in Mexico by 2023. What is certain, through guidelines by the World Travel & Tourism Council, countries are better prepared this time around to help tourists minimize risk and enhance their experience abroad by adopting health and hygiene global standardized protocols as the “New Normal” – so consumers can experience ‘Safe Travels’.