Vol. 1, No. 175
TEE-OFF IN LATIN AMERICA’S TOP DESTINATIONS
Vol. 1, No. 177
DIRECTORY Visionary, Founder and
INDEX
Master Coach:
Pg.4-10
Los Cabos
Jose Manuel García, CDS jmgarcia@ividmc.travel President:
Pg.
Jose Manuel (Manolo) García manolo@ividmc.travel General Comptroller: Trinidad Sanchez tsanchez@ividmc.travel
Cuba
11
CIS, CMS, CCM
17-18
Pg. Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit
How Cuba is to become the Caribbean’s number one golf destination.
A hidden gem inside one of Mexico’s go-to coastal destination for golf.
Corporate Marketing Director: Raquel Mijares, CIS, DMCP rmijares@ividmc.travel Corporate Quality Director: Julia Ortiz jortiz@ividmc.travel Electronic Publishing: Alejandro Pech
12-15
Pg. Cancun & Riviera Maya
Pg.
Costa Rica
One of the world’s most popular beach destinations, not to mentinon a golfer’s paradise.
Pg.
apech@ividmc.travel
19-21
23-24
Panama
Content & Editing:
Find out about it’s newest course, named one of the best in Latin America.
Omar Delgadillo corp.news@ividmc.travel General Director of DQuest Media: Israel Urbina iurbina@dquest.media
Destination offices
Cover subject: Tee-off in Latin America’s Top Destinations.
Mexico:
Caribbean:
Central America:
IVI DMC² Los Cabos
IVI DMC² Cuba
IVI DMC² Costa Rica
Yazmin ELOSEGUI, DMCP
Alejandro DEBASA, CMS
Ligia VARGAS, CIS
Destination Managing Director
Regional Managing Director
Regional Managing Director
yelosegui@ividmc.travel
adebasa@ividmc.travel
lvargas@ividmc.travel
IVI DMC² Puerto Vallarta, Riviera
IVI DMC² Dominican Republic
Nayarit & Central Mexico,
Ramón RIJO, CIS
IVI DMC² Panama
Jaime NELO, CMS, DMCP
Regional Managing Director
David JOHNSON, CIS
Destination Managing Director
rrijo@ividmc.travel
Associate Regional Managing
jnelo@ividmc.travel
Follow us on:
Director djohnson@ividmc.travel
IVI DMC² Cancun & Riviera Maya Raquel MIJARES, CIS, DMCP Corporate Marketing Director rmijares@ividmc.travel
© Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved.
A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT. Dear reader, Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not utilize a standardized playing area, and coping with the varied terrains encountered on different courses is a key part of the game. The game involves one man teeing off on a 9-hole or perhaps an 18-hole competition. Although it may like a one-man sport, golf requires a skilled team that works strategically to make sure they all reach their goal. We at IVI DMC² do just that; we guarantee the leading quality thanks to our constant training and, internationally recognized certifications, and the countless hours served by our human resources and hard-working executives. This accomplishment and enthusiastic attitude are what upholds up our motto, in your business, “We make YOU look GREAT”!
Sincerely,
Jose Manuel (Manolo) GARCIA, CIS, CMS, CCM Presidente IVI DMC² Enterprises
Our Objective: Always aim for 100% overall customer satisfaction.
Our vision: Associates: Keep the ideal place to work, where our multicultural staff give their best, every day Customers: Offer an innovative high-quality service that exceeds expectations Partners: Consolidate our network of honest and successful partners Utilities: Maximize the return of investment to shareholders Planet: Inspire responsible resource management by means of our work
Our mission: Serve customers through our international certifications ISO 9001 and ADMC; ensuring 100% customer satisfaction of incentives, conventions, and special events; providing memorable experiences in each of the destinations in which we operate; maximizing the return of investment to shareholders.
Los Cabos
If you’re a golfer; you just gotta go
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TEE OFF FROM THE BEST VIEW IN LOS CABOS. Over the past 25 years, the infusion of world-class golf in and around Cabo’s 20mile coastal corridor has given avid players a very good reason to visit Mexico’s most vibrant destination.
The Best of the Best in Los Cabos! Situated at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, Los Cabos boasts an extraordinary mountain-desert-ocean environment where the game’s top designers have crafted some of the world’s finest courses. Only here do verdant fairways drop from cactusstudded foothills to golden beaches and the deep blue sea. Jack Nicklaus, the “Golden Amigo,” who first visited Cabo San Lucas in the mid-1960s to troll for trophy marlin, put Los Cabos on the international golf map with his designs at Palmilla in 1992 and the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol in 1994. He’s since returned to build four additional layouts, single-handedly catapulting Los Cabos into the golf vacation stratosphere. Los Cabos boasts a unique and privileged mountain-desert-ocean environment where golf’s top architects such as Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio, and Tiger Woods, have created some of the most alluring and challenging courses on earth, making Cabo the dominant golf destination in Latin America and undisputed golf capital of Mexico. Los Cabos is scorching. Not just the weather, which is certainly sunny and pleasant, but their golf scene is definitely a must escape for all golf enthusiasts.
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Cabo del Sol: A premier 36-hole resort, Cabo del Sol is anchored by a spacious Spanish Mission revival clubhouse with open-air verandas, landscaped terraces—and one of the best Sunday Brunch spreads in Los Cabos. New Visage GPS units in the golf carts provide accurate to-the-pin yardages daily, while course maintenance and beverage cart service on the club’s two layouts has been enhanced. Debuted in 1994 and the centerpiece of Cabo del Sol’s 1,800-acre resort community, the Ocean Course is a seaside masterpiece worth crossing a continent to play. Intent on producing the ‘Pebble Beach of the Baja,’ designer Jack Nicklaus, who described the site as “the best piece of golf property I’ve ever seen,” routed holes across gently sloping land creased by broad sandy arroyos and set below tall rugged mountains. From the tips at 7,111 yards, door-die shots must be played across inlets of the sea, though forward tees put most of the danger out of harm’s way for duffers.
Palmilla Golf Club: The first Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Latin America, Palmilla’s Mountain, and Arroyo nines set the stage for top-shelf golf in Los Cabos when the core 18 opened in 1992. Treated to a $3.5 refurbishment three years ago, the layout is better now than when it was new. The golf club is located five minutes from One&Only Palmilla, a legendary hideaway built in 1956 by the son of a former president of Mexico. This ultra-luxe beachfront property, a favorite of Hollywood A-listers, reigns as the grand dame of Cabo’s 5-star hotels.
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Club Campestre: Tucked in the rolling foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, 15 minutes from Los Cabos International Airport and just five minutes from downtown San Jose del Cabo, the Nicklaus Design golf course at Club Campestre is the centerpiece of a 550-acre master-planned community.
Cabo Real: The showpiece of a 2,800-acre resort and residential project with 3.2 miles of beachfront, Cabo Real Golf Club features a multi-themed, target-style course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. The recent reversal of the club’s nines has greatly enhanced the layout’s flow and drama. With breathtaking holes chiseled into desert foothills at the foot of rugged mountain peaks, Cabo Real’s longer back nine presents a great test of golf. Free-form bunkers and small, elevated greens combine with fairways that play along ridge tops, to provide an expansive feel. Country Club Golf course Ideal for players of all abilities, Cabo San Lucas Country Club’s unique blend of desert-style, shot-making challenges and stunning views is guaranteed to inspire enthusiasts to even the most discriminating golfer. Designed by Roy Dye, brother of Pete Dye, and completed by Roy’s son Matt Dye, a second generation golf course architect. Cabo San Lucas Country Club offers a variety of stunning views of the mountainous desert with groves of magnificent Palo Blanco trees and stately Cardon cacti that stand guard over the course’s expansive fairways.
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Puerto Los Cabos
Showcasing expansive panoramic views of the coastline and Sea of Cortez
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Tucked within a 2,000-acre master-planned resort community on the East Cape, a short 10-minute drive from the historic downtown area of San Jose del Cabo, Puerto Los Cabos is a 27-hole golf resort, featuring three distinct courses designed by two of the sport’s most legendary figures, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus.
The Norman Course, a 3,590-
The Nicklaus I Course, a 3,758-yard,
yard, par-36 signature design by
a par-36 signature design by Jack Ni-
Greg Norman, has over 400 feet
cklaus, features rippling fairways, un-
of elevation change. With its lar-
dulating greens, and sculpted bunkers.
ge, flashed-faced bunkers used to signpost the fairways and de-
The Nicklaus II Course, a 3,436-yard
fend the greens, the layout reveals
par-36 signature design by Jack Ni-
Norman’s fondness for Australia’s
cklaus, is the newest addition to the
classic Sandbelt courses.
Golf Club. Opened in April 2018, the new nine emulates the original Nicklaus I Course design style and has quickly become a favorite.
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Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit
A unique fusion of Mexican fishing village meets glitzy resort destination
You may consider Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit as a key Destination for golf, and IVI DMC² is here to assist. Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit is located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Its geographic location is enviable, and it is an ideal location for golf. Awesome, high-thrill courses glitter through the bay of Banderas and around. Marina Vallarta Golf Club and the double Course at Vista Vallarta Golf Club, on the Puerto Vallarta side, and the excellent courses at Vidanta, Nuevo Vallarta, Punta Mita, and Playa Mita, are a complete portfolio for the professional golfer and all the way down, and they put themselves to the test at masterpieces by Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Joe Finger, Tom Weiskopf, and more World renown designers. The excellency of this Double Destination is not left unseen by the World’s top golf Institutions: the 3rd IAGTO Mexico Golf Tourism Convention will take place in Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit from 28 October to 3 November. The event will be attended by the leading golf tour operators and travel agents from the USA and Canada, and from key European, Latin American and Asian markets. IVI DMC² Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit will be present at this top-shelf golf trade show. Page 11
Cancun & Riviera Maya
A tourist haven of white-sand beaches, scenic ruins and fun-filled cenotes
Traversing more than 80 miles along the Caribbean coast, Mexico’s Riviera Maya is more than just one of the world’s most popular beach destinations. It’s also a golfer’s paradise, boasting 15 courses between the high rises of Cancun and the eco-chic beach town of Tulum.
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The Mayakoba Golf Classic: With a purse of $7,200,000, the Mayakoba Golf Classic boasts the largest amount of prize money of any golf tournament in Latin America and is the only professional event in the Latin American region that offers to its champion, an invitation to the Masters. Since its inception in 2007, the Mayakoba Golf Classic has contributed more than $2.5 million dollars to a variety of charities and philanthropic causes, all as part of its effort to positively affect the communities of Quintana Roo, particularly Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Central to the PGA TOUR is the goal of giving back to the communities where its events are staged—a goal the Mayakoba Golf Classic shares. Through 12 years of history, the pioneering PGA TOUR event in Mexico has been committed to supporting charities and foundations on a local, national and international level.
More than Just Golf! Golf is Giving, Golf is Gourmet, Golf is Family.
El Camaleon Golf Club: The 18-hole par-72 El Camaleón golf course is Greg Norman’s first Mexican course design. Water comes into play throughout this championship course, with two holes designed around captivating seaside features. El Camaleón is aptly named for its diverse layout and ever-changing landscape, which bends through tropical jungles, dense mangroves and oceanfront stretches of sand with holes bordered by massive limestone canals. El Camaleón is the only course in the Riviera Maya featuring two holes just steps from the Caribbean Sea.
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Iberostar Cancun Golf Club: This Par 72 Golf Course in Cancun is a golfer’s paradise! The Iberostar Golf Club facing the beautiful Nichupte Lagoon has hosted devotees of the sport for years in Mexico’s Most Popular Resort Destination. This 18-hole full-service complex invites players to experience this remarkable facility.
Hard Rock Golf Club: Carved out of the dense Mayan Jungle, the Robert Von Hagge designed 18-hole championship golf course is surrounded by the lush foliage of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is only a few hundred yards away from the crystal-clear turquoise ocean, and the fine white sands of the Mexican Caribbean Sea.
Riviera Maya Golf Club: Riviera Golf Club is an incredible Golf course where the renowned designer Robert Trent Jones II has generated a dramatic synergy of golf 27 holes with magnificent Mayan jungle, natural lakes, and cenotes in rugged geography. Riviera Maya Golf Club has an 18-hole Championship Par 72 round plus an executive 9-hole Par 3 golf course. Playa Mujeres Golf Club: Surrounded by the ecological feat, with carefully crafted water holes, jungles, bunkers, and greens, utilizing a rearrangement of the site’s native plants, trees, and other indigenous foliage, Playa Mujeres has become, an international model in preserving the natural flora and wildlife. Several of the holes offer spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea and Isla Mujeres.
Cuba
On the brink of building 19 golf courses in Cuba. “Punta Colorada Golf & Marina�
According to studies conducted, 7.3 states confirm that Cuba is a suitable golf destination. This rating indicates whether a destination is suitable for playing and building golf courses. The qualification is based on several elements, such as the average rating of the golf clubs between this destination and the density above the average of the golf clubs.
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Golf plays a strong role in attracting tourists from all around the world. Cuba plans to continue growing its tourist activity and that’s why, in addition to the construction of new hotels along with the German firm Kempinski and the luxury cruise terminal in Havana, the sport that attracts many visitors, especially Americans, Canadians, and Europeans is the sport of Golf. Last September a tourism Megaproject initiated and it includes the creation of golf courses, as well as hotels under the “Punta Colorada Golf & Marina” brand as its main objective.
V
aradero Golf Club, the first 18 hole Golf Course in Cuba, was designed by architect Les Furber, President of the Canadian company Golf Design Services LTD (GDS). It covers a narrow 3.5 Km strip located between "Breezes SuperClubs ", LTI "Tuxpan", "Bella Costa", Meliá "Las Américas", "Golf & Suites Resort", "Meliá Varadero","Sol Club Palmeras", and "Sol Club Sirenas" hotels. Veradero Golf Course in Havana, Cuba.
C
urrently, Cuba has a single quality golf course, located Varadero, showcasing a 9-hole golf course in the city of Havana, known as Habana Golf Club, considered the eldest in Cuba, founded 55 years ago. Much has changed in Cuba but the caddies at the Havana Golf Club, a salty 9-hole course on the airport road, are still the best golfers in town.
Havana Golf Club.
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Costa Rica Volcanic peaks, hiking, biking or exciting golf courses; your only limit is your return date
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Reserva Conchal Golf Course: Located in the Brasilito/Playa Conchal area of Guanacaste. The Reserva Conchal Golf Club, part of the Westin Playa Conchal resort was the first Audubon-certified course in Costa Rica and is a great spot for your Guanacaste vacation. Reserva Conchal offers the Westin Playa Conchal and Conchal Condos as lodging options - each of which offer all-inclusive entertainment. Events on this golf course include the Papagayo Cup (January 25, 2019), Pura Vida Weekend (March 23, 2019), PreGuana Classic Skins Game(July 18, 2019), and the Independence Cup (September 14, 2019). Hacienda Pinilla Golf Course: This 7,300-yard, 72-par course was designed by Mike Young, who is responsible for some of the most renowned and challenging courses in the U.S. Located in Santa Cruz in Guanacaste, each hole at Hacienda Pinilla was created to take full advantage of the land’s natural contours and the features of the landscape. Four Seasons Golf Course: The Four Seasons Costa Rica golf course is a 6,788 yard Arnold Palmer championship course that sits in the Papagayo Peninsula just minutes from Liberia International Airport. More than half of the holes offer spectacular views of the ocean. Los Sueùos Golf Course: This course is located in the Herradura/Jaco area. Commonly named La Iguana. A Ted Robinson Jr course landscaped to include exotic native plants, banana trees and orchid s, more than 150 species of birds as well as monkeys and other wildlif. Events on this golf course include La Iguana Invitational (February 02, 2019) Spring Golf Rotary Cup(May 11, 2019) Thanksgiving Trip (November 22, 2019). Page 19
Cariari Country Club: Located between Alajuela and San Jose, in the trendy San Antonio de Belen area, Cariari Country Club is an important piece of Cuidad Cariari. A mature golf course and a local favorite for the last 30 years, this course will test your shot making abilities. Every hole is a test, especially the second hole where it is common to have a 180-200-yard approach shot to an elevated green with out of bounds on the right and multiple trees blocking your shot. Designed by George Fazio and constructed by his nephew Tom Fazio in the early 1970s, Cariari Country Club was the first 18-hole course to be built in Costa Rica making it the only championship layout in Central America for nearly twenty years.
Giving you the tools to create your next memorable event; We make YOU look GREAT!
Valle del Sol: Valle del Sol is located in the Santa Ana area of San Jose. It’s nearby to office parks like Forum and hotels like the Marriott Costa Rica, Intercontinental, Residence Inn Costa Rica and Indigo, this course was the first all public course in the San Jose area. The way Valle del Sol is set up makes it a great option for a fun guys outing or for the low handicapper. Most holes have a difference of 60 yards between the white tees and black tees and in the case of the 18th hole, the white tees par 5 is 498 yards and black tees measures 600+ yards. Events on this golf course include the Copa Valle del Sol: May 11, 2019. Page 20
Panama
P
anama is considered a small country with an abundance of beach and mountain golf courses including a new course widely regarded as the best in Latin America. With the opening of Santa Maria Golf Club & Buenaventura Golf Course, Panama has raised the bar for golfing in Latin America. These courses are on par with some of the best in the US. Renowned international architects who have also worked in the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Aruba, and Europe; the list includes Jack Nicklaus, Jeff Meyers, Randall Thompson, George Fazio, Perry Dye, Ron Garl, and Michael Poellot, have made their mark here. The warm climate and spectacular geography have been the root of its success. In fact, Panama has the only coastal courses in Central America, some of which have a high distinction for design, irrigation and drainage technologies, excellent services, infrastructures and the contrast between natural green and blue beaches.
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Notable Golf Courses & Golf Events Tournaments in Panama • Lexus Panama Classic • Panama Championship Panama Masters • Panama Open BMW Golf Cup International Golf Courses • Santa Maria Golf & Country Club (Jack Nicklaus • Buenaventura Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus) • Tucan Country Club & Resort (Jeffrey Myers) • Summit Golf Club (Jeffrey Myers) • Vista Mar Golf (Michael Poellot) • Club de Golf de Panama • Coronado Golf Club (George Fazio) Mantarraya Golf Club (Randall Thompson) • Mara’naa Golf Course Pearl Island (Jack Nicklaus) Coming Soon!
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Serving the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions industry since 1986. Find us in over 31 destinations throughout: • Mexico • Cuba • Dominican Republic • Costa Rica & • Panama
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CONTACT:
Dear reader! Thanks for reading Communiquest Incentive Travel Digest I hope you find in this newsletter a useful tool that will help you make decisions for your successful business. We would be delighted to know if there anything else you’d like to see or experience in this monthly newsletter. Your suggestions are more than welcome. We wish you the best in your endeavors and business adventures, and please, don’t forget, working with us “Will make you look great”.
IVI DMC² Corporate office: Ave. Acanceh #1-01, SM 15 Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mx Phone: +52 (998) 287-1700 Email:ivicorp@ividmc. travel
Sincerely,
For further information on the finest hotels, deals, activities, and group packages mentioned in this travel digest, please contact:
José-Manuel GARCÍA, CDS Visionary, Founder and Master Coach
Raquel MIJARES rmijares@ividmc.travel
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© Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Credo: We are those neatly attired people in the turquoise blue and white uniforms. Many people call us ‘’the Smurfs’’. We are knowledgeable, witty, fun to have around and beautiful or handsome (not necessarily in that order). We can run faster than Speedy Gonzalez, we can be in 2 or 3 different places at once, and are willing to do anything legally possible for our clients. You can find us popping up at airports, historical and archeological sites, deluxe resorts, charming hotels, golf courses, scenic beaches, and even at the best restaurants in town. We enjoy Smurf teamwork because it’s fun and having fun doing our jobs is our passion. We can do the impossible right away - miracles may take a little bit longer. Ever since 1986 we’ve been working passionately with the sole mission to Make YOU look GREAT!
CORPORATE OFFICE José Manuel (Manolo) GARCÍA, CIS, CMS, CCM President of IVI DMC² Enterprises manolo@ividmc.travel Av. Acanceh 1-01 Sm. 15 Cancún, Quintana Roo 77505 México Tel. +52 (998) 2871700
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