More than a decade ago, Iván Chávez didn’t take “no” for an answer. The entrepreneur was convinced that Grupo Vidanta could boast a show on the scale of Cirque du Soleil, a project that for many seemed unimaginable for a tourist destination in Mexico.
“I sent an email every day [to Cirque du Soleil] when I started working at Vidanta until someone answered me, and then I called every day and insisted until, finally, they gave us a meeting […] We never took “no” for an answer; we pushed and pushed. The ideas that came out of my father’s [Daniel Chávez Morán] mind are incredible,” says Iván Chávez, executive vice president of Grupo Vidanta, in an interview with Forbes Mexico.
This is how Iván established an alliance with Cirque Du Soleil to have a permanent show at his tourist facilities in the Riviera Maya under the “JOYÀ” label. A chapter that for many at the time seemed like an almost impossible adventure in the history of a business group eager to grow.
Half a century after its creation, Grupo Vidanta is being reborn, says Iván Chávez, the group’s executive vice president. The years that have passed seem to be just the first breaths of life for this tourism project conceived by Daniel Chávez Morán.
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Grupo Vidanta is a comprehensive developer of tourism services, specializing in the construction and operation of luxury vacation destinations, resort hotel brands, real estate, golf courses, beach clubs, mega yachts, theme parks, innovative experiences, and entertainment centers in Mexico.
“We feel as if we’ve suddenly been teleported from the world we knew to another planet so we can start from scratch, but with much more experience, with much higher quality, with a clearer goal, with a focus on what we want to do, and that excites us enormously, because we feel that what’s just beginning is what’s truly interesting,” says Iván Chávez.
Today, the company is implementing new technologies and adding new partners that allow it to strengthen its offering and consider new group projects.
“We are optimistic; we are excited about the future. We believe Mexico has incredible potential. We believe that pessimists gain fame, but optimists do very well in our country,” he says.
The company had the option of investing only a fraction of what it has invested in recent years, but they decided to up their game. “We didn’t choose any shortcut, easy, or cheap path. We chose the right one. That’s why Vidanta World is starting today,” he says.
A lover of the world
In 1974, Grupo Vidanta was born as a business project that includes resorts, vacation destinations, luxury hotels, golf courses, real estate investments, tourism infrastructure, maritime travel, and entertainment.
It all began when a group of entrepreneurs opened a small hotel in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, called Paraíso Mazatlán.
Iván was born on July 16, 1985, in Guadalajara, Jalisco. He graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2007, with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. In 2007, he joined the company founded by his father.
Iván Chávez defines himself as a lover of the world, who remains enchanted by the nature that surrounds him. “I love entertaining people, I love seeing people happy,” says the son of the founder of Grupo Vidanta.
“You know what I like most? That what we’re seeing is the beginning […] and this is just getting started. I mean, I think right now we’re entering the most interesting moment of the alliance, because what we’re going to do together with the show and other things we’re planning will help us achieve what we once thought was just a dream.”
This decade, the group acknowledges that it has gained experience, as it has learned to work with its commercial partners, who now form a single team at Vidanta.
The formula that has allowed it to combine the best of Cirque du Soleil and Vidanta is that the experience doesn’t begin in the theater of tourism development in southeastern Mexico, but from the moment they arrive at the hotel in the jungle. “Everything is an experience,” says Iván, who assures that people don’t realize the amount invested in a ticket for this show, as it goes beyond the entertainment of an hour and a half.
This project will be replicated at Vidanta’s facilities in Nuevo Vallarta, but with more artists and natural settings.
“I can’t say much, but there will be many artists, there will be entertainment, and everything within what I call the most spectacular natural amphitheater in the world. You’re surrounded by nature, with incredible lake shows. People will be able to go to the show, have dinner there, and after the show, they will also be able to continue interacting with Cirque du Soleil and Vidanta. And that makes it very special,” he explains.
Nuevo Vallarta is a sprawling resort that covers more than 1,000 hectares. Here, tourists can visit the world’s most luxurious theme park.
The entertainment projects have shown this tourism company that it can’t just continue competing with destinations that offer a beach and a pool at their hotel; the aspiration is to rival the world’s great tourist attractions.
The business group has the vision of growing alongside the destinations where it operates, and to do so, it must compete internationally. Therefore, they seek to ensure that the experiences they offer are more attractive than the best destinations in the United States and Europe.
“We are focusing on developing projects for the destinations and not just for Vidanta,” explains the entrepreneur, who believes that regions like the Riviera Maya are just beginning to realize their full tourism potential.
The company is present in Nuevo Nayarit-Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Acapulco, Puerto Peñasco, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and the East Cape. Its portfolio of world-class brands and experiences includes resort hotels such as The Estates, the AAA Five-Diamond Grand Luxxe, Kingdom of the Sun, The Grand Bliss, The Grand Mayan, Celebrate Park, The Bliss, Mayan Palace, Sea Garden, among others; and the SkyDream Parks Gondola, the world’s first cable car in a beach resort.
“We are 100% focused on family tourism,” he says.
The company is present in Los Cabos, Baja California, and is making a “considerable” investment in its East Cape brand. Puerto Peñasco, in northwestern Sonora, has also shown enormous potential due to its proximity to the United States.
New Projects
Last November, the company presented to a group of guests a nearly 500-foot-long vessel called Vidanta World Elegant, which features 149 luxury suites, restaurants, pools, and other onboard amenities. It’s a project that will try to win over European tourists this year.
For Iván, this project represents the opportunity to bring Vidanta to people outside of Mexico, who may not have even considered visiting a domestic destination. “We love that, and for now, we’re focused on that and continuing to grow in the destinations where we operate, and then we’ll see.”
The businessman doesn’t deny that the company has considered expanding to other destinations outside of Mexico, for example, in the Caribbean, but they never demonstrate the efficiencies shown in other regions of the country.
“I believe that the environment and the relationship between Mexico and the United States will simply improve,” he says.
Today, Iván Chávez is thrilled by what the relationship with Cirque du Soleil and Vidanta has represented and knows that a decade of this project has only been like the blink of an eye in a story that’s just beginning. “We have to offer much more, but also from a legacy perspective, so that there is a company that lasts generation after generation. We have to offer much more, and we believe that this is family entertainment, as long as it’s combined with luxury and Mexico’s unique natural environment; that’s what can make it very special.”
Source: forbes
