Uncut and in Conversation with - Rocco Bova, GM of the Chablé Yucatán - Good News from Mexico

Surrounded by the concern, latest Covid restriction announcements, frustration and some expressed confusion currently circulating within the UK, and more specifically the Hospitality Industry, it was pleasure to receive some good news and positivity from the hotel industry in Mexico.

Today EP had the pleasure of talking with Rocco Bova, GM of Chablé Yucatán, who being originally from Italy is a passionate hotelier with an impressive career spanning over 20 years within the luxury hotel market.

As GM of a beautifully boutique resort surrounded by jungle, we were interested to find out how lockdown and the pandemic has impacted on the resort and much of Mexico over the past 6 months?

Up 60% over 2019 figures, thriving city centres, local tourism and already seeing return guests visiting since only opening in June was not what we expected to hear. This is especially true when one considers that roughly 50% of the tourism market is traditionally comprised of American and European visitors and where contactless payment and at table service is not an every day necessity.

Rocco has a refreshing outlook on the situation. He believes in being smart and obviously abiding by the simple hygiene and distancing rules but importantly, that Covid is something that we are simply going to have to live with, for the time being at least. His thinking is that we ultimately have the ability to see ourselves as in a tunnel and so, we will only ever see darkness or alternatively, we can choose to see ourselves in light and then we will see the opportunities and positivity in business, life and within our communities, which despite the current situation we find ourselves, actually exists all around us.