Jose Manuel is a self-made man, working his way up from his first job as a dry cleaning valet and then a bellman at the Acapulco Hilton Hotel. From that humble beginning in 1971, four years later he became groups and conventions manager at the Canadian Pacific Hotel. At age 25 he was appointed Mexico’s youngest ever director of sales with Continental Hotels. Garcia later served as regional sales and marketing director for Fiesta Americana, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels. In 1984 he was named to head up the sales and marketing team for the Hyatt Regency Cancun, and held that position until leaving to start his own company.
In November 1, 1986, together with his friends Dolores Lopez-Lira and Jose Luis Martinez of Lomas Travel Group, Mr. Garcia founded IVI. From that start-up enterprise as a ground operator in Cancun, Jose Manuel proved to be a visionary and a dynamic entrepreneur. By surrounding himself with other energetic people with an equally positive attitude, he has guided IVI to become the leading destination management company in the Americas. Jose Manuel also is highly active in the hospitality arena, and has overseen the birth of many interconnected partnerships and associated firms serving the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events (MICE) industry in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Jose Manuel continues to be active in professional organizations important to the hospitality industry. He was president of the Acapulco chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), president of the Cancun Travel Agencies Association, and is a member of the board of directors for the Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME). Garcia also is the founder and current president of the Mexican Association of Destination Management Companies. He has received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to his profession, and serves as a consultant to many Mexican and international organizations in the hospitality industry.
Garcia has a graduate degree in tourism administration at the State University of Guerrero. He also has earned continuing education diplomas and certifications from Cornell University, Holiday Inn University, SITE, ADME, ISMP, MPI and HSMAI.
Jose-Manuel was born in Mexico City in 1951, raised in Acapulco, has lived in the Catskills in upstate New York., and now lives in Cancun. He and his wife, Araceli, have two children and two grand children. In his personal time he enjoys meeting people, reading, playing golf, tennis or bowling. In both his personal and professional life, Garcia credits his successes to following his philosophy that "attitude is everything.”
Personal Favorites:
Local Attractions: No matter what, where or how, I just love the local history and heritage of all our Latin American countries. Chichen Itza, recently recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is one of my all-time favorites. I also enjoy outdoor and water activities which are my passion at places such as Xel-Ha, considered the largest natural aquarium in the world. Also, spending a full day in Xcaret, one of the most spectacular venues in the world, ending at Xcaret at night is something I love to do.
Recreational Activity: Playing golf in any of our countries always appeals to me. Most people don't realize it, but there are 706 golf courses in the seven countries where IVI helps clients conduct great events. l also enjoy reading a good business book, such as "Good to GREAT" by Jim Collins, or The “1% Solution for work and life" by Tom Connellan. By the way, these are my two last readings and I highly recommend them to anybody.
Favorite Restaurant: La Habichuela Downtown and the La Habichuela Sunset are definitely my two favorite restaurants in Cancun, Armando Pezzotti my good friend has created these two must visit places that offer traditional Mexican cuisine and Caribbean seafood combined into a great tasteful international fusion. I also enjoy having dinner at the Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta. Chef Thierry Blouet has made the Café des Artistes the city’s premier fine dining restaurant with a relaxed “gourmet bistro” ambiance. Just visualize yourself a version of both Mexican and French food, and great service. I honestly highly recommend these places and more!
Local Tour - Mayan Encounter conducted by Alltournative (Chimuch o Pac Chen) is a very exciting tour. No matter how much you already know about the Maya, you always learn something new during this ecological and cultural encounter, also I enjoy the all-day tour to Xplor. It has easy to demanding adventures, from driving amphibious vehicles through the jungle to exciting ziplines between the highest canopy towers in Latin America.
Local Event: The extraordinary night-time show at Xcaret. It’s very difficult to describe in words, but this is a magnificent show on a giant stage where more than 300 costumed performers use music and folkloric dances to review Mexico’s history and culture from the Mayas to the country’s independence from Spain. It is definitely the best show you can see anywhere in Mexico, this is an icon for our country.
