Newlink is the Mexico Tourism Board’s New Agency for Public
Relations in the United States
The Monterrey
Open attracts tennis fans and tourists FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD!
MIAMI, March 13th, 2009 - The first
Women's Tennis Association Monterrey Open had double the success: it was Marion
Bartoli’s first win this year and it was a significant achievement for
the sport and tourism in the capital of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon where the
open was held.
"The Monterrey Tournament has placed our city at the center of attention
for the sporting world, and many people traveled here from different parts of
the world to see this competition," said Luis Trevino Chapa, Director of
the Tourist Office of Nuevo León.
For Bartoli, the courts and the atmosphere of Monterrey gave her the perfect setting for
her fourth career title and $ 40,000.
"Monterrey was absolutely perfect ... there were a lot of fans ... I am
very happy to win this title ... Of course (I will return to Mexico in 2010) I
will try to be in the Acapulco open as well as win here again," said
Bartoli, twelfth in the world according to the classification of the WTA, who
defeated China's Na Li up by 6-3, 6-4 in the final of Monterrey.
The success of the tournament is part of the Mexico Tourism Board’s (MTB)
strategy to promote tourism through sports; the MTB’s next action will be
to participate in the Sony Ericsson Open 2009 in Miami, called the fifth grand slam, which
will be held from March 25 through April 5.
Along with supporting tennis, the MTB will promote destinations such as Acapulco, Cancun, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto
Vallarta, the Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit.
"By participating in this important event, our idea is to show American
tourists that Mexico
is really an exciting place to practice this sport, while enjoying other
sporting, recreational and cultural activities. Because of the favorable
exchange rate, this is the perfect time to go to Mexico," said Teresa
Villarreal, director of the Miami Office of the MTB.
Mexico also hosts the
largest tennis tournament in Latin America,
the Acapulco Open, which ended on February 27 and handed out $ 1.2 million in
prizes.
The winner of the women's singles event, Venus Williams, enjoyed her time in
the beautiful city. "I was happy to be in Acapulco. I have not seen such a tournament
anywhere else in the world. It is delightful to get up and see the ocean, have
breakfast on the beachfront; the people here are very enthusiastic and made me
feel great,“said Williams.
Mexico also offers clinics
in most parts of the country, such as those taught in San Miguel Allende in the
state of Guanajuato, a World Heritage Site and in the town of Jiutepec,
adjacent to Cuernavaca
in the state of Morelos.
And there is also the center MexTenis, which is in Lomas Cocoyoc, also in the
state of Morelos, which offers world class programs, internships with
high-performance, clinics, summer courses and coach trainings. The Center has produced
18 national champions from several countries and has a current enrollment of
about 550 students.
About the Sony Ericcson Open:
The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open will be
played March 25- April 5 at the TennisCenter at CrandonPark in Miami. The 12-day combined event, founded by
Butch Buchholz in 1985, is owned by IMG. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine
ATP Masters Series events on the ATP calendar, a top tier event on the Sony
Ericsson WTA TOUR calendar, and features the top men's and women's tennis
players in the world. In 2008, Nikolay Davydenko defeated Rafael Nadal
for his first Sony Ericsson Open title, while Serena Williams defeated Jelena
Jankovic to win her record-tying fifth title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305)
442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyEricssonOpen.com.
About the Mexico Tourism Board
The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB)
brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities
and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions
and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s
tourism promotion agency, and its participants include
members of both the private and
public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout
North America, Europe, Japan and Latin America. For more information on
destinations and online trip bookings please go to www.visitmexico.com
.
FOR PRESS ONLY: For additional
ideas, help with a story or general travel and tourism information about
Mexico, please contact the MTB’s U.S. Press Room directly at
1-800-929-4555, by e-mail at northamericanpress@visitmexico.com
or visit our press Web site at www.visitmexicopress.com
