Congresses or Stagnation: Business Tourism as the Engine That Can Ignite the Mexico–U.S. Economy in 2025
- Editorial
- Aug 21
- 3 min read
Business tourism—conventions, trade shows, and exhibitions—is no longer a “complement” to leisure travel: it is a powerhouse of value for production chains on both sides of the border. In 2024, global business travel spending reached an estimated record of $1.48 trillion, surpassing 2019 levels and signaling a trajectory toward $2 trillion by 2028. This is the clearest evidence yet that face-to-face meetings have returned to the heart of the knowledge economy.
The United States closed 2024 with $312 billion in business travel spending, equivalent to 85% of 2019 levels. Within that total, the group segment (meetings, congresses, and expos) generated $126 billion—82% of its pre-pandemic level—and is expected to grow faster than individual travel as companies increasingly favor consultative sales and open innovation. In addition, the CEIR index of the B2B exhibition sector climbed strongly in Q4 2024, approaching pre-pandemic benchmarks and confirming the structural rebound of trade shows as deal-making platforms.
On the Mexican side, 2024 marked a turning point: Travel and Tourism contributed $274.4 billion (14.9% of GDP) and 7.7 million jobs. Within that universe, the meetings industry (MICE) already represents around 1.63% of national GDP and left behind negative numbers, with more than 300,000 events scheduled in 2024, driven by health, technology, and sports sectors. This strength does not only fill hotel rooms; it connects industrial suppliers, startups, and academia with international buyers, creating investment pipelines and export opportunities.
The leading convention hubs of North America illustrate this impact. In 2024, convention visitors in Las Vegas generated $10.1 billion in direct spending, 46,200 jobs, and $16 billion in total economic impact from the segment; IMEX America alone contributed $42 million. These figures prove that a large congress works as an “anchor” that pulls along lodging, transportation, retail, and professional services while accelerating the signing of contracts in the months following the event.
Universities are also key gears in this ecosystem. In Mexico, CICOTUR–Universidad Anáhuac reported that international tourist flows grew 7.4% in 2024, strengthening the pool of foreign attendees for congresses. In the United States, the International Institute of Tourism Studies (GWU) is developing applied research and executive training in destination management, vital to professionalizing convention bureaus and local authorities. This academia–industry–government link is decisive in sustaining the competitiveness of venues and host cities.
Technology and productivity have been the silent catalysts. The Global Business Travel Association warns that the industry players adopting emerging tools—ranging from AI-driven buyer matchmaking to analytics that measure ROI—will scale faster. For local governments, this means moving beyond counting attendees to tracking pipelines: leads generated, deal values, and new companies attracted after an event.
Yet 2025 arrives with crosswinds. The slowdown in international arrivals to the U.S. and cost volatility threaten certain destinations; at the same time, visa frictions, airport bottlenecks, and regulatory uncertainty may undermine competitiveness just as the region competes for trade fairs in advanced manufacturing and health. The public agenda in the U.S. highlights the need to institutionalize agile visa processes for large event attendees and modernize infrastructure to cut delays. Mexico, for its part, must consolidate a National Convention Bureau, professionalize the value chain, and align its promotion with the nearshoring wave so that every industrial expo translates into anchor investments in both border and interior states.
My thesis for decision-makers at municipal and state levels is clear: business tourism is industrial policy wearing a formal suit. In 2024 we witnessed measurable progress—a global spending record, accelerated expo recovery, and a greater share of MICE in Mexico’s GDP—but 2025 will require moving from optimism to precise execution. Three priorities stand out: first, “visa-ready cities” and streamlined border facilitation for binational attendees; second, economic value metrics (deal flow, exports, technical jobs) instead of merely counting hotel nights; third, data and AI platforms that integrate supplier directories, clusters, and universities so that each congress leaves a measurable productive legacy. If Mexico and the United States align these levers, conventions will not just fill venues—they will ignite engines of investment and regional productivity when they are most needed.
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