The Mastermind Behind The Resorts of the Riviera Maya

If you would have asked Canadian travel professional Lori Gold where she saw herself in 15 years at the start of her career, her answer and the reality of where she is now might not have lined up. She has navigated unexpected twists and turns over the past few years and has not only rolled with the punches but has poured her passion into a new calling she didn’t quite know she had.

Gold began working at a travel agency in Canada while she was still in school and has been working in the travel industry ever since. She was living in Riviera Maya when the pandemic hit in 2020, and since Mexico was one of the first and only places open without restrictions after the shutdown, she began doing site inspections at various resorts and taking notes on the new procedures.

After feeling as if she was spamming different groups with her updates, Gold decided to create her own Facebook group to house this information — and it soon became a crucial resource for travel advisors. Gold attributes the group’s early success to the fact that people were “forced” to sell Mexico since it was one of the only places welcoming tourists. “You have all these agents that were previously selling cruises, Disney, Europe, Asia, whatever the case might be, that needed to learn how to sell Mexico,” Gold said. “And this area of Mexico, in particular, has over 170 resorts. So, there’s a lot to navigate if you have no idea what you’re doing.”

Her Facebook group, “The Resorts of the Riviera Maya,” took off running, along with a host of tools and resources for advisors to utilize. She quickly realized there was a need for educational materials on this destination and decided to take on the task of producing them. “I created a class all about the destination, basically going from the start of the destination in Costa Mujeres and traveling down the areas until Tulum, touching on the three islands,” said Gold. In each area, she’d talk about the top resorts, best things to do, beaches, cenotes, excursion options, tipping and more.

The initial masterclass was well received so she surveyed her Facebook group to see what else they were looking for. This led to the creation of other classes including “Tulum Masterclass,” “Excursions and Tours” and “Everything Xcaret,” among others. She also creates guides that advisors can share with their clients.

“My stuff is completely unbiased, factual information about the destination with the whole goal of helping agents so that they feel more confident in selling,” said Gold.

In addition to showing up daily in her Facebook group (which currently has more than 15,000 members), Gold has also created a yearly Mexperts membership, where advisors have access to even more resources including photo and video content they can use on their social media pages, free webinars, discounts on masterclasses and more.

Gold has found over the years that having a niche as a travel professional helps to grow business. “If you really have a specific niche that you’re known for, that will definitely bring business,” she said. “And just knowing more than everyone else about that, it really gives you sort of an edge.”

In addition to finding a niche, Gold explains that success follows when you focus on serving the people and making sure what you’re doing is something you’re passionate about — when your passion is obvious, it’s contagious, and it makes people want to work with you.

For Gold, that is most definitely the case: “I’m passionate about the destination, about people coming here and experiencing it, about agents selling it, about locals’ lives being changed from agents and clients coming here, so the passion for this area runs deep.”

To learn more, join The Resorts of the Riviera Maya Facebook group, become a Riviera Maya Insider with Mexperts or follow along with Gold’s adventures on Instagram.

Originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of The Compass magazine.

About the Author

Codie Liermann is the managing editor of The Compass. She began her career in the industry as a travel advisor prior to working as an editor. With a passion for creating valuable content for travel advisors, she aims to develop meaningful relationships with all types of travel companies in order to share their unique messages with the travel agency community.