Acapulco, Mexico -- Armed with a boosted budget, the Mexico Tourism Board is creating a new office in Washington DC tasked with promoting meetings and business travel, according to Francisco Lopez Mena, CEO of the MexicoTourism Board.Lopez Mena announced the new promotional office today, at Mexico's 32nd Tourism Tianguis conference in Acapulco. He said that a 45 percent increase in the Tourism Board's promotional budget for 2007 will be used primarily in North America, with particular emphasis on groups and business travelers, as well as the upscale leisure and incentive markets."Its clear that we're not yet capturing the group and business travel markets as completely as we'd like," Lopez Mena said. "The potential for growth is huge."Despite a 2.6 percent dip in international arrivals, Mexico's tourism revenue reached a record high of US$12.18 billion in 2006, and key meetings markets enjoyed booming business. For instance, Cancun had a record year for groups, up 16 percent over its previous benchmark of 2004, according to Arturo Escaip Manzur, who earlier this month took over as director general of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau."We're confident that our 2007 numbers will surpass 2004 as well," he said.