Presidencia de la República

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Mexico’s Challenge to Promote Tourism

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Presidency Staff

27 Sep 2011

Mexico is the 10th most visited country, according to the World Tourism Organization. Last year alone, nearly 22.5 million foreigners visited Mexico: 4.4 per cent more than in 2009. This has yielded significant profits, which benefit the Mexican families working in this industry. We should simply remember that tourism annually creates 7.5 million jobs, both direct and indirect, and accounts for approximately 9% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In 2011, Tourism Year in Mexico, President Felipe Calderón’s government has boosted the sector through various public policy mechanisms and collaboration instruments with the actors involved. The National Tourism Agreement, signed on 28 February, has supported this effort in a key objective from which all the rest are derived: positioning Mexico within the top five world tourist destinations by 2018.

The challenge is as enormous as the benefits will be. Tourism is a key activity since, on the one hand, it creates job sources, local profits and growth while on the other, it is the sphere that reflects what Mexico has to share: its culture, traditions and above all, the generosity of its people.

The main challenge of the strategy implemented by President Calderón’s government is to show the cultural wealth and marvelous destinations Mexico has, while explaining that the insecurity in certain regions of the country does not affect the opportunities for relaxation and enjoyment available to all tourists when they travel to Mexico. The challenge, within the framework of the commemoration of World Tourism Day, is to strengthen and consolidate one of the main sources of income for millions of Mexican families.

An example of the efforts made to assume this challenge is the presentation of The Royal Tour Program, hosted by President Calderón to show an estimated audience of 300 million around the world, emblematic places in Mexico, which he invited them to discover.

The Royal Tour is an example of the over 100 actions that federal government, in conjunction with the 32 states, various tourist promoters and even other countries, is implementing so that both domestic and foreign tourists can visit Mexico and realize that it is a place one should know, while feeling safe and being treated with the warmth characteristic of Mexican culture.

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