THE AUGE OF MÉXICO
5
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
THE ROLE OF MEXICO AND ITS INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD’S OUTLOOK OF TOURISM.
- By Joan Passolas Farrerons – General Secretary of the World Association of Tourist Formation (amfort) and Former vicepresident of Affiliate Members of The United Nations World Tourism Organization (unwto) and Ambassador of conpeht. -
Mexico is the world’s king of the concept “culture-nature” because of its natural resources, which allow it to host lush vegetation and animals such as the monarch butterfly, the white pelican, flamingos, and whales, among others. Mexico’s history and territory host nearly 67,000 archaeological areas and remains, from which 49,848 are registered in the Unique System of Register of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (inah by its Spanish acronym), that are an essential part of our cultural heritage. New places and remains are constantly been discovered, but only 187 are open to tourism.
On the other hand, the warm treatment that visitors have in the services of lodging and hotels, the gastronomical diversity and the cultural syncretism are the great attractive and potentialities that our country offers to the international tourism. For the first time, the main economic driving force of Mexico is not the hydrocarbons industry, but the tourism industry, since it is through this sector that the economic and social potential becomes more dynamic.
development policies, promotion and prevention that in a long term will create belonging and give consistency to the social substrate. This is how imagination and the abilities to put ideas into practice have become decisive elements to promote investments and economic development in our country and the world.
In this context, current public programs such as “Mover a Mexico” look for a balance of visits to the different destinations by promoting arrivals between the domestic and international tourism according to the attractions, quality and distinction that characterize them from the markets’ point of view.
We also have to take into account the media. Since the mass media is part of an industry, it has defined interests in the economic sector from which it comes; this is why the information provided has a significant effect in the perception of the public. The parameters of globalization force the comparison of information to make an adequate criteria that points out the events without denominations or clarifications that can affect the image of a country.
In this sense, the Mexican business sector bets for the training and the constant search of the country’s growth, therefore the government must act in accordance and choose the learning, the historical introspection and the creation of public
Taking into account the global economical and financial situation, it is necessary for Mexico to diversify and to look for new markets in favorable or emerging areas in economic growth, such as Colombia, Chile and Peru, or areas with great
index of expansion such as China, India and the Middle East. Nonetheless, in spite of the constant warnings that the United States government emits for our country, the American market is and will continue to be the main tourist market of Mexico due to its proximity to our country, its average expenses in the sector and the love that its citizens have for our land. Currently the human being looks for natural, ethnic and cultural diversity, this is why it is necessary to legislate and act in a way that the different destinations can be differentiated by its characteristics. We also have to consider the projection to the world as a safe country and change the perception of the world, taking into account the influence of our neighbor countries, and look for solutions in their policies that can help to this change. With these changes, Mexico will feel proud of being what it is; it will grow in coherence and assure that its citizens are recognized throughout the world.