Sectur and SRE install the Council of Tourist Diplomacy of Mexico

With the intention of promoting the competitiveness of tourism activities in our country, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, and the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués, presided today in the Chancellery the installation ceremony of the Council of Tourism Diplomacy, a collegiate body that will constitute an instance of opinion and consultation for the planning, design and implementation of promotion strategies and image of Mexico at the international level.

Said Council will consist of the personnel assigned to the representations of Mexico abroad, 28 leading entrepreneurs of the tourism sector and experts committed to the national tourism industry.

In this joint work, the Ministry of Tourism has the mandate to care for and give content to the tourism policy of the Federal Government, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will fulfill the mission of collaborating with the promotion of Mexico in the international markets that emit tourism. , through embassies and consulates.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that the goals that have to be achieved, with the Tourist Diplomacy Council, are the increase of tourism in Mexico and that this is a fundamental part of the international agenda.

He also assured that the Council will seek to "join efforts around the world in favor of tourism and the image of Mexico." In addition, he stressed its relevance, because it will be his responsibility to approve the joint work program and with it, that it be successful. That is, to give results in the states of the Republic that met today in the Foreign Ministry and in all the countries of the world with which there are established diplomatic relations. Finally, it endorsed the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to defend the interests and prestige of our country.

For his part, Secretary Miguel Torruco Marqués explained that in Mexico the importance of tourism is such, that nowadays it represents a fundamental activity in the economic strategy and one of the main axes in the local and regional agenda.

He added that, despite the adversaries' negative forecasts, the country's tourism activity has not collapsed and, on the contrary, it is walking steadily and with an encouraging future. The figures support this: in the first five months of 2019, 18.2 million international tourists arrived in Mexico, 5.9 percent more than in the same period of 2018, with an economic income of 10 thousand 110 million dollars, 15.4 percent higher to January-May of last year, and an average expenditure of hospitalization tourists of 958.6 dollars, which means an increase of 14 percent.

However, he maintained that there is still a long way to go before tourism is exploited to its maximum capacity and becomes a real economic detonator and a tool for social reconciliation, which directly benefits the local population.

"In this tenor, tourism promotion is essential, because you can not sell what is not shown. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism is implementing a series of programs and actions in the field of promotion and dissemination that allow Mexico to reaffirm itself among the main tourist powers of the world, "he said.

He added that one of these actions is to join forces with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote Mexico's destiny in the international market, with strict adherence to the instruction of the President of the Republic, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to streamline the structure of the Government and its institutional capacities.

In this regard, it was announced the creation of a specialized course to train diplomatic representatives in our 80 embassies, 67 consulates, as well as permanent missions and liaison offices, which will begin next August, in close coordination with the Institute of Tourist Competitiveness of SECTUR and the Matías Romero Institute, to give continuity to the internationalization of Mexico and strengthen its image abroad through the implementation of the so-called Tourism Diplomacy.

In addition, from May 2 to June 27 of this year, three forums were held called "Tourism promotion in the global market", aimed at business owners or managers of the embassies of 21 countries, and consuls or heads of 17 consulates, whose objective is to talk with them about national tourism policy and the current role of embassies and consulates in the country's tourism promotion.

Within the framework of these coordinated actions between both agencies is the creation of the Council of Tourism Diplomacy, which is part of the profound transformation of the public life of the nation carried out by the new government.
 

The members of the Tourism Diplomacy Council are: Cristina Alcayaga, Marcos Fastlich Santre, Eduardo Paniagua Morales, Darío Flota Ocampo, Giancarlo Mullineli, Arnaldo Pinazzi, Rodrigo Esponda, Juan Vela Ruiz, Jaime Salazar Figueroa, Francisco Bulnes, Jorge Manos Esparragoza, Jean Paul Pelletier, Armando Bojórquez, Julián Arroyo Cordera, María del Carmen Morfín Herrera, Miguel Alemán Magnani, José Manuel López Campos, Javier Prado Gómez, Daniel Chávez Morán, Simón Galante Zaga, Juan José Fernández Carrillo, Pablo Azcárraga Andrade, Aurelio Pérez Alonso, Braulio Arsuaga Lozada, Alejandro Alonso Olivares, Francisco Fernández Alonso, Lourdes Berho Corona and José Chapur Zahoul.

Secretary Torruco Marqués highlighted the willingness of the secretariat in his charge to collaborate with the Mexican Foreign Ministry and position the national territory as one of the most attractive tourist destinations to visit and invest.

He also thanked the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for his efforts to comply with the task of promoting Mexico in the international tourism issuing markets, and reiterated the willingness of the agency in charge of offering advice and technical support to enable a better decision. of decisions.

On the other hand, the general director of the Tourism Promotion Program said that "Mexico has become a world tourist reference with significant growth, thanks to the efforts of several generations, highlighting the work done by business investors and tourism service providers" , therefore the importance of the Council.

In the installation were present ambassadors and consuls of Mexico, state secretaries of Tourism and entrepreneurs of the sector.

The installation of this Council reaffirms the interest of the current administration to strengthen and enhance the image of our country as a tourist destination, promoting the quality, diversity and authenticity of its attractions.