Mexico City /
During the current administration, 496 air routes abroad were created thanks to the program Knock on doorsaccording to the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur); However, experts differ and assure that the result is due to the operation of the market.
From 2019 to 2024, the tours of Miguel TorrucoSecretary of Tourism, reached 31 cities in 11 nations with more than 237 thousand kilometers traveled, where around 300 meetings were held, indicated the Sectur.
However, for Fernando Gomez Suarezacademic at the Universidad Panamericana and industry analyst, this air opening is not specifically due to the work of the program, “but to the market itself and the growth of the airlines.”
The specialist added that after the pandemic there was a lot of interest among people in going on a trip, so upon noticing a high demand, “air transport companies began to open more flights within Mexico and other nations.”
Jorge Hernandezpresident of the Mexican Federation of Tourist Associations (Fematur)indicated that more resources are still needed from the government to further promote the country. “You cannot be without diffusion in the world, otherwise the competition takes advantage of it. We have great competitors, especially the countries of the Caribbean and Central America,” he warned.
“The Ministry of Tourism applied the Knock on Doors program with some visits to the countries that are the main source of travelers, but I would say that with the next government it is no longer enough to knock on them, but rather to open them,” the manager mentioned.
Less resources
A few days before the end of the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obradorthe private tourism initiative and specialists agreed that the main pending issues left in the sector are the thinning of the entire structure of the Sectur.
According to reports from the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), between 2021 and 2023 of the total budget granted to Sectur, more than 90 percent was concentrated in the Mayan Train.
Last year the agency received 143,73 million pesos, of which 98 percent went to the railway project.
In previous administrations, the budget that the Sectur for their work, including the resources of the Mexico Tourism Promotion Councilwas greater than 7 billion pesos.
“The government did not see tourism as one of its priorities,” he stated. Francisco Madriddirector of Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (Starc).
The president of National Tourism Business Council (CNET), Braulio Arsuagastated that the reduction of Sectur resources was an aspect that harmed the sector and was reflected in several indicators.
According to the report of the UN Tourismbefore the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)In the 2023 currency ranking, Mexico was ranked 15th, dropping five places.
