Mexico is an outstandingly beautiful country with deep history and culture; here tourism is a very large industry. The inner workings of what makes Mexico one of the world’s most sought after destinations ranges from the origination of tequila in the mountainous state of Jalisco, to the beautiful white sandy beaches and ancient Mayan temples. Mexico has a grand mixture of warm Mexican hospitality. Cabo San Lucas, on the tip of Baja California, offers some of the best fishing in the world with Marlin, Tuna, Swordfish, and Dorado swimming through its waters looking for a fight with a local fisherman. The Mexican cuisine is composed of a mixture of corn and beans fused with rice when the Spanish arrived, all flavored with a mixture of exotic spices, fruits, vegetables, and meats which create a variety of mouthwatering dishes for you to enjoy. The people of Mexico treasure their land and are inviting to those who are interested in witnessing the beauty and preservation of their culture. The country has 31 states and one federal district, which is home to the world ́s largest population of Spanish speakers.
Mexico has been traditionally among the most visited countries in the world according to the World Tourism Organization and it is the most visited country in the Americas, after the United States. The most notable attractions are the Meso-American ruins, cultural festivals, colonial cities, nature reserves and the beach resorts. The nation’s temperate climate and unique culture – a fusion of the European and the Meso-American – make Mexico an attractive destination. The peak tourism seasons in the country are during December through April and the mid-summer.
The majority of tourists come to Mexico from different parts of the continent. There is also a burgeoning domestic tourism trade as a growing affluent middle class begins to go on holiday within their own country. While Mexico’s middle/lower class usually promotes national tourism, the middle/higher class usually prefers to travel overseas.
Mexico’s tourist industry in 2015 is experiencing uprising numbers due to diversified marketing campaigns. Specifically, the southern coast is witnessing a significant increase in tourism as it is becomes a popular alternative to Caribbean destinations given the Caribbean ́s relative expensiveness. As a result of these positive factors, we expect steady investment into the accommodation sector particularly in Quintana ROO, which will have more hotel properties in the next 24 to 36 months, along with the addition of a new terminal in Cancun International Airport, which in 2014 had 17 million passengers and is projected to increase to 25 million passengers in 2017.
The economy of Mexico is the 15th largest in the world in nominal terms and the 11th largest by purchasing power parity, according to the International Monetary Fund. Since the 1994 crisis, administrations have improved the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals. Mexico was not significantly influenced by the recent 2002 South American crisis, and maintained positive, although low, rates of growth after a brief period of stagnation in 2001. Mexico was one of the Latin American nations most affected by the 2008 recession with its Gross Domestic Product contracting by more than 6%.
The Mexican government has made progress in its structural reforms agenda in the areas of labour, education, competition policy, financial sector, telecommunications and energy sector legislation, aimed at raising productivity, competitiveness and potential output growth. Attention is now shifting to reform implementation. The opening of the energy sector to private sector participation is particularly promising for boosting growth, as it is expected to increase the production of oil and gas and provide Mexican manufacturers cheaper energy inputs. It will be important to assess the distributional impacts of the reforms, their associated regulations and implementation.
Like emerging hospitality markets the world over, Mexico and Central America offer complex but rewarding opportunities for hotel and resort development. The development focused on defining market drivers, hotel brands, and visualizing a path for sound industry growth will be interesting to see the cultivated strategies in the Mexican tourism industry in the next few years.
Medical Tourism in Mexico, is an ongoing expansion which has more than a dozen destinations specialized, where touristic providers join medical care of the highest quality to meet the fields of oncology, orthopaedics, cardiology, general surgery, plastic surgery and gastroenterology. The International Joint Commission has accredited 7 hospitals in the country and the Federal Ministry of Health has provided certification for 105 hospitals, 98 of which are equivalent to international standards. Medical Tourism in Mexico is staffed by highly qualified doctors and nurses to provide care and service with worldwide quality through an extensive infrastructure with cutting-edge medical technology.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has awarded the title of Cultural Heritage of Humanity to approximately 204 cities around the world. Currently, Mexico is proud to present 10 of its cities; Campeche, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Morelia, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Miguel de Allende, Tlacotalpan and Zacatecas. With such a distinction in the category of cultural property, and because of their historical, architectural and urban value; they provide a unique cultural testimony, represent an outstanding architectural example, or express a cultural or historical authenticity.
Travel and Tourism in Mexico to 2019 Forecasts Annual Growth of 3%Research and marketers have released a new report titled Travel and Tourism in Mexico, exploring trends in Mexico’s tourism sector which is expected to grow at a rate of 2.96% over the forecast period.
The Mexican government has dedicated itself to improving infrastructure through the National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) 2014-2018. The plan includes the extensive development and upgrade of roads, ports, railways, and airports. Improvements to transport infrastructure will support the growth of the travel and tourism sector and its related industries. Private companies are also expected to increase their investments in the tourism sector, to reach a total investment of MXN109.6 billion (US$8.6 billion) between 2014 and 2016.
The Mexican government has promoted tourism to counteract the country’s lawless image. It organized promotional campaigns in key source countries and international events, introduced niche tourism areas such as adventure tourism. Aviation capacity has been increasing. In 2011-2012, LCCs Interjet and Volaris ordered 40 Airbus jets each, and in August 2013, Aeromexico Airlines added one Boeing 787-8 jet to its fleet and further growth in capacity is expected over the forecast period as Aeromexico plans to add another 19 Boeing 787-8 jets by the end of 2019.
About the author
Jane A. GarciaGarcia has 21 years of experience in the Tourism / Vacation Ownership industry with proven success in Managing / Directing projects, strategic planning, product and creativity development for today’s traveling partner, recruitment, building working teams in the Marketing / Sales force with training, motivation, goal setting and achieving results.
Garcia is the president of Skål International Cancun, a professional organization of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Its members, the industry’s managers and executives, meet at local, national, regional and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest.
Mission statement of Skål International Through our leadership, professionalism and friendship, we work together to enhance our vision, maximising networking opportunities and developing a responsible tourism industry.
Additionally, Garcia owns a consultingcompany in Tourism and Vacation Ownership where she provides thefollowing services:• Project management in need of assistance for new or existing development, growth and efficiency.• Creating new market strategies.• Human Resources; scouting/recruiting people for the Vacation Ownership work force industry.• Tax planning layouts for human source and capital strategies for businesses.• New product concepts, adapting to today’s consumer/traveller trends.• Marketing training material for the vacation ownership industry.• Organizational charts & work descriptions.• Product building enhancement for vacation ownership sales area.
Garcia’s company is very active in different local charity activities in the Cancun area for handicapped or special needs children, orphanages, firefighters and the animal protection society.
