Los Cabos Tourism Board Backs New Mexican President’s Tourism Agenda

Over the past several years, Mexico has grown to be one of the most visited destinations in the world, with its inbound tourism numbers reaching historic levels.

In 2017 alone, more than 39 million tourists visited the country, which represents an increase of 60 percent over the last five years.

It’s hardly an overstatement to say that Mexico has become a world tourism power and that the industry plays a critical role for the country, accounting for at least 8.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, billions in revenue and the creation of some seven million jobs

Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, says Mexico’s newly elected president, leftist politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) who ran on a populist platform of change, clearly recognizes the importance of the tourism industry and has made numerous statements to date that are very encouraging.

“We see his election in a very positive way,” began Esponda. “For example, some of ideas that have been expressed (by AMLO) regarding elevating security to number one…in Los Cabos we have a very specific five-point action plan for security that has had a very positive impact. The new administration has also mentioned safety and security as a priority, so we are perfectly aligned on that issue.”

The 64-year-old president-elect has also mentioned a desire to increase international connectivity to Mexico, which Esponda said is also heartening. That’s yet another issue Los Cabos officials have been hard at work on.

This coming winter alone, Esponda revealed, there will be numerous new non-stop flights to Los Cabos from such places as Ottawa, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Chicago’s Midway airport.

“Connectivity is another priority they have expressed and it is a priority for us,” Esponda continued.

Yet another focus for AMLO is market diversification, something Esponda said is also a key priority for tourism officials.

“They want to diversify the markets and countries from which people are coming to Mexico and we are investing a good portion of our budget into market diversification as well,” Esponda explained.

And lastly, the new presidential administration has indicated a desire to achieve a higher tourism spend among visitors to the country, an area in which Los Cabos has already made significant progress.

According to Esponda, Los Cabos has the highest average daily hotel rate in the country at an average of $300 per night. The tourism board director said that achievement is due in large part to how Los Cabos has positioned itself, as a destination that represents a new class of luxury.

Since being elected, AMLO has already appointed a new secretary of tourism. He tapped Miguel Torruco to replace Enrique de la Madrid. Torruco is well connected within Mexico and has a long history in the tourism industry. One of his first jobs was bellboy at the Hotel del Paseo in Mexico City, where he worked his way up to general manager.

Torruco’s appointment is yet another move by the new administration that Esponda applauded.

“The new secretary of tourism is someone who has a very strong background in tourism,” he said. “There will be no learning curve with regard to the priorities on the things the country needs to be doing.”

Ultimately, Esponda said, all the comments and actions to date by AMLO bode well for Mexico’s tourism industry. As one of the country's top travel industry officials, Esponda remains very encouraged that the new administration will continue to strengthen the industry and steer it toward ever more growth.

“All in all, the feeling is very positive,” Esponda said. “The things that have been expressed are providing certainty to the market and the travel industry and that is exactly what we need.”

Source: Travel Pulse