Secretary of Tourism of Mexico strengthens ties with US tourism leaders

During his work tour of Washington DC, United States, the Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Miguel Torruco Marqués, met with prominent representatives of the Mexican community living in this city, with the aim of promoting the program “Reunion with my Estate”.

The head of the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) held this meeting at the Embassy of Mexico in the United States, which is aimed at Mexican men and women who emigrated or descendants of up to the third generation, to motivate their desire to travel to their country or learn about the land of their parents or grandparents.

In this “Reunion with my Roots” attended, among others, Diana Palomares, president of MXDC; Gabriel Spain, from Mexicans in DC; Alejandro Pérez, president of the UNAM DC Network; Mauricio Forzán, president of the ITAM DC Network; Lorena Montes de Oca, president of the Red Somos Ibero DC; and Erica Muñoz, from Mexicana Emprende.

As part of Operation Knocks on Doors, Torruco Marqués also met with leading women from the meetings industry, representatives of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), who stressed that it is very important to take advantage of post-pandemic times, now that the people have every intention, will and spirit to attend business meetings, conferences and business meetings again.

The businesswomen see a great opportunity to translate it into the organization of more events, but also to have much closer contact with the Mexican tourism industry, to build a global bridge in the organization of events, putting the firm and its partners at their disposal in different parts of the world, so that they turn to see Mexico as an important setting to carry out this type of meeting.

They agreed with the head of Sectur, in that this segment of tourism goes hand in hand with the strategy of the Government of Mexico to increase the generation of jobs, because local suppliers are used, that is, not only the lodging issue, but everything that involves the value chain of meetings and events, such as transportation, logistics, supplies and more.

Present at this meeting were Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO of ASAE; Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council; Tina Wehmeir, CMP, CAE, CEO of AMC Institute; among other businesswomen in the sector; It also had the participation of the meeting tourism consultant, Eduardo Chaillo.

The Secretary of Tourism also visited the Expedia offices where he spoke with Amanda Pedigo, VP for Government Relations; Jason Park, director of Government Relations, and Ana Paradela, VP Marketing of MesoGroup; who highlighted that this is the moment of tourism for Mexico, due to the growth projection it has for 2022, significantly increasing the figures registered in 2019.

They spoke about the importance of air connectivity and the advantages that Mexico represents as a tourist attraction, thanks to new channels such as airports and highways; and they emphasized that reservations and purchases have increased significantly through digital platforms.

Torruco Marqués thanked the Expedia executives for the invitation, as this is an important tool to facilitate and strengthen the number of visitors to our country, particularly from the United States, which is one of the countries where these platforms are most used. digital.

When meeting with Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association, and Brian Beall, VP Global Government Affairs of this association, the Secretary of Tourism shared with them the different attractions that must be added to the tourist offer of the ports, to achieve increase visits, and seek that tourists who travel by cruise ship spend at least one night in these destinations.

To do this, he introduced them to the different anchor projects and products that the Government of Mexico is working on, such as the Mayan Train, which along its route will connect with more than 190 tourist attractions in five states of the region, the Aquarium of Mazatlan or the comprehensive Islas Marías project, which will promote the diversification of tourist activity in Mexico.

On the working tour of Washington, Torruco Marqués was accompanied by the Undersecretary of Tourism, Humberto Hernández-Haddad; Emmanuel Rey, General Director of Promotion and International Affairs; Enrique Avilés, General Director of Social Communication; the Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, Bernardo Cueto Riestra; Rodrigo Esponda, General Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Trust; and staff from the Embassy of Mexico in the United States.

Source: SECTUR