Mexican
Secretariat of Tourism to target long-term stays and health tourism
Important meeting between entrepreneurs and investors underlines
the new needs and challenges of the tourism industry in Mexico
Tourism to Mexico still growing steadily despite tense global
economic situation
Retired vacationers, long-term tourists to become important
target audience
Tijuana
(Baja California), Mexico - October
30, 2008
The
Mexican Secretariat of Tourism (SECTUR) hosted the 4th edition of the Baja
California Meeting Point, an annual encounter with investors and tourism
entrepreneurs.
The main
discussion themes revolved around the strategies that will be developed to maintain
the excellent tourism results that Mexico is consistently reporting in
spite of the global economic slowdown.
According
to the Bank of Mexico, tourism activity in Mexico up to August showed an average
increase of 5% compared to last year, and a total of 15.3 million foreign
tourists had entered the country in this 8-month period.
Speaking
to investors, tourism officials and private sector entrepreneurs, Secretary
of Tourism Rodolfo Elizondo Torres called for all
of them to unite their strengths and continue pushing the tourism sector
ahead in spite of the global economic challenges.
Despite
the encouraging result announced earlier, the head of Sectur
underlined the need to develop new sectors and create business opportunities
to ensure continued growth in an industry beneficial for the whole country.
“We
shall not lower our guard in front of the difficult period ahead”, he
said, moving on to explain the two main objectives of the Meeting Point.
“First, to continue to expand the real estate tourism market, in order
to attract the large numbers of retired and soon-to-retire North Americans
who find a great opportunity in living in Mexico, taking advantage of the lower cost
of living.”
The
second sector on which the encounter focused is the “Senior Housing and
Care” sector, for which northern Mexico in particular is developing
important infrastructures in the fields of services, recreation and health.
This tourism niche, Elizondo Torres explained, is mainly
destined to the senior foreign citizens who do not necessarily have health
problems per se, but can benefit from an expanded array of medical assistance
and personal care services.
“We
have to remain on the look for new niche markets”, Elizondo
Torres explained. “In the case of medical assistance services, the
Secretariat of Tourism is currently working on an ambitious large scale
project to turn this niche into a great business opportunity for our country,
by creating a public policy on health tourism.”
Mr. Elizondo Torres went on to confirm to would-be investors that
SECTUR, the Mexico Tourism Board and the National Tourism Development Fund
(FONATUR) are all available to facilitate projects that will bring more
capital and employment to Mexico.
The 4th
edition of Baja California Meeting Point runs until October 18, 2008 in Tijuana (Baja California), and is considered the official
forum for tourism investment in the Gulf of California area. It provides an occasion for
investors, landowners, consultants, financial institutions and governments to
meet in one place and discuss business opportunities.
Tourism
activity still growing
Secretary
of Tourism Rodolfo Elizondo Torres confirmed that
the tourism sector is very profitable for Mexico, maintaining itself despite the
current economic uncertainty and higher cost of fuel.
During
the 8 first months of 2008, foreign exchange entry from tourism averaged a 5%
growth in comparison with the same period in 2007. According to the Bank of
Mexico report, the amount of incoming money from international visitors grew
7.1% over the same period, reaching a total of US $9.53 billion.
The
number of foreign visitors also increased 4.8%, reaching 15,393,000 people
over those eight months.
Finally,
the tourism balance registered a 12% increase in 2008 totalling US $3.96
billion.
For more information about tourism in Mexico, and to try the new online reservation engine, please visit www.visitmexico.com
ABOUT THE MEXICO TOURISM BOARD
The
Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state
governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico's tourism attractions and destinations nationally and
internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include
members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices
throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
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