The Tianguis Turístico, originally scheduled for early 2020, will finally be held in November.
The inauguration will take place in the Centro Internacional de Congreso and exhibitors will be found in the Centro de Convenciones Siglo XXI. The Gran Museo Mundo Maya will be the site for the keynote speeches.
Michelle Fridman, Yucatán secretary of tourism development, is in charge of reopening the Tianguis, together with the state government.
“Today tourists are looking to feel safe,” says Fridman. “Biosecurity is becoming relevant and tourists are looking for open, private spaces, although there are some exceptions still looking for mass tourism,” explained the secretary.
For this reason, she predicts that although the industry was one of the most affected by the pandemic, it will register the greatest growth in the medium term.
Fridman also noted that the approval of marriage equality in Yucatán has generated interest from the media and LGBTQ+ associations from the United States.
“This segment represents one of the largest economic spillovers worldwide,” says Fridman. “Since the beginning of the administration we have wanted to take advantage of it for many reasons, but a very tangible one is what it represents in numbers,” she said.
Although the Tianguis Turístico 2021 Mérida has projected the attendance of 1,600 buyers and more than 45,000 business appointments, for the secretary, the success of this Tianguis will also have to take into account qualitative data.
“Tourism has the habit of being measured by numbers, which are important, but today more than ever, the qualitative aspect is becoming relevant,” says the secretary. “We know that COVID-19 is not over, that it may suddenly change overnight, travel restrictions may change again, connectivity may change again. We have the forecasts for 2020, but we are very aware that we are not necessarily going to measure the success of the tianguis by the numbers.”
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