Merida, Yucatan — Without much backing on the federal level, Yucatan will take tourism promotion into its own hands.
The business community is creating its own, privately funded tourism promotion council, said Jose Manuel Lopez Campos, the president of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco).
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The board’s challenge will be to find new markets to reach and, beyond increasing the number of visitors, prompting them to spend more once they’re in Yucatan.
The tourism promotion project will be presented in August by Concanaco, municipal officials and individual businesses, from small independent stores to large corporations doing business in Yucatan.
“Destinations will be promoted, not corporate brands, although behind the project are hotel chains, restaurants, amusement parks and shipping companies, among others,” he said.
Lopez Campos pointed out that without tourism promotion, the country has been affected by a 7% drop in hotel reservation and flights, while companies have lost up to 70 percent of their profits.
When the council is set up, it will be transparent, with short, medium and long-term objectives, he said.
Concanaco proposed to the federal government that what’s left of its tourism promotion office can rely on its national network of chambers and its links abroad to train Mexican embassy and consular personnel to effectively promote tourist attractions here.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador decimated the federal tourism promotion office, calling it a waste of money.
Source: Sipse
