PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico
Tianguis Turistico, the preeminent gathering of Mexican tourism interests, politicians and international and domestic buyers, is heading to the home stretch here, the first time it has been located outside of Acapulco in the event’s 37-year history.
Preliminary findings seem to show that making the four-day show an itinerant event—held in a different Mexican destination each year—was a success, as it attracted approximately 7,000 attendees, representing a 75 percent increase in visitor attendance over last year’s Tianguis. According to officials, more than 500 buyers representing 22 countries were in attendance, and appointments during the trade show portion were up 45 percent from last year.
In opening day remarks, Gloria Guevara, Mexico’s secretary of tourism, said moving Tianguis from its former location in Acapulco presented a number of opportunities.
“Today we start a new stage to strengthen a greater [representation] of destinations,” she said. “Being itinerant allows us to know Mexico better and promote the region better.”
Guevara spoke of the success of the location move while warming up the stage for a keynote address by Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
“Today we are experiencing historical moments in the development of tourism in Mexico,” she said, “which represents nearly 9 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. President Calderon has been the first president to dedicate a year to tourism—2011, the Year of Tourism in Mexico--[implemented the] National Agreement on Tourism development, and over 31 billion pesos [approximately $2.4 billion U.S. dollars] have been allotted for tourism infrastructure, products and services.”
Indeed, the opening general session showered praise on Calderon—who was credited with increasing tourism spending 150 percent over the previous administration—setting the scene for a virtual victory lap before leaving office.
After taking the stage, Calderon congratulated the Mexican states of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is located, and Nayarit, which borders Puerto Vallarta, for jointly hosting the successful event.
“Nayarit and Jalisco will demonstrate how to do this—united we will show Mexico how to do this,” Calderon told the audience. “This will continue the growth of visitors to Mexico year after year. The fact that we put the initiative on what each [host] group offers allows us to increase the quality of Tianguis year after year.”
Calderon said the government is expecting 140 million pesos (approximately $11 million U.S.) in revenue from this year’s event, which would be considerably higher than what was produced by the 2011 event.
Calderon said Mexico is making a historically large investment in its infrastructure—approximately $14 billion U.S., with more than $1.7 billion dedicated to the building and improvement of highways between major cities and tourism destinations. Major projects include new airports and highway projects linking Durango and Mazatlan, a highway connecting Mexico City with the port city of Veracruz (cutting transit time in half) and a new highway linking the Jalisco cities of Puerto Vallarta and Tepic.
Closing the opening general session, Calderon promised that although he is not running for another term, he will not be forget the Mexican tourism industry after his last Tianguis as president.
“After March 30 [when a ‘silent phase’ is observed leading up to June 27 polling day] I won’t be able to promote my achievements,” he said, “but I will continue to promote tourism to the top of my ability.”
