The 2018 Tianguis Turistico in Mazatlan, Mexico, is in the books, and the 43rd edition of the global tourism business conference brought together delegates from more than 60 countries.
The event started with big news: Mexico has jumped from being the 15th most visited destination in the world in 2013 to the sixth in 2017-and travel and tourism continue to grow.
Mexico attributes this to its investments in new and existing destinations, diversifying its tourism products, the development of close partnerships with airlines, hotels and the tourism industry as well as Mexico's world-famous friendliness, hospitality and quality of service.
"Mexico's ascent on the list of the world's most visited countries is a testament to the fact that Mexico is indeed a world of its own, and one that people want to discover again and again," said Mexico's minister of tourism, Enrique de la Madrid.
"We are proud of this achievement," de la Madrid added. "We salute the more than 10 million Mexicans who work to ensure our international visitors have an incredible experience and the entire Mexican and global travel industry whose investments, passion and dedication have made this remarkable growth possible."
An impressive number of VIP guests attended Tianguis, including Mexico's president Enrique Pena Nieto, 15 governors, mayors, secretaries of tourism from around the country, businessmen and national and international media.
Representatives from 32 states highlighted Mexico's diverse destinations in elaborate booths that enticed visitors with cultural offerings such as food, wine and representatives dressed in traditional costumes.
The event brought together attendees for thousands of business appointments and was attended by more than 300 state tourist service providers, many of whom were attending the event for the first time.
In addition to meetings between travel company executives and destination and tourist services in Mexico, there were several panels discussing important issues relating to travel within the country.
The Mundo Maya panel brought together ministers from the countries that make up the Mayan World, including Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. These leaders discussed a variety of topics, including how to streamline the visitor experience through increased infrastructure and joint efforts to provide a comprehensive product to guests.
"We are trying to improve and make the experience unique and different from other destinations. Infrastructure needs to be top quality and meet the needs of the tourist," said Michelle Paredes, vice minister of tourism, Honduras.
An air connectivity panel discussed the importance of increasing air traffic within the country and continuing to add gateways to Mexico as well as the hot-button issue of Mexico City's new airport.
Several major announcements also came out of this year's Tianguis, including new hotels in the Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit from AMResorts and the latest details on Xcaret's ongoing hotel development project.
Travel agents looking to learn how to confidently address client questions regarding safety in Mexico can enroll in the recently-launched Visit Mexico University digital training and resource center.
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