by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:15 AM ET, Mon February 26, 2018
Just days after Mexico announced international arrivals rose for the sixth consecutive year, tourism officials revealed plans to attract 50 million travelers annually by 2021.
According to Mexico News Daily, Tourism Secretary Enrique de la Madrid announced during a press conference that the agency believes an additional four million people will visit Mexico each year moving forward, building on the record 39.3 million foreign travelers from 2017.
Mexico passed Turkey last year to become the eighth-most visited country, and if it surpasses 50 million visitors annually, it would become the fifth-most popular tourism destination in the world.
"The tourism sector is one of the pillars of the president's economic project," federal government spokesperson Eduardo Sanchez said in a statement. "Today, more than 10 million Mexicans live directly or indirectly from tourism, an industry that has grown more than our economy as a whole."
The 39.3 million foreign visitors to Mexico last year was an increase of 4.2 million over 2016, marking a 12 percent growth rate. In addition, international travelers spent around $21.3 billion while visiting the country.
The numbers indicate tourism revenue climbed for the fifth-straight year. Since Enrique Pena Nieto took over as president in 2012, Mexico has seen a 10.9 percent increase in tourist arrivals as compared to the previous administration.
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