by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:46 PM ET, Fri November 30, 2018
Mexico's tourism industry continued its positive trajectory this year, posting a 6.9 percent increase in international tourist arrivals from January through September.
That growth translated into 30.6 million tourists, Hector Flores Santana, the CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) told representatives from 31 Mexican federal entities during a meeting this week to discuss tourism sector growth.
"Revenue was $16.6 billion dollars, representing a growth of 4.5 percent with respect to the same period last year," Flores Santana told the group.
The tourism board CEO stressed that the positive tourism balance has practically compensated for the deficit in Mexico's economy, as tourism has become the third source of net income in the country and a significant generator of foreign currency.
"Income generated by non-residents, or tourists, during 2018 are in line with forecasts from the beginning of the year. Concerning budget allocations for the current fiscal year, we were able to implement a coordinated promotional strategy with the federal entities to support both the national campaign 'Viajemos Todos por México,' as well as the international campaign showcasing the diversity and wealth of experiences the country has to offer," Flores Santana said.
Mexico's tourism officials also presented an executive summary of its 2019 marketing plan during the gathering and emphasized the importance of continuing institutional promotional campaigns, both within the country and internationally.
On the heels of its highly successful "Dear Mexicans" campaign, the MTB unveiled a new campaign called "Dear States," which focuses on a letter written by a traveler to a state. Several versions of this campaign have been created, including versions dedicated to Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chihuahua, Durango, Querétaro, and Yucatán.
In addition, Flores Santana noted that one of the priorities of the current administration has been to reduce what he called "the negative impact on the reputation of the different destinations and industry partners."
As a result, this year, the MTB coordinated and executed eight crisis management workshops with more than 200 participants, 25 destinations and members of the tourism industry.
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