The International Development Bank (IDB) is prepared to inject new funds into the Tequila Trail (Ruta del Tequila) next year to permit further growth in two more Jalisco municipalities.
Around 1.5 million dollars is being earmarked to bring Tala and Ameca on board the project that seeks to promote the host of attractions to be discovered in the towns, hillsides and fields in the region where tequila is produced.
The popularity of the Tequila Trail has grown dramatically since it was launched in 2006. During this period the number of visitors to the region has increased from 132,000 to 667,000 a year, and revenue has mushroomed from 33.7 million pesos to 589 million pesos.The current trail passes through the municipalities of Arenal, Amatitan, Tequila, Magdalena, Teuchitlan, Ahualulco, Etzatlan, San Juanito de Escobedo, Zapopan and Guadalajara. While not noted for their tourist attractions, officials in Tala and Ameca believe both places have significant potential to draw visitors.
The IDB was one of the original financiers of the Tequila Trail. Similar to the wine routes in Europe and California, it began as a modest project administered by the Tequila Regulatory Council to promote tequila and draw tourists to the area.
Such has been the success of the trail that other countries have copied its infrastructure. In 2010, Colombia opened a “Coffee Trail” largely based on the the tequila model. And more recently, tourism officials from Panama have visited Jalisco to see what they can learn from their counterparts here as they prepare to launch a coffee trail.