President Enrique Peña Nieto is hoping to increase tourism’s contribution to Mexican gross domestic product by 3.5 percent before the end of his term in 2018.
The president made the announcement at Mexico’s annual Tourism Tianguis in Guadalajara. The tourist sector is projected to move from its current contribution 8.5 percent of GDP to 12 percent by 2018.
Tourism Business Council President Pablo Azcarraga Andrade said that this goal is possible due to the range of opportunities and diversity available in Mexico.
“Mexico can be a real world tourism power, we are nearly there. We have the conditions,” the official said at the Tianguis’ opening.
Azcarraga Andrade also highlighted the importance of cooperation between public and private sectors.
In his address, President Peña Nieto stressed that 88 percent of the country’s tourism is generated by domestic travelers. He also announced that he wanted more poor Mexicans to be able to travel.
“We want more Mexicans to go around the country, visit Mexico, appreciate the beauty of the nation, know the wealth of tourist sites as well as natural and cultural sites, to project the pride in our territory and encourage the presence of foreign tourists,” said Peña Nieto.
The president also boasted that the number of international tourists had grown by 37 percent since the start of his term.