Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard and Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco presided over the inauguration of the Tourism Diplomacy Council today in the Foreign Ministry. The Council, created to improve the competitiveness of the country's tourism, will make recommendations on the planning, design and implementation of strategies to promote Mexico internationally.

The Council will be comprised of Mexico's diplomatic staff abroad, 28 well-known business executives and other experts committed to national tourism.  

This is a joint undertaking. The Tourism Ministry is responsible for the content of Mexico's tourism policy, while the Foreign Ministry's embassies and consulates will help promote Mexico in international tourism markets.

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the goals of the Tourism Diplomacy Council are to increase tourism in Mexico and to make tourism a fundamental part of the international agenda.

He said the Council would seek to "unite our efforts throughout the world to boost tourism and promote Mexico's image."  The Council is important because it will be responsible for approving the joint work program and ensuring its success.  It must deliver results in the states that were represented at the Council's inauguration, and must be successful in all of the countries with which Mexico has diplomatic relations.  Lastly, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the Foreign Ministry's commitment to defending the interests and prestige of Mexico.  

Secretary Torruco said that tourism is vitally important for Mexico. Today it is a key part of economic strategy and one of the pillars of local and regional agendas.

Despite the negative forecasts of the country's opponents, tourism in Mexico has not collapsed. On the contrary, it is making steady progress and has a promising future. The numbers support this: in the first five months of 2019, Mexico received 18.2 million international tourists, 5.9 percent more than in the same period of 2018, who spent 10.110 billion dollars, which was 15.4 percent higher than January-May 2018. Per capita spending by international tourists was 958.6 dollars, an increase of 14 percent.

However, there is still a long way to go before tourism reaches its full potential and becomes a real economic catalyst, helping to rebuild the social fabric and directly benefiting the local population.

"Therefore, we must promote tourism, because you can't sell what you can't see. For this reason, the Tourism Ministry will launch a series of marketing and publicity programs that will reaffirm Mexico as one of the world leaders in tourism," he said.

One of these steps is to join forces with the Foreign Ministry to promote Mexico as a tourist destination in the international market, in a way that conforms to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's instructions to streamline government and its institutions.

This August, the diplomats in our 80 embassies, 67 consulates, permanent missions and liaison offices will take a course on tourism diplomacy given by the SECTUR Institute of Tourism Competitiveness and the Matías Romero Institute in order to extend Mexico's international reach and strengthen its image abroad.

In addition, three forums on tourism promotion in the global market were held between May 2 and June 27 for the ambassadors in 21 countries and 17 consuls to discuss Mexico's tourism policy and the role played today by the country's embassies and consulates in promoting tourism.

The Foreign and Tourism Ministries have also worked together to create the Tourism Diplomacy Council, which is part of the profound transformation of the nation's public life that has been brought about by the new government.    

The members of the Tourism Diplomacy Council are: Cristina Alcayaga, Marcos Fastlich Santre, Eduardo Paniagua Morales, Darío Flota Ocampo, Giancarlo Mullineli, Arnaldo Pinazzi, Rodrigo Esponda, Juan Vela Ruiz, Jaime Salazar Figueroa, Francisco Bulnes, Jorge Manos Esparragoza, Jean Paul Pelletier, Armando Bojórquez, Julián Arroyo Cordera, María del Carmen Morfín Herrera, Miguel Alemán Magnani, José Manuel López Campos, Javier Prado Gómez, Daniel Chávez Morán, Simón Galante Zaga, Juan José Fernández Carrillo, Pablo Azcárraga Andrade, Aurelio Pérez Alonso, Braulio Arsuaga Lozada, Alejandro Alonso Olivares, Francisco Fernández Alonso, Lourdes Berho Corona and José Chapur Zahoul.

Secretary Torruco said the Tourism Ministry was looking forward to working with the Foreign Ministry to make Mexico one of the most attractive tourist destinations for visitors and investors.

He also thanked the Foreign Secretary for his part in carrying out the directive to promote Mexico in the international tourism markets, saying that the Tourism Ministry would offer advice and technical support for the decision-making process.

The Director General of the Tourism Promotion Program said, "Mexico has become a leader in global tourism and has grown significantly, thanks to the efforts of several generations. The investments made by businesses and the work done by tourism companies has been especially important, which is why the Council is so important."

The Council's inauguration was attended by Mexico's ambassadors and consuls, state tourism secretaries and business executives from the tourism industry.

The Council's installation reaffirms the interest of the current administration in strengthening and enhancing Mexico's image as a tourist destination by promoting the quality, diversity and authenticity of the country's many attractions.

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