Thanks to the Tourism Welfare program of the government of Yucatán, the Maya indigenous people of our beloved state will be able to contribute to bost and improve the tourism industry.
In order to generate more jobs and promote tourism in the municipalities of the state of Yucatan, the Yucatecan government created the Tourism Wellness program, which, based on social and economic development alternatives, aims to support Maya indigenous communities, formulating and designing tourism investment projects.
This program aims to be a responsible mechanism for the economic and social development of the local Maya communities, projecting their culture nationally and internationally, while preserving their natural resources at the same time.
In addition, the program was thought as a model related to the industry where the main priority and central element is the people, the inhabitants of the rural areas within the state.
Support for ecotourism projects
The governor of Yucatan, Rolando Zapata Bello, signed an agreement in 2014 with the Ministry of Tourism and the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas: CDI) to promote the growth of ecotourism projects in different indigenous communities of Yucatán.
On the other hand, this year, a total of nine ecotourism projects, operated by Maya groups and cooperatives in Yucatan, received the distinctive known as “Paraísos Indígenas“(Indigenous Paradise), which contributed to Mexico winning the Best International Active Tourism Award, recently awarded in Spain.
The nine award-winning organizations are:
- Jaltún de Celestún
- Cooperative Society of Fishing Production and Tourist Services “Routes to Progress”
- Itzamkanac de Río Lagartos
- Ecotourism Services of Chinkilá, in Tecoh.
- Ecotourism Center “Cenote X-Canché” in Temozón
- Ecological Cabins “Uh najil Ek Balam” in Temozón
- Cooperative Society of Tourism and Food Services “Tumben zazil kin zonot” of Umán
- Zaaz Koolen Ha from Yokdzonot, Yaxcabá
- “Hause Santa Rosa” from Homún
Source: Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas