According to Proceso Magazine, the leader of the Employer Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) assured that the Mayan Train, as the main tourism project of the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), without an integral tourist development plan “is inadequate, high risk, and almost suicidal”.
On his weekly message, the president of the employers’ organization, Gustavo de Hoyos Walther, said: “The programs that have been announced by the federal government for the tourism sector are abandoning the integral development of the tourism industry and instead, they are focusing on isolated projects such as the Maya Train, with no more criteria of prioritization than the presidential decision, lacking studies of economic and environmental impact, and without taking in consideration the voice of the local communities. ”
The leader of Coparmex said that AMLO has decided to minimize, and in some cases eliminate completely, the work of the institutions that allowed the development and boosted the growth of the tourism sector, such as the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur), which according to Coparmex, has been responsible for the planning and development of comprehensive and sustainable tourism projects, and has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of much of the basic infrastructure in the municipalities that have consolidated as international tourist centers such as Cancun and Los Cabos.
Another agency is Bancomext, which has placed tourism development in the country as a central part of the export activity, financing with adequate terms and competitive rates for hotel investment and the development of world-class tourist resorts in Mexican territory.
The employer sector reproached the elimination of ProMéxico, which for 11 years, “had been an effective tool for the Mexican business development of the tourism industry abroad through successful partnerships between Mexican and foreign investors.
“Numerous high-end tourism projects were planned and driven from the offices of ProMéxico all over the world,” De Hoyos Walther said.
Gustavo De Hoyos Walther
In addition, the Coparmex leader complained about the disappearance of the Tourism Promotion Council of Mexico (CPTM) from where they have articulated, in a strategic way, the private and public efforts that seek to promote the tourist offer of the country worldwide.
“The work of the CPTM has helped significantly to position national destinations, in media and spaces of global reach, with content aimed at the retail and wholesale market of all profiles and levels,” he said.
“The deconstruction of these important institutions for the development of the Mexican tourism industry is a big mistake. From budget reduction, to total elimination, these are all manifestations of the lack of support by the Federal Government, “complained De Hoyos Walther.
Coparmex rejected the elimination of key organizations, that are vital for the development of the tourism sector and asked the government to prosecute or sanction cases of corruption, but but not to attack the tourism industry so directly.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), tourism represents 8.7% of the national GDP; In addition, with data for the first semester of 2018, Tourism provides direct jobs to more than 4 million Mexicans, which represents 8.6% of total employment.
RMT Newsroom with information from noticaribe.com.mx
