Home Headlines S.O.S Quintana Roo: insecurity, sargassum, and lack of tourist promotion

S.O.S Quintana Roo: insecurity, sargassum, and lack of tourist promotion

by Yucatan Times
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The tourism industry in Quintana Roo is currently facing three major challenges:

  1. Insecurity
  2. Sargassum
  3. Lack of tourism promotion

Talking about insecurity, governor Carlos Joaquín González announced two months ago a strategy that includes the statewide implementation of the single-command policing system, the establishment of a technologically-advanced security complex, the provision of new equipment and improved training for officers and the presentation of a weekly report about the security situation. However, violence across the state seems to be unstoppable.

Regarding the last two problems, although analyzed by the Federal Government, still do not result in any concrete proposals, admitted the federal representative Adriana Teissier Zavala, who said that it is absolutely necessary to streamline these processes.

The legislator of the “Encuentro Social” political party, indicated that regarding the sargasso situation, there is already an Inter-Secretarial Group chaired by the head of SEMARNAT, Josefa González Ortiz-Mena, with many proposals, although none has been determined nor is its form of financing method.

“The problem is serious,” Teissier Zavala said. “We in the Legislature seek to expedite the procedures and studies, as well as the conclusions of how it will be addressed, because every day the arrival of the sargassum causes havoc in the tourism sector.”

It is proposed to rent vessels to collect the seaweek in international waters, at a cost of 55 million dollars. However, this proposal has not yet been approved or even formally presented before the Federal and State governments.

(Photo: https://www.efe.com)

Mexican federal authorities have been in contact with the French Embassy, ​​because that country has been dealing with this problem in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe for the last two years. “They already have experience in what needs to be done,” she said.

The federal representative did not rule out that the issue be addressed at the National Water Forum, which will be held next month in Quintana Roo, as in other states, due to the risk of contamination of this seaweed.

The next meeting of this Intersecretarial Group is in mid-May, where the hope is that concrete actions could be agreed in order to address this problem.

On the termination of the Tourism Promotion Council of Mexico, she stated that a budget has not been allocated for this purpose by Congress yet, leaving the functions that the former council used to perform totally unprotected.

She added that the Undersecretariat for the Promotion of Sectur needed to be reactivated, as it used to work year ago, before the creation of the Tourism Promotion Council (CPTM); because such an important government function should not be left without an authority to carry it out. In her opinion, there is a void right now that could significantly affect the tourism sector of Mexico.

“There is not even a concrete proposal from the agency that does the promotion work; It is worrying, ” she added.
The Legislative now has its hands tied, because a budget for tourism promotion was not authorized this year, so legislators need to make sure that this is not repeated in 2020.

“It will be a very difficult year if the executive does not resolve and activate an agency or Secretariat to carry out the international tourism activities,” she said.

The representative stated that the 70% of the Non-Resident Law that used be to be destined for the CPTM, will be used for the Maya Train project.

The Yucatan Times Newsroom

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