Biker Clubs create the Rodando Rutas Mágicas program to tour the 132 Magic Towns in Mexico. This initiative will make tourism activity grow by 20% and will generate 5% of local consumption, according to Sectur.
Adrenaline flows in tune with the engine; the feeling of freedom along with all kinds of landscapes stimulates the senses, the experience, and the love for nature. This is moto-tourism, a hobby sport that comes to life after the pandemic and with rallies and tours through magic towns, archeological zones, and beach destinations.
As tourism activity resumes after the pandemic, motorcycle clubs begin to hit the road again. Program Rodando Rutas Mágicas (RRM) is proof of this. Created in 2014 by motorcyclist Daniel Castillo Martínez, El Fantasma, who has toured practically every archeological zone and pueblo mágico in the country.
“Our motorcycling is not only responsible but it is also focused on strengthening friendship bonds and promoting tourism in the 132 Pueblos Mágicos. Drunk motorcyclist hordes are a thing of the past, clandestine races or trouble-maker bikers are long gone and forgotten; we do not want that image anymore, we reproach it and that is why we are organizing”, El Fantasma declared.
The main condition for registering for RRM is to have the necessary safety equipment, updated papers such as driver’s license and insurance, as well as a motorcycle in perfect condition that does not endanger the life o the rider, passengers, or other group members.
For the Secretaría de Turismo (Sectur), motorcycle tourism is a key element of the tourism industry recovery, which before the pandemic had an annual growth rate of 16% per year.
This year, Sectur estimates that it will grow up to 20%, whereas from the total expected tourism consumption of US $146 billion, motorcycle tourism will contribute 3% to 5% to local economies.
Those who are interested in participating in Rodando Rutas Mágicas must register on the program’s website; once the application is submitted, their safety equipment, papers, and participating motorcycles will be reviewed. To prove their visit to a Pueblo Mágico, a photo must be taken in a certain spot alongside the motorcycle, carrying the RRM flag and the official bracelet.
The annual membership fee is $650 Mexican pesos ($32 USD), and it is possible to participate individually or with a group. Upon uploading the first two pictures from the Pueblo Mágico’s visit, the RRM platform notifies the administration, and the first central patch is awarded; after uploading six pictures, another part of the patch is granted, and so on, until completing 26 visits, when the Rider’s Degree is obtained.
Daniel Castillo explains that there are also more degrees and recognitions for those who continue uploading pictures of their visits until they reach 132, in which they obtain the total number of patches and the status of moto-tourist of excellence, winner of the challenge that may involve trips of more than 50,000 km.
Along with this extraordinary challenge, out of the 3,000 bikers registered in RRM, only 42 have managed to complete the whole course, events continue to be organized such as the Sexto Rally of 500 km which will start in Queretaro on September 24th, and the Ruta de Los Volcanes ride on Sunday, October 2nd, which involves reaching the highest point of the Paso de Cortés and a visit to the Tlaxaloni Ecotourism Park, where a commemorative patch will be given on behalf of “1,200 Sentimientos Cúbicos”, the largest biker brotherhood in the country.
David Aguilar Juárez, road captain of Inquebrantables MC, with more than 25 years of riding in all corners of the country, states that brotherhood and discipline are an essential part of the club and regrets the events that occurred on August 15 last year on the Cuernavaca highway when several motorcyclists died due to speeding after colliding with trucks and automobiles.
“Here in this club and in many others, the first thing is respect for traffic regulations; it is strictly forbidden to exceed the maximum speed limits, and to be a member of the club you must prove driving clinics, obtain a certification and ride a minimum of six thousand kilometers as a group; only then will you be entitled to our organization’s vest.”
“In our club, we travel the roads with a lot of responsibility because our essential purpose is coexistence and companionship. I have already visited 68 magical towns out of the 132; the challenge is very interesting because besides getting to know the attractions of the country, it gives me the opportunity to make more friends and spend time with my family”, he continued.
Finally, Aguilar Juarez stated that although traveling by motorcycle has its risks due to possible mechanical failures, falls or insecurity on the roads, there are also positive points such as lower gasoline costs, a fifty percent discount on toll roads, and the freedom to circulate on trails or paths.
“This is a pleasure of adventure and freedom that fortunately continues to rise, but with bikers more aware of their responsibility when driving a motorcycle across the Mexican Republic”, he concluded.
TYT Newsroom