Tourism industry experts emphasize that one of the obstacles for the reactivation of tourism in Mexico is the great competition that has been generated on an international scale which made it necessary for brands and state governments to attract a greater number of domestic and foreign travelers.
According to Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos, president of the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (Asetur in Spanish), the main goal, therefore, is to improve the perception of security in the country.
"We are in a stage of reactivation in which we work every day with public security issues and health measures, but public security is where our focus is as we see that it affects some destinations," said the Secretary of Tourism of Oaxaca.
He explained that travelers, Mexicans and foreigners, always check on the country's current situation before visiting the destination, and Mexico's brand in the world has certainly been affected thanks to the insecurity situation that inhibits a total reactivation of tourism.
Paulina Mendoza, director of franchise services for City Express Hotels, said that they already have a higher occupancy demand from leisure travelers.
"We see that the country’s tourism has reactivated, currently leisure travel is predominant - in terms of reservations - and the diversification of the tourism market is, let's say, the main challenge we have at the moment."
Teresa Matamoros, director of the Chihuahua Tourism Promotion Trust, said that the biggest obstacle is the perception of security, diversifying the market and services. "It is an issue that concerns us, but tourism is already reactivated and insecurity is not something that keeps us awake at night."
