“Tourist security is a core issue for the success of our country as a world-class destination; and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of health security has joined the demands of travelers, so it is essential to join forces to provide this certainty to those who visit us ", said the Secretary of Tourism, Economy and Sustainability (SETUES) and president of the Union of Secretaries of Tourism in Mexico (ASETUR), Luis Humberto Araiza López after participating in the XIV Tourist Security Meeting in which he spoke about the state of strength of the tourist police in the country and exposed the health security protocols for employees of the sector, in addition to the services offered in the Tourist Care and Protection Centers (CATTAC).

Luis H. Araiza highlighted the importance of establishing unified protocols in accordance with international standards in order to protect the health of tourists and employees of the industry, underlining that the entity has designed and applied in conjunction with private initiative, a series of specific protocols for each item; among which he mentioned the economic, tourist, restaurant, lodging services, reactivation of airports, among others.

He also highlighted the importance of having a CATTAC, as he said, they provide specialized and comprehensive attention to visitors, since they have representatives of institutions from the three levels of government, such as the tourist police, the Bilingual Public Ministry , PROFECO, Armed Forces, Green Angels, Command and Control Centers (C2 and C4), adding that BCS has two centers in which most of these services are provided.

“To regain the dynamism that our tourism industry maintained and thus face the economic and labor crisis that the health emergency left us, it is essential that we work in a coordinated manner to establish mechanisms that allow us to improve our image as a destination, both by inside and outside of our country. It is extremely important that we send a clear and forceful message to the rest of the world that Mexico is a safe and reliable destination ”, concluded Luis Araiza.

Luis Humberto Araiza López, Secretary of Tourism, Economy and Sustainability (SETUES) as president of the Union of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (ASETUR), participated together with leaders of the tourism industry at the national level, in a virtual dialogue with the ambassador of Mexico in the United States, Martha Bárcena Coqui, with the purpose of addressing the perspectives on this sector in the country.

During his speech, the Southern California official made four fundamental points: The decline in the North American market that visits Mexico, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the tourism sector, the actions taken during the crisis and some collaborations that may be generated.

Luis H. Araiza mentioned that the United States continues to be one of the main issuing countries of travelers to the Republic, since more than 58% of all travelers who arrive in the country by air are Americans. He also added that several million more, enter by land, generating an important economic spill for all of Mexico, hence the importance of recovering and strengthening alliances with this nation.

The secretary proposed to establish a joint strategy in coordination with the Government of the Republic, in this case through the Foreign Ministry and in particular with the Embassy of Mexico in the United States, together with the consulates, to work on the application of mechanisms aimed at to position the Mexico brand in the neighboring country; and mainly to reactivate and reestablish the dynamism that this industry maintained before the health crisis.

Therefore, he said, it is necessary to determine links between the institutions to develop a common agenda and logistics of continuous and efficient communication. Also, he pointed out that efforts should be added to identify areas of opportunity and enrich promotion strategies; as well as for the organization of work tours of Governors, Secretaries of Tourism, in alliance with the business sector, in addition to arranging meetings with the main tour operators, airlines and hotel chains, among other actors.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we have had a fluid conversation with the Ambassador and her work team about the effects on the travel and tourism industry in Mexico. We have addressed concerns about travel restrictions imposed by the United States Government through the Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issues on which we will continue to work hand in hand, to face and overcome the challenges they present ”, concluded Luis Humberto Araiza López.

This Saturday the fifth edition of the PCMA Mexico Chapter was held in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. Hand in hand with the Los Cabos Tourism Trust (FITURCA), it was possible to carry out this forum, which was the first to be held after the destination reopened due to the pandemic caused by Covid 19.

In this event, the highest international representatives of marketing and advertising were presented where they explained the new challenges that the meeting industry, event organizations and the implementation of digitization will face in order to better function.

Rodrigo Esponda, CEO of FITURCA, said in an interview that this is the first of many events in the destination and that he hopes more can be done. He also commented to the media that the meetings industry has a contribution of 6.8% of GDP for the state of Baja California Sur and represents 20% of the fourth night of the destination, which is of great importance.

The destination has had a gradual but correct recovery, says Rodrigo Esponda, mentioning that currently the guest's profile has changed, as younger people with higher incomes arrive, as well as entrepreneurs.

The general director of FITURCA also commented that they hope that from the summer of next year the influx of visitors to the destination will be able to match the estimated to achieve growth, thus anticipating the recovery of the meetings sector, mentioning that, to date, groups have arrived reduced although they have mostly been confirmed for 2021.

The most important message that FITURCA and the Ministry of Tourism want to spread with this event is that the events can be carried out in the destination, correctly fulfilling all the health protocols for the prompt economic reactivation that is very necessary for the well-being of the inhabitants. of the destiny of Los Cabos.

FITURCA has four tourism campaigns that have been very successful and useful for recovering from the tourist tension that the world is currently suffering: "Yes or yes", "Wear a Smile", "Love at First Sight" and "Los Cabos Rules" These are the four tools with which, together with the lodging tax and the support of the private sector, have allowed the tourism sector to sustain itself to move forward.

Compared to other destinations in the Mexican Republic, Los Cabos has a different dynamic of reactivation since 80% of its guests are international in nature, the majority being from California and Texas, thus allowing the tourist and economic reactivation of the destination to be faster. Another sector of support is that of real estate, timeshares and owners of the luxury segment.

"The image that Los Cabos projects before the national and international tourism market is very good," says Luis Humberto Araiza, Secretary of Tourism in Baja California Sur in the fifth edition of PCMA Los Cabos, Mexico chapter, mentioning that work has been done on the Hand in hand with promotional trusts trying to maintain contact with service providers who have carried out the strict sanitary measures imposed by the government to prevent the spread of the Covid virus 19.

 Los Cabos has obtained various certifications thanks to their obedience and discipline to follow hygiene measures, such as Punto Limpio and Viaje Seguro, give Los Cabos the assurance that they have done a good job in developing the pandemic, proving to be a Transparent and collaborative state so that the largest market, which is abroad, feels confident and safe to travel.

 The secretary mentions that FITURCA is a key organism since it is an organism that recovers thanks to the lodging tax, which gives it transparency regarding the expense invested in tourist advertising, guaranteeing a stable and safe promotion for the national and international market.

 The secretary insists that the State of Baja California Sur has done things well in terms of health security, hoping that a return to normality will soon be possible.

 Last year Los Cabos closed with 4,200,000 visitors between cruises and air travel, so it was expected that this year's increase by 10%, however, it will not be possible due to the pandemic and an approximate of 3.5 million is expected at end of the year.

 To conclude, Luis Humberto Araiza mentioned that it is time to remain united, generating alliances with the entities of the tourist sector of Los Cabos, mentioning alliances with CONAGO, CNET and Banking to strengthen tourism-related activities since tourism advertising has changed.