Mérida, Yucatan (January 14, 2021).- “Faced with the different panorama that the pandemic has left, the City Council works in collaboration with the different orders of government and municipalities of the other states of the Peninsula to face the challenge of repositioning the city as a preferred destination for travelers and vacationers”, said Mayor Renán Barrera Concha.
The mayor participated in the virtual discussion Economic Development-Tourism Approach, organized by the National Conference of Municipalities of Mexico and the Business Coordinating Council, with the assistance of mayors and representatives of different municipalities of the country.
In his message, Barrera Concha highlighted the relevance of municipal public policies focused on economic development and with special emphasis on activities, programs, projects, and support to the tourism sector.
He pointed out that Mérida has assumed an important role in tourism and this allowed that on August 21, 2020, he became co-president of the Mexican Association of Tourist Municipalities 2020-2021.
“As an association, we have created a common front to reach agreements that are of benefit to an extremely important industry, such as tourism, given the current circumstances that tourist destinations have to make progress in the midst of a pandemic,” he said.
The Mayor of Merida made a presentation of the main programs and actions carried out by his administration in the field of economic development and tourism, in order to be at the height of the circumstances in making strategic decisions, with proactive proposals that share solutions to challenges during and after the health crisis.
He pointed out that in the tourism field, Mérida has a close collaboration with the other municipalities of the Peninsula to promote new actions.
He highlighted the special coordination with Mayor Pedro Joaquín Delbouis, of Cozumel, through strategic alliances, to position Mérida and the Quintana Roo municipality in the current tourist preference, more oriented towards domestic tourism and not large concentrations.
The Cozumel mayor confirmed the importance of promoting regional tourism from the municipalities and highlighted the support and collaboration with the municipal president of Merida in this regard.
Barrera Concha stressed the role of municipalities in generating tourism since they are in charge of receiving and providing services that meet the needs of visitors.
—It is a fact that those who travel do not do it “to a state”, but to a city and that is what can best be positioned in brand and name to attract tourism, ”he stated.
Barrera Concha highlighted the inclusion of Mérida in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network based on its gastronomy.
—There are only 36 cities in the world that have been admitted to that network and that is also of primary importance because there is a tourism sector that travels exclusively for gastronomic interest and as Mérida is part of that network, it becomes one of the most sought-after destinations from that sector, ”he added.
He also indicated that innovative programs that use technology allow offering greater attractions for tourism, such as the augmented reality that recently premiered at the Monument to the Homeland and through which the visitor receives immediate historical information, through an application, with just position your cell phone on the part of the monument you want.
“This program represents a great contribution to tourism and to the conservation and dissemination of the historical memory of Mérida,” he said.
In his speech, the Director of Economic Development and Tourism of the City Council, Eduardo Seijo Solís, highlighted the importance of generating innovative tourist offers to meet the new demands and changes caused by the pandemic in this sector.
We must not lose sight of, he said, that the final satisfaction of the visitor is the responsibility of the municipalities, as well as increasing health, hygiene, and mobility measures.
“We are the municipalities that know in depth the attractions, benefits, and strengths of municipalities as tourist destinations and it will be decisive for this sector that we participate in the development of strategies at the federal level to attract visitors,” he said.
The municipal presidents Solidaridad, Laura Beristain Navarrete, and Tulum, Víctor Maas Tah, both from Quintana Roo, also participated in the discussion. Javier Treviño, general director of Public Policies of the CCE; Armando Quintero Martínez, president of CONAMM; Nathan Poplawsky, president of CANACO CDMX and José Manuel López Campos, president of Concanaco Servytur, as well as representatives of the organizations of the Business Coordinating Council, among others.
