Cancun, Quintana Roo, (April 28, 2021).- Working in synergy with federal and municipal authorities and the private initiative was and will continue to be key in the success of strategies for the mitigation of the pandemic and the tourist and economic reactivation in Yucatán, affirmed Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal, when participating in the panel “The Vision of the State”, within the framework of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Summit.
During the panel, from where the role of nations, states, and localities in promoting the sustainable and inclusive recovery of their tourist destinations was analyzed, the moderator Arturo Sarukhan, who is president of Sarukhan + Associates, highlighted the importance of the work carried out by the Government of Mauricio Vila Dosal in the fight against the pandemic and the economic damage it has left, especially in the tourism sector.
Likewise, the businessman highlighted the balance maintained between federal and state regulations, since they have resulted in more successful strategies.
In his speech, the Governor stressed that for the Government of Yucatan, health has always been the priority and an issue that goes outside of politics, so it has sought to balance federal and state provisions, adding to them the participation of the private sector, along with municipal governments, so that strategies focused on the evolution of the pandemic in the state and the specific scenarios of the 106 municipalities of the entity are generated.
“Nobody better than those of us who live here knows the challenges of the pandemic in the state, that is why we have maintained a very healthy relationship with the Federal Government, seeking a balance to face together the challenges of the pandemic and recovery of Yucatán ”, affirmed Vila Dosal.
The Governor indicated that their own protocols have been created in Yucatán, but aligned with federal regulations, which has resulted in good biosafety practices, which have been endorsed by the WTTC and have also been homologated with the neighboring state of Quintana Roo, to give the message that, regardless of the situation in the rest of the country, this region is safe to visit.
On the other hand, Vila Dosal explained that, between March and August of last year, 25 thousand jobs were lost in Yucatan. However, up to date, 10 thousand have been recovered with the reactivation of tourist activities. And the recovery of jobs continues on the rise in Yucatan.
On the same topic, the Governor pointed out that, in this job recovery process, the Government has reiterated that it is only a facilitator of the conditions for companies to decide to invest in the territory since they are the generators of job sources. “Thus, working hand in hand with companies to reactivate the economy together.”
On the subject of sustainability, Vila Dosal asserted that, in Yucatán, it has been fundamental in the economic, tourist, and social development policy and, therefore, our State Development Plan is aligned with the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) established in the UN 2030 Agenda, which has allowed us to decentralize the tourism product to bring investments and employment in the field to the different municipalities.
With this vocation; we create policies to make tourism inclusive and accessible to all; and we preserve the natural and patrimonial heritage that makes us a land rich in biodiversity, culture, history, and identity.
It should be noted that the Governor shared this space with Jaqueline Mora, Vice Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic; Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism; as well as Claudia Cornejo, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru; and Roger Dow, president, and CEO of the US Travel Association; who participated in a virtual meeting.
As part of the meetings held this day within the framework of the Summit, Vila Dosal spoke with Arnold Donald, CEO of the Carnival cruise line, a shipping company that, only in 2019, before the pandemic, brought to the state a total of 420,712 cruise passengers to the state, who indicated the intention of the firm that, once the restart of operations in this segment is allowed, Yucatan will be considered in its itineraries.
They also spoke about the expectations for this shipping company to return to Progreso as soon as possible since the Yucatan state government has been working on improving the port, as well as its urban image.
Similarly, the Governor met with the president and CEO of MSC Cruises, Richard Sasso, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, who affirmed that operations in Puerto Progreso continue, with which the cruise line reiterated its interest in that destination, when epidemiological conditions allow it and everything is safe for travelers, Yucatán will continue to be included in their itineraries.
There, the Governor highlighted the competitive advantages offered by the Port of Progreso so that, once the activity in this segment restarts, vessels will be arriving in state territory again.
They also spoke about the operations that were planned in the state before the pandemic, as well as the protocols and strategies that have been undertaken to make Yucatan a destination where health is protected.
Finally, Vila Dosal held a meeting with the president of the National Tourism Business Council (CNET), Braulio Arsuaga Losada, to whom he presented the capabilities and advantages that Yucatán has to be considered in private investment tourism projects in segments such as those related to hotels, tourist transport, conventions, and meetings, as well as supply stores.
In this sense, the Governor highlighted the importance of the participation of the private sector in promoting the recovery of the tourism industry in the state, for which he invited him to consider the Yucatan as an ideal place to visit and invest.
Accompanied by the head of the Tourism Development Secretariat (Sefotur), Michelle Fridman, Vila Dosal explained the situation of the economic reactivation and tourism in Yucatán, as well as the measures and strategies that have been applied in the management of the pandemic.
