“The truth is that tourists are still coming to Yucatan by the thousands,” said the State Secretary of Tourism Development, Michelle Fridman Hirsch, in reference to the situation in Chichén Itzá, in which the tour operators from Quintana Roo are supposed to be conducting a “boycott” against this important archaeological site.
“Since the day of the alleged boycott the number of visitors has not decreased. We are working for the wellbeing of the Yucatan, so things should go well. We will see the results at the end of the year,” she said.
Fridman Hirsch also acknowledged that the contribution of visitors from the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (AMAAV) it is very important, but tourism continues to arrive in significant numbers and from Mérida and some from Quintana Roo.
“We want Chichén to be in the best conditions to receive millions of visitors and for that reason we had to increase the cost of the admission fee,” the secretary said. “Chichén had a significant lag in this sense and basically, in comparison with other wonders of the modern world, the fee is still way below the average rate per person,” Fridman Hirsch added.
The official said she understands the annoyance of travel agents and tour operators of the AMAAV and therefore the Sefotur serves as a mediator between the government of the State and these agencies, but the Yucatán government is not reversing that decision.
Michelle Fridman admitted that the tour operators from Quintana Roo complain about poor services in the premises and the local hostel, but said that is precisely the purpose of the increase, to develop the projects and plans designed by this government in order to provide a world-class service.
Sefotur has already analyzed and studied the Chichen Itza Master Plan that the former state administration of Governor Rolando Zapata Bello made, but they had to modify it because some technical aspects are viable and others need to be carried out urgently.
TYT Newsroom with information from yucatan.com.mx