Mexico’s secretary of tourism, Enrique de la Madrid, was en route to Tourism Expo Japan, aka JATA, when news reached him that a strong earthquake had shaken Mexico City.
He landed and, as quickly as possible, returned home.
It has been a challenging year for the secretary. Even before two earthquakes struck the country in quick succession, its tourism industry had been playing defense against a lot of bad press, including allegations of tainted alcohol at resorts, violence in Los Cabos, price gouging by emergency medical facilities, corrupt policing, resort managers who are indifferent to serious incidents and an increase in anti-American sentiment among Mexicans.
But Monday, the country is throwing some offense into the mix, launching its first new major marketing campaign in four years: “Mexico, a World of Its Own.”
Many destination tourism boards have a protocol of shutting down all promotion in the aftermath of a dramatic event, yet Monday, five days after a strong earthquake that has dominated international news cycles, the first marketing campaign in four years will be launched
“The date had already been set, and at the end of the day, the main destinations of the country had not been affected at all,” he said. “And even in Mexico City, the tourist areas were not affected. We decided it was more important than ever to let everyone know we’re still standing. If people are wondering how to help support Mexico, the answer is to travel to Mexico.”
He maintained that the capital city was open for business.
“It’s such a big city, and 38 buildings fell down, mostly in areas tourists would not have visited,” he said. “We’re reviewing the condition of others. But in terms of tourism, only 4,000 of 50,000 rooms were evacuated or are under review. Our infrastructure was mostly unaffected. It’s very sad that 100 people died [in Mexico City]. Each life is very important. But this is a city of 20 million. I’m willing to say that not only is the rest of Mexico good to visit right now, but so is Mexico City.”
The new campaign will focus on the “megadiversity” found in the country, both its places and its citizens.
“We have 50 million indigenous people living here, 64 native languages,” de la Madrid said. “And also high-quality service, romance tourism, medical and wellness tourism, meetings, a modern capital. We want travelers to not only explore the country but learn about themselves.”
