Mexico Maintains Open Door Policy To Promote Tourism

Mexico upholds security measures as a priority to guarantee the health and wellbeing of its international visitors, through an open-door policy, preventing crowds in its main destinations.

Until now, Mexico has followed the recommendations of both the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to favor the recovery of the national tourism industry, as the most affected sector by the closure of borders and isolationist policies adopted by many countries.

As for the pandemic, government authorities agreed with private companies on three basic actions: not to close air borders to visitors from any country, implement health protocols, and continue the vaccination process.

As a result, Mexico became the second most visited country in the world in 2021, according to the UNWTO, with 31.9 million tourists. Only France saw more. In fact, in 2020, Mexico had already ranked as the third most visited country, with 24.3 million tourists, surpassing France and Italy, in the first two places, respectively.

The Ministry of Tourism explained that Mexico went from third to second among the most visited countries in the world thanks to the fact that it did not close its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mexico's most notable advance was registered from 2019 to 2020 when the country went from seventh to third place in the rankings.

"Around the world, many millions of jobs and businesses depend on a strong and thriving tourism sector in countries at all development levels. Tourism has also been a driving force in protecting natural and cultural heritage, preserving them for future generations to enjoy," said Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary General of UNWTO.

From the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, Mexico established guidelines for reopening tourism, covering air transport, land transport, cruise ships, hotels, restaurants, sun and beach destinations, stadiums, water parks, theaters and museums.

The measures aimed to favor the flow of both national and international tourists, with adequate security measures but without closing Mexico's borders, as it was recommended not only by the UNWTO but by other agencies such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

The guidelines, prepared by the Mexican government, gathered in 129 pages the main recommendations to reinforce personal hygiene and avoid the risk of contagion as much as possible, mainly for foreign visitors. The document was distributed among representatives of the industry and can be consulted by anyone since its access is public.

All companies linked to tourism had to adhere to these provisions to sanitize areas, establish filters, use personal protective equipment, promote personal hygiene, and healthy distance between people, avoiding crowds.

In the busiest airports such as Mexico City, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, these measures were adopted in transit areas, with security filters and applying protocols before boarding an aircraft to protect both passengers and the crew.

Mexico's secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marques, pointed out that these guidelines are aligned with others established simultaneously in Canada and the United States.

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