During the second meeting of the Tourism Diplomacy Council (TDC) in 2021, the leadership of the Council passed from Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco to Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. It will be coordinated by the Foreign Ministry’s area for strategy and public diplomacy from August 28, 2021, to August 28, 2022.
The TDC is a forum for consulting and gathering opinions on strategies to position Mexico in international markets. It also looks for ways to collaborate with the Tourism Ministry to promote tourism in Mexico.
The Foreign Secretary highlighted Mexico’s commitment to ensuring a universal supply of and access to vaccines, which will help restart tourism and businesses; the Mexico Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai that will showcase Mexico’s economy, culture, cuisine and tourism; and the expansion of Mexico’s consular services.
Secretary Torruco said that innovation, connectivity and multi-destination products are the Tourism Ministry’s three areas of focus internationally and that it is working hand-in-hand with the Foreign Ministry within the guidelines of the Collaboration Agreement signed by both ministries.
“I am deeply grateful to Marcelo Ebrard for his readiness, at all times, to join forces with the Tourism Ministry to carry out the work entrusted to us by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” said Secretary Torruco, as he handed over the digital memory with the TDC’s work under the leadership of the Tourism Ministry.
In September 2020, the two ministries launched the Permanent Tourism Observatory (PTO), a collaborative forum for Mexico’s representations abroad (MRA). The PTO has held seminars on tourism products and destinations; international fairs; familiarization trips; and strategic meetings with business executives and furthered the joint work of the federal, state and municipal governments and the private sector.
The Executive Director of Strategy and Public Diplomacy, Alfonso Zegbe, stressed the importance of communication and forward-looking coordination with the MRAs, in addition to diplomatic innovation and public diplomacy to strengthen Mexico’s presence globally. He said that some of the aims of public diplomacy are: to develop a country narrative focused on promoting Mexico’s ideals, values and representative aspects; strengthening dialogue; and listening to and influencing public opinion to create or strengthen bridges with people abroad, which will help position Mexico as a key actor beyond its borders.
The Director-General of the Matías Romero Institute, Alejandro Alday, said that since 2019 and in collaboration with the Institute of Tourism Competitiveness (ICTUR), 400 people have been trained in the basics of tourism promotion, including the heads of Mexico’s embassies, consulates and liaison offices; officials from both ministries; Senate members and local government authorities.
The Director-General of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, Luis Gutiérrez, highlighted the work done by our communities abroad. Mexico’s ties with the diaspora are important for its public diplomacy and for spreading Mexico’s culture in other countries, in addition to being an important catalyst for exchanges in various fields.
Attending on behalf of the Tourism Ministry were the Undersecretary for Quality and Regulation, Humberto Hernández Haddad, and TDC Technical Secretary and head of the International Affairs and Cooperation Unit, Emmanuel Rey.
The coordinators of the TDC’s specialized committees reported on the work done by the council. In attendance were: the coordinators of the Tourism Marketing Intelligence Committee, Marcos Achar; Strategic Partnerships Committee, José Lucio Rodríguez; Emergency Response and Crisis Management Committee, Luis Barrios; Products and Segments Communication Committee, Lourdes Berho; and Mexico Image Management Committee, Juan Carlos Rivera.
The Director-General of Visit Mexico, Carlos Gonzalez, and Aeromar Commercial Director Juan Ignacio Rosello were also present, as were the heads of various Mexican representations abroad.
Foreign Secretary Ebrard ended the meeting by expressing his appreciation for the leadership role entrusted to him, saying that he would strive to fulfil the Council’s goals.”
