Mexico’s tourism secretary, Josefina Rodriguez Zamora, who has been in office for just over a month, highlighted in London the importance for the sector of the 2026 World Cup, which her country will host alongside the United States and Canada.
“The World Cup is very important. We are already working with FIFA on tourism issues. Giving visibility to the states that, despite not being World Cup venues, have the spotlight and that allows visitors (to the event) to spread from north to south,” the secretary told AFP, who is attending the World Travel Market tourism fair in London.
The country will have three host cities at this sporting event, which will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026: Mexico City, where the tournament’s opening match will be played, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
With almost half a million visitors in 2023, the United Kingdom is Mexico’s fourth largest tourist market, behind the United States, Canada and Colombia, and the head of tourism is on her first official trip to this fair, one of the most important in the world in the sector, after being appointed in the new government of Claudia Sheinbaum.
Mexico City, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Merida are the four main destinations for British tourists in the Aztec country.
“The London fair allows us to promote products such as the Mayan Train, which are new, which allow this community tourism and for tour operators to have new experiences, which greatly enriches Mexico’s offer,” said Josefina Rodríguez Zamora.
Sixth most visited country
According to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico is the sixth most visited country in the world, with some 42.2 million travelers, and this activity contributes 8.5% to the GDP.
“The great challenge in this six-year term is to work to raise that position,” said the Secretary of Tourism, who at 35 years old is the youngest member of her country’s government.
According to figures from Sectur, the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, in the first eight months of the year the arrival of 29 million international tourists was recorded, with an increase of 5.5% compared to 2023.
We are looking for more actions for the markets that we already have, to have greater consolidation in them and to look for emerging markets, with new policies such as sports tourism,” added Josefina Rodríguez Zamora.
The Secretary of Tourism held various business meetings at the fair, which is held in London between Tuesday and Thursday, to promote her country.
“Tourism in Mexico is in very good health because we are in a great moment of market diversification,” she explained.
“In Mexico, the quality of its people stands out, the history we have. In every magical town, in every corner, there is something to know, there is something to live, there is something to try above all,” she concluded.
Source: eleconomista
