Cancun, Mexico, Mar 13 (EFE).- The growth of Mexico’s tourism industry should help contribute to urban and environmental stability and improve the living conditions of local residents, the Quintana Roo state tourism secretary said here Tuesday.
During the inauguration in Cancun of a forum on Mexico’s hotel sector, organized by EFE and Banco Sabadell Mexico, Marisol Vanegas said it was necessary to not only help generate tourism flows but also to translate tourism growth into progress regarding access to social services, environmental protection and public safety.
Vanegas advocated a planning policy that takes into account “how many hotel rooms should be built” in a certain area so that a balanced development is achieved to “improve the population’s well-being.”
“It is our responsibility to produce healthy and balanced tourist cities, in which the living conditions of the local population take center stage,” she said.
Banco Sabadell Mexico managing director Francesc Noguera said Cancun and the Riviera Maya are an “unrivaled destination” thanks to conditions such as their exceptional geographic location.
The roughly 39 million international travelers who visited Mexico last year spent a record $21 billion, an 8.6 percent growth compared to 2016.
Cancun has become a major destination and port of entry for tourists, with its international airport registering the arrival of more than 7.5 million foreign tourists last year.