Tourism needs priority treatment to reduce the impact on the economy says Cicotur

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Tourism will have greater impacts due to the pandemic crisis, which is why it is required to give it a different treatment, Francisco Madrid considered.

Mexican tourism requires special support from the authorities to prevent its fall from further impacting the national economy, warned Francisco Madrid, director of the Anahuac Tourism Competitiveness and Research Center (Cicotur).

Projections for the Mexican economy point to an annual drop of at least 7% in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; However, both this data and the recovery period could further resent the decline if tourism does not receive priority treatment, the specialist warned.

“The big issue is to put tourism as really a priority. The model identified here is that tourism must be a priority, it must be treated differently from other sectors, we are going to find that the impact of tourism is going to be so strong that it is not only that the economy does not give it tourism, but tourism is going to take away from the economy, that is why this public policy would have to be solved both at the federal and local levels, ”explained Madrid.

During 2018, tourism activity in the country contributed 8.7% to GDP, he added.

As of March 2020, when the distancing measures to prevent contagions from the pandemic were just beginning, the economic flow of international tourists fell 48.4% in relation to the same month of 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism.

Therefore, he considered that in addition to the general measures that the private initiative to support the economy is requesting, the support actions must have a special focus on the sector.

“Everything will help, but the point is the nature of the industry in each sector. For example, restaurants have a limited source of income, although there are some that are making an effort for takeaways, and you have enormous pressure on the rental side. A hotel is different where perhaps you do not pay rent, it is not the case of travel agencies, ”said Madrid.

Some states such as Guerrero, Quintana Roo, and Baja California Sur, whose economies revolve around tourism, have implemented special fiscal stimulus measures focused on the tourism sector.

In April, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) urged the G-20 governments to give priority attention to this tertiary activity, which contributes more than 10% of world GDP worldwide.

In its proposal of 23 measures to address the crisis in the industry without chimneys, such as promoting investment through financial incentives and the constant evaluation of travel restriction policies, as well as stimulating employment and economic recovery in the sector.

A special group for tourism revival ready Tuesday afternoon, during a cabinet meeting prior to the presentation of the plan to return to the new normal this Wednesday by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, it was agreed to install a special group to restart sector operations.

“The secretaries and secretaries accepted the proposal of the Governor of Guerrero, Héctor Astudillo Flores, to form a special working group to deal with issues of tourist revival and employment in the sector, which will be led by the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués ”, Explained the Ministry of Economy in a statement.

Source: forbes.mx

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