El boom del turismo mexicano

Hubo 28 muertos en un atentado terrorista realizado en Taba, un resort turístico egipcio de la costa del Mar Rojo, cerca de la frontera con Israel. Ahí estuve hace un año, juntos con varios amigos de Pioneers of Change. Un hermoso lugar, con gente amable. Es de entenderse que los terrotistas ataquen esos lugares: 1) Cercanos a Israel. 2) Llenos de turistas occidentales.
Es una pena que el miedo controle tanto nuestras vidas.

La revista The Economist cuenta en su último número como ese miedo paradójicamente está ayudando al turismo en México, llevandolo a cifras no registradas.

"... tourism in Mexico is booming as never before. Earlier this year, the government announced a record monthly income from tourism of over $1 billion for March. And figures released last month show that this was no freak. The Caribbean side of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula, the country's main tourist earner, boasted 16% more visitors during the first half of this year than in the same period in 2003.

A deputy minister for tourism, Francisco Madrid, explains that because travel has become scarier since 2001, there is “a tendency throughout the world to have holidays nearer home”. This, of course, applies particularly to Americans. Previously, many were put off Mexico by tales of kidnapping, crazy drivers, polluted water and earthquakes. But by comparison with the rest of the world, Mexico, it seems, is an oasis of tranquillity.

Some of its resorts, such as Cancún, have long been popular with the gringos, especially the rowdy and legless “spring-breakers”. But these days it is working harder to pitch its abundant wealth of Mayan ruins and colonial towns to a more discerning and older tourist market. Four-fifths of Mexico's tourist visitors are now Americans.The market in cruises, though, is booming more than anything. With 6.6m passengers coming ashore last year, Mexico has become the most popular cruise-ship destination in the world. The Yucatán's ports alone received 1.8m cruise passengers in the first half of this year, 200,000 up on the same period last year.

Here, the “war on terror” has probably been a big factor. Americans account for about 75% of the world cruise-ship market. They now want to sail safely nearer home. And for the ultra-squeamish, arriving by floating hotel allows them to avoid any contact with Mexican airports, cab-drivers, food or worse. Such is the demand that Mexico is busy building new, dedicated ports along its Caribbean coast."

Es hora de mejorar aeropuertos, taxis, señalizaciones... y una pregunta: ¿porqué la mayoría de los restaurantes en ciudades turísticas - como el mismo DF - no tienen menús bilingües? Se ha avanzado mucho en desarrollar nuevas industrias, como el turismo juvenil de mochila, pero...¿no será hora de darnos cuenta que México puede dar mucho más?