Earnings in international tourism up 6.9 percent in seven months

Mexico’s inflow of international tourism raked in over $5.7 billion worth of revenues in the first seven months of the ongoing year for a formidable 6.9 percent spike compared to the same span of time in 2002, Mexican tourism minister Rodolfo Elizondo indicated. The country’s leisure industry produces 8.3 percent of its Gross National Product and creates some 1.8 million jobs.

Mr. Elizondo explained that between January and July this year, Mexico welcomed 10.9 million foreign visitors and the country turned out a walloping surplus of over $2.1 billion.

The Mexican Minister recognized “the current timeframe can’t any harder. However, Mexico’s upshots in this particular field bear watching and we’re going to do things even better by strengthening our strategy to reactivate the domestic market and capture more money and investment from overseas.”

Mr. Elizondo added the government’s strategy points to a much heftier promotion of the sector and more aggressive advertisement of international competitiveness in terms of Mexico’s cuisine, tourist and cultural traditions.

Last year, Mexico scooped 19.7 million foreign tourists who left way over $8.8 billion. Authorities are confident to outnumber that figure and crack the $9 billion plateau later this year.

Tourism stands for the nation’s third-largest source of hard-currency income after oil exports and money remittances sent by Mexican citizens living in the United States.