Mexico City is perfectly prepared to receive tourists

Paola Félix Díaz, Mexican politician, singer and activist, has been a federal deputy and since 2018 has been the director general of Mexico City's Fondo Mixto de Promoción Turística. She was on Capital Radio's Atalayar programme, on the occasion of participation in the FITUR fair, and explained the importance of reactivating tourism in Mexico, especially in Mexico City, as it is safe to travel from Spain. Mexico City has the WTTC seal of approval for safe tourism and is ready to receive tourists. 

The main objective now is to recover the tourism sector.

It is important what we are experiencing in the tourism sector after this great crisis, the problems that have arisen internationally, the challenge of implementing the new way in which tourism has evolved and is evolving as things progress. We as the capital of Mexico, we are the capital of Mexico City, we have a great challenge and we are excited and happy to be able to be at the formal inauguration of FITUR 20-21 on Wednesday, to be one of the most important cities in the top 10 in the world. And what are we looking for with this? Well, to position ourselves once again, to generate agreements, collaboration agreements, to see the trends, to work with tour operators, with airlines... We know that Spain, in particular, has issued a COVID alert and to travel from Mexico to Spain you need certain measures such as an invitation, in short, there are still limitations, but without a doubt it is great news that we can be here and like other destinations and above all speaking of other states of the Republic, which are also here, we are looking to be involved in tourism again because this represents economic employment, economic exchange...

Right now you can travel from Spain to Mexico for tourism, can't you? I say this because, for example, in the United States this circumstance has not yet been allowed. From Spain we can travel to Mexico City for tourism, for example?

No problem at all. Anyone who wants to travel from Spain to Mexico City can do so. I would like to give you this information: Mexico City has the safe tourism stamp awarded by the World Tourism Council, the WTTC, which is called the "safe travel stamp", which means that Mexico City has the health protocols dictated by the World Health Organisation, which is related to what I have already seen that you have here in Madrid, namely protocols: the mouthpiece, using gel, COVID tests... there are more than 15 protocols that are implemented in Mexico City and that make the city ready to receive tourists. At the moment we are at the yellow traffic light, which means that we are one step away from being in the green. But this does not mean that we are relaxing the measures, what it means is that there is hotel occupancy, that the restaurants are open, that there are theatres, cinemas, museums... That the city has tourist activities and that the companies in the sector, which have to do with the chambers of restaurants, hoteliers, tour operators, travel agencies... are ready to receive international tourists.

FITUR is the big event that Spain looks forward to every year. Mexico is always an important part of FITUR. 

It is extraordinary; we have generated collaboration with the states of the Republic and the beach destinations themselves, so that the first visit is to Mexico City where you find all the tradition, the gastronomy, the culture that we share. We are twinned, Spain and Mexico are twinned, we share a history. And in Mexico City you can find the colonial part, the pre-Hispanic part, and after spending 4-5 days in Mexico City you can go to one of these destinations, which could be the Riviera Maya, which could be Tulum... you mentioned some destinations that are truly extraordinary places, but that in the end there could be continuity and tourism could start to be reactivated. I know that you know better than anyone the importance of tourism and what Mexico City represents, it represents 8% of the GDP and well, the whole of 2020 that was practically at a standstill was a very big blow for everyone from the micro, medium and large businessmen and now with this reactivation we are gradually coming out of it. 

And the Mexican hospitality Paola... The family and historical ties between Spain and Mexico are fantastic and the hospitality of the Mexicans when you travel there is marvellous.

How marvellous, the truth is, yes. One of the things that distinguishes us is precisely that, the hospitality, the warmth that we Mexicans have and well, without a doubt, one of the challenges that I would like to share with you, that the head of government, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum, has to face, has been to promote a campaign of "Mexico Tenochtitlan", which is the seven centuries of history, the history of pre-colonial Mexico and the roots of our origin from the Aztecs and everything that was part of this great empire where there was an economic, hydraulic and health system, but which also includes this attraction. When you arrive in Mexico City you find a world, but there are 16 municipalities and in these municipalities you can find what is now going to be a guiding principle, nature tourism. Open-air spaces, these large parks, these galleries, these exhibition venues with extraordinary views and with a gastronomic route that is also being inaugurated that allows tourists to experience something totally new and that goes hand in hand with the digital part, which is, I believe, one of the main "punches", one of the strongest things that we are going to have to promote our destinations.