Athul LalLondon: The Mexican state of Yucatán witnessed a 17.6 per cent increase in visitors in 2018 than the previous year. Michelle Fridman, Yucatán Minister of Tourism, said the region registered some of the highest levels of growth in Mexico, with foreign tourists coming mostly from Europe and North America. She has attributed the growth to the State’s safety and security aspects and its wealth of authentic heritage assets.
“Yucatán has now emerged as the safest State in Mexico. Our safety standards are comparable to Sweden and Finland. Yucatán’s capital city, Mérida was recently selected as the second safest city in the continent,” she said. A well-kept secret in Mexico till recently, Yucatán has now started aggressively promoting the destination. Yucatán’s highlight is the 18 archaeological zones involving the great Mayan civilisation. Chichen Itza, a UNESCO® World Heritage Zone, is listed among the seven new wonders of the world and features Pyramid of Kukulkan. A visit to Yucatán would not be complete without a visit to the haciendas, the erstwhile cartels, which were infamous for the henequen business. Today, many of those haciendas have been converted to luxury resorts or museums, giving the tourists an opportunity to experience the colonial era. Cenotes – natural wells with crystal clear water – are another big attraction of Yucatán. The region has around 3600 Cenotes, either open, closed or semi-closed. However, only around 100 sites are opened for tourism activities.
Yucatán is now looking to tap India market. Though chartered flights operate between New Delhi and Cancun, Yucatán is yet to get into the list of Indian tourists. “We are really looking at exploring the India market. However, we are yet to chart out a concrete plan of action in terms of doing marketing and promotion activities in India. As a first step, we are targeting the Indian communities in the US who are planning a vacation to Mexico. Once destination becomes popular among them, it would be easier for us to crack the India market also,” she said.
