The arrival of Chinese tourists to Mexico triples

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Between 2012 and 2018 they went from 47 thousand 810 to 167 thousand 663 tourists, however, only 0.8% of visitors

Yesterday, the secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués, concluded his first working tour in China, with the intention of attracting visitors from this nation, since it is the second international travelers who most economically leave their vacations, only after the Japanese, with an expense of $ 1,878 on average per stay. 

During the Torruco tour, both nations pledged to boost air connectivity between countries, with new routes and more flight frequencies, in addition to expediting visa procedures for tourists and expanding the teaching of the Mandarin Chinese language, to meet the growing demand for tourist services. 

Between 2012 and 2018, Chinese tourism — which appreciates cruises, casinos, and luxury brands — more than tripled, from 47,810 to 167,663 tourists, which amounts to an increase of 250 percent, as well as an annual average increase of 23.3 percent in that period. 

Last year, tourists from the People’s Republic of China ranked as the fifteenth passenger-issuing market to Mexico, while in July 2019 they advanced to position 14, according to information from the Migration Policy Unit of the Ministry of the Interior. 

Currently, Chinese tourists represent 0.8 percent of the international traveler market to our country. 

Tourists from China spend, on average, a week in the country and it is estimated that 9 out of 10 citizens of this country turn to luxury hotels to stay in Mexico and 5 out of 10 of them are between 15 and 34 years old. 

To attract a greater number of tourists from this Asian country, the Sectur enlists the inauguration of an attraction in Mexicali, where the Chinese community built an underground city. 

In this regard, Jaime Salazar, president of the Mexican Council of the Meeting Industry (COMIR), said that it is necessary that Mexico eliminate the visa for travelers of Chinese nationality. 

“If the Secretary of Tourism (Miguel) Torruco wants more Chinese tourists to arrive in Mexico, either on the occasion of events and conventions or for tourism purposes, it is necessary to raise the need to eliminate the visa for visitors of that origin,” he said. 

Salazar said that the elimination of the visa to Chinese citizens will allow for the unhindered exchange and would open the doors for the government of that eastern country to replicate the measure for Mexicans. 

“Visas are regularly ‘mirror’ measures: if one country applies such a restriction, the other also asks for a visa. But if this procedure is eliminated for the Chinese, the same is probably the case for Mexicans, ”explained the president of COMIR. 

On the other hand, the president and director of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Gloria Guevara, said it is necessary to take the necessary measures to attract more Chinese tourists to the country. 

“I do not know fully the Toca Puertas program of the Mexican government, but measures that facilitate the growth of tourists to the country must be taken. If it is to increase the number of (Chinese) travelers, the proposal is welcome, ”he told El Financiero. 

For now, the citizen with Chinese nationality must carry out a visa procedure that contemplates an employment letter specifying the yuan salary that the tourist receives or bank statements to justify the economic solvency. 

If the visa is approved, the eastern traveler can travel through Mexico for a period of 180 days. 

If the visa is eliminated, an increase in tourism is expected. 

Source: informador, sectur

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