VisitBritain today announced that it has signed an agreement with the Mexico Tourism Board to help boost tourist flow between the two countries. This comes immediately after Los Cabos G20 summit at which the world’s leaders, for the first time, recognised the power of tourism to create jobs and generate economic growth.
The memorandum of understanding was signed at the InterContinental Hotel in Mexico City by Christopher Rodrigues, Chairman of VisitBritain, and Gloria Guevara Manzo, the Mexican Minister of Tourism and head of the Mexico Tourism Board. Prime Minister David Cameron is currently visiting Mexico where he led the mission and is attending the G20 summit.
Under the agreement, the UK and Mexico will develop tourism initiatives with an emphasis on luxury travel, adventure, nature, beach, sport and cultural tourism.
Christopher Rodrigues, Chairman of VisitBritain said: “Tourism is an industry that can deliver growth and jobs to both Mexico and Britain, at a time when the global economic environment looks challenging. Latin America is of increasing significance to Britain as we look to deliver an economic legacy from the global showcasing that will result from hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We look forward to working closely with the Mexican Tourism Board to share key insights which will enable us to build on a Mexican inbound industry which is worth £57 million to the UK economy each year.”
The agreement will also see VisitBritain provide insight into destination marketing, encourage greater exchange of skills across the industry, and help foster cooperation between Mexico and the UK on tourism specific investment opportunities.
Key Mexico facts-
- Number of visits to UK by Mexican residents in 2011 was 78,000
- These visits generated £57m to the UK economy
- Number of visits to Mexico by UK residents in 2011 was 300,000.
- These visits generated £232m worth of spending by UK residents in Mexico, with average spend of a little under £800
- There are visits to Mexico by UK residents throughout the year, but with a peak in July to September, which accounts for one-third of all visits
- The overwhelming majority of visits by UK residents are for a holiday, accounting for 92% of all visits.
