Invite: Today, Tues March 20th - Enhancing Mexican Tourism to the United States

Please join us today as our 21st Century Border Initiative looks into the economic impact tourism from Mexico is having on the US economy, and offers suggestions for how best to increase it in the years ahead. At the event we will be unveiling a new NPI report, "Enhancing Mexican Tourism to the United States by Facilitating Gateways and Corridors."

Joining us for this lunch time discussion will be:

Erik Lee – Deputy Director, North American Center for Transborder Studies
Eduardo Chaillo - Executive Director, Mexico Tourism Board
David M. Huether -  Senior Vice President, Research, U.S. Travel Association

This event will take place today, Tuesday, March 20th, noon at NDN, 729 15th Street, NW in Washington, DC.  Seating is limited for the event so please, RSVP today to reserve your spot.  You will be able to watch a live video feed of the event starting at 1215pm that day by visiting our spreecast channel.

This event comes in time to help inform a recent Presidential executive order designed to significantly increase travel and tourism in the United States. As we look to increase domestic tourism, increasing tourism from Mexico should be a major priority for our new national strategy.  Consider:

  • The pathways for trade and tourism are already well established.  Mexico is the United States’ third largest trading partner, second largest export market and sends the US over 13 million tourists each year, the 2nd most of any country in the world.  
  • Mexico is a big country, its economy is growing and it is nearby.  Mexico is one of the fastest growing economies in the OECD and will in the years to come have many more citizens capable of both value and high-value tourism in the United States.  It is the 11th largest country in the world, the 12th largest economy and there are more Mexicans living close to the United States than any other country in the world.  
  • Deepening family ties will drive even more tourism to the US.  With the US population now of 10 percent Mexican descent, and growing rapidly, deepening family ties between our two countries will give millions of Mexicans even more compelling reasons to visit the US – the chance to visit their families.    
  • Despite High Numbers of Tourists Mexico is Under performing. Mexico sends 6 million fewer tourists a year to the US than Canada does, a country with one third the population.  So it stands to reason that with a new strategy the US could significantly increase the annual flow of tourists from Mexico.

Taken together we believe it makes a great deal of sense for the US to make expanding tourism from Mexico one of the highest priorities of our new national tourism strategy.  

We hope to see you today at lunch, and do look for the report on our website later today.