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Mexico's Tourism
The numbers and revenue show that sports enthusiasts are increasingly
traveling to Mexico to get their hearts pumping and muscles moving. Both amateur
and professional athletes are contributing to the ever-continuing expansion of
Mexico's sports tourism segment.
Many sports benefit from Mexico's natural beauty and unique backdrops, a fact
not gone unnoticed by professional sporting event planners. Mexico has recently
hosted many high-profile international sporting events, including Rip Curl's Pro
Search surfing event, part of the Association of Surfing Professionals' Men's
World Championship Tour last June, and the PGA's 2006 Champions Tour's Puerto
Vallarta Blue Agave Golf Classic last March. Upcoming events include the yearly
Mexico City International Marathon in August.
Amateur athletes and sports lovers are also helping to spur Mexico's sports
sector growth. 2005 enjoyed robust numbers, with sports activities pumping
approximately US$1.27 billion into the national economy. Several high-grossing
sports activities which contributed to the impressive overall figure.
In 2005, 600 thousand golfers traveled to Mexico, generating $400 million.
Triathlons attracted 36 thousand travelers to Mexico, who in turn generated US$6
million in 2005.
In 2005, diving and relating activities produced US$200 million in revenue.
Sports fishing reeled in $500 million in 2005.
Bright future forecast for sports tourism
The increased popularity of Mexico's sports tourism sector echoes travel
developments on a global scale. The World Tourism Organization predicts that
sports tourism will be the second most important travel segment by 2020.
Sports tourism's bright future recently prompted Mexico Tourism Secretary
Rodolfo Elizondo to underscore the importance of developing this segment during
a national sports tourism conference.
"Sports tourism plays an important role in the evolution of Mexico's tourism
industry. As we continuously improve infrastructure and sports tourism offerings
on both a local and regional level, Mexico's position as a sports tourism
destination will be solidified, more jobs will be generated and we will attract
investors," he said.
Elizondo went on to mention that Mexico's active support of the sports tourism
sector is part of Sectur's strategy to diversify the country's tourism offerings
beyond its already-successful products like sun and beaches, nature tourism, and
cultural tourism, among others.
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