¡Viva México!

with Caroline Booth

"What we want to do is showcase the best of Mexico for our
partners," said Rodrigo Esponda of the Mexican Tourist Board
welcoming industry guests to a recent cultural showcase. Esponda acknowledged that its Canadian travel partners are
responsible for sending millions of tourists to Mexico, and for that the
Tourist Board wanted to give thanks.

And what an impressive showcase it was. 300 guests were invited to partake in a celebration of Mexican gastronomy and culture at
Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum. VIPs included Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, CEO of
Mexico’s Tourist Board Francisco Suarez, the Ambassador of Mexico in Canada and Toronto-based
Consul Generals from 9 different countries.

The main attraction this evening was an exclusive viewing of ¡Viva
Mexico!,
an exhibit featuring Mexican clothing, textiles and art from the
18th, 19th and 20th centuries spanning all regions of the country. Comprised of
close to 200 pieces it is one of the largest and most important collections in
the world, and what makes it even more special is that few textiles from this
collection have ever been displayed. Visitors can see complete costume
ensembles, rebozos, sarapes, beadwork, embroidery and more, and will learn that
the evolution of Mexican fashion reflects the country’s history. Contemporary
Mexican textiles owe their style to a mix of European, Mayan and Aztec
traditions.

The ROM exhibit has been running since May and will continue until May
2016. “The museum welcomes a million visitors each year so we can be assured
that 1 million people will see the exhibit, which is a very unique opportunity.
We want to invite people to see Mexico besides the beaches,” added Esponda.

During his speech, Lopez Negrete said he was pleased to report
that Mexico continues to beat records in international tourism, outpacing world
tourism by almost double. In the 1st 5 months of this year the destination had
already reached
1/2 of its typical yearly target, putting visitor attendance for 2015
on track as a banner year.

According to Lopez Negrete, Mexico’s ability to expand its reach
includes an increase in air connectivity from Canada to Mexico out of 25
hubs to 12 different airports throughout the country. Cancun airport has been
upgrading with a new terminal 4 and has undergone expansions at terminal
s 2 and
3. In Los Cabos, new hotel rooms are under construction and will see the
reopening of 11 hotels from now
thru 2017.

Despite the impressive statistics Mexico is determined to do
better. “Canada is a priority market,” said Lopez Negrete. By the end of 2015
the Tourist Board together with its partners will have invested close to $10
million towards marketing and promotional efforts.

“Mexico has been recognized by UNESCO for its cultural heritage,
but it has been a struggle to convince people of
its depth
and scope and
also
that our
gastronomy goes well
beyond the Tex/Mex taco shells,” said Ambassador Suarez.

With some of the best restaurants and top chefs in the world,
Mexico has much to show off and be proud of and will continue to work at
putting gastronomy in the forefront. “We know for a fact that it is a driver to
entice people to travel,” said Lopez Negrete.

During this special evening guests had an opportunity to sample
some flavourful bites prepared by Chefs Arturo Fernandez Montes de Oca from
Central Mexico and Jonatan Gomez Luna Torres from Riviera Maya who was the
winner of Iron Chef Canada in 2012.

With so much to offer Mexico will
surely continue to see record numbers of Canadians coming in search of not only sun and sand but
culture and delicious cuisine
as well
.