VZCZCXRO7669
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #1177/01 0622045
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 032045Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9416

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 001177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SENV MX
SUBJECT: ECOTOURISM IN MEXICO LACKING GOVERNMENT SUPPORT 
AND COMMUNITY BUY-IN TO TAKE OFF 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  Mexico has experienced record years in tourism 
in both 2004 and 2005.  Always looking for areas to improve 
the already strong industry, many in Mexico support 
ecotourism with hopes that the diversity of Mexico's 
environment can assist in the economic advancement of local 
and indigenous groups while providing similar economic 
revenues that it did in other Latin countries.  While the 
potential for ecotourism exists, the Mexican Secretariat of 
Tourism (SECTUR) continues to mostly focus its resources on 
traditional beach tourism and community groups have yet to 
develop adequate networks and buy-in to allow ecotourism to 
occupy a larger portion of Mexico's tourist industry.  The 
Mexican ecotourism sector essentially operates ad hoc with 
private parties attempting to have as much success as 
possible with limited resources while the GOM action in the 
sector is highly disorganized.  END SUMMARY. 
 
SECTUR STILL DEFINING ITS ROLE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Econoff met with Lilia Rueda Garcia, Director for the 
Development of Alternative Tourism at SECTUR on February 3. 
According to Rueda Garcia, President Fox called for tourism 
to be diversified to include ecotourism when elected and is 
the first President to provide a budget for ecotourism (USD 
3.8 million, 17 percent of federal funds dedicated to 
ecotourism), although SECTUR's budget as a whole has declined 
during his administration.  From 2002 to 2004 SECTUR 
attempted to expand ecotourism by constructing infrastructure 
(cabanas and methods of access) mostly in 27 protected areas 
near already popular tourist destinations where ecotourism 
was seen as a possibility.  Rueda Garcia could not state if 
the infrastructure had increased ecotourism.  The Secretariat 
has since moved on to other areas of ecotourism development 
including the development of technical and business training 
materials.  The agency will release its ten-year ecotourism 
plan next month but admits there is a long way to go. 
 
¶3.  Eleven government agencies (the Ministry of Tourism, 
Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of 
Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, fisheries and 
Food, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Economy, 
Mexican Tourism Promotion Council, National Tourism Fund, 
National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, National 
Forestry Commission, National Commission for the Development 
of Indigenous Towns, Rural Financing and the National Fund 
for Solidarity Businesses) have some ecotourism component in 
their budget (total federal budget  for ecotourism of  USD 
22.4 million) making it difficult to determine what is being 
funded by whom.  SECTUR is only recently attempting to 
complete an inventory of ecotourism providers and admits that 
it is nearly impossible to obtain information from all 
indigenous and community groups.  No current system exists to 
determine the amount of revenue from ecotourism due in part 
to many services being provided by private foreign companies. 
 Rueda Garcia believes it will be difficult to improve the 
world's view of ecotourism in Mexico without improvements in 
security/insurance, certification  and training of providers 
and increased promotion.  Promotion must also occur 
domestically according to Rueda Garcia to teach Mexicans that 
there is more to tourism than the beach.  Similar to many 
industries in Mexico, SECTUR noted that government incentives 
are needed in order to expand ecotourism.  The vast majority 
of ecotourism is done by foreigners with Mexicans 
participating in "typical" beach and ocean tourism in Mexico. 
 
AN ASSOCIATION OF WILL BUT NOT RESOURCES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The Mexican Association of Adventure and Ecotourism, is a 
twelve year old organization with 70 members, mostly small 
businesses or communities.  Econoff met with the 
organization's President Wendy Hesketh on January 25. Hesketh 
helped rebuild the organization from near death as its 
members had let its day to day operations fall into disarray. 
She currently runs its out of the offices of her trade show 
promotion business with a staff of one.  Hesketh is the first 
to admit that AMTAVE would like to do more and needs to do 
more to promote ecotourism but does not have the time or 
resources to do so.  According to AMTAVE in the Fox 
administration all social agencies see ecotourism as a 
solution for the economic problems of the indigenous and have 
brought their budgets together in an attempt to do so. 
AMTAVE has a very negative view of SECTUR'S efforts stating 
that SECTUR only completed ecotourism studies because they 
were required to by World Tourism Organization's for the 
International year of ecotourism. 
 
¶5.  Hesketh cited similar problems as SECTUR, noting that 
lack of norms and certification for ecotourism operators will 
prevent it from competing in the world market like Costa 
 
MEXICO 00001177  002 OF 002 
 
 
Rica.  AMTAVE has received funding from the Secretariat of 
the Economy to make a series of DVD's and manuals on opening 
and operating ecotourism businesses.  AMTAVE has also reached 
an agreement with an insurance company that will insure the 
tourism operators if AMTAVE acts as the program 
administrator.  Hesketh has played an active role in seeking 
reform to the tourism law in hopes that ecotourism will be 
recognized.  According to AMTAVE, European tourists will 
continue to go elsewhere as they demand a established 
program, while the proximity of the U.S. makes it an ideal 
market to tap.  Hesketh's term as president ends this summer 
and she has mentioned serving for another year only because 
there is no one to take over. COMMENT.  AMTAVE has expressed 
an interest in working with international groups but it was 
clear to Econoff that its good intentions will have 
difficulty becoming reality without more resources.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
TOURISM BUSINESS WITHOUT BASIC BUSINESS SKILLS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6. Pronatura is a Mexican conservation organization that 
provides some ecotourism services in various parts of Mexico. 
Econoff spoke with its office that connects bird watching 
groups (90 percent from the U.S.) with local guides and 
establishments in Veracruz.  Pronatura provided Econoff with 
data for its services since its inception in 2000.  The data 
demonstrated that revenues fell 67 percent from 2000 to 2004 
and total visitors fell nearly 96 percent in the same period. 
Pronatura admitted that they do not have accurate totals of 
visitors or net revenue figures.  The group explained to 
econoff that it is the responsibility of the individual 
guides or establishments that lodge the tourists to provide 
statistics on how many tourists are received and how much 
revenue they provide. This is often not done by small groups 
or groups that change staff frequently, causing Pronatura to 
often only have data for selected months of the year. 
 
¶7.  Norma Ferriz, director of the program in Veracruz told 
Econoff that none of the direct revenue received by Pronatura 
is returned to the communities.  Pronatura acts as an all 
inclusive tour operator. The communities receive the indirect 
benefits of training in how to handle tourist groups, 
information on tourists who do not demand the all inclusive 
package Pronatura provides, and the ability to provide 
secondary services to the tourists while they are in the 
area.  The organization feels that currently there is little 
domestic ecotourism market as few Mexicans are willing to pay 
a higher price for tourism services or the ability to see 
untainted natural areas.  Ferriz echoed the comments of both 
SECTUR and AMTAVE that until there is more support for 
ecotourism at all governmental levels and coordination 
between public and private organizations and community 
groups, ecotourism will not reach its potential. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8.  Mexico's environmental diversity and the passion with 
which governmental, NGO and private sector tourism contacts 
spoke to Econoff demonstrated the potential for ecotourism in 
Mexico. Whale watching off of the coast of Baja California 
and the monarch butterfly reserves in the states of Mexico 
and Michoacan can be seen as two ecotourism success stories 
that began with struggles. However, the lack of resources, 
basic data on the sector, and basic business practices used 
by the private and not-for-profit sectors strongly show how 
much must be done in order for ecotourism to be a viable 
sector of the tourism industry in Mexico.  Efforts must be 
made to create standard operating procedures for the industry 
and increase public and private partnerships before Mexico 
can hope to have similar success with ecotourism as other 
Latin countries. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA