VZCZCXRO6898
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #0347 0241319
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241319Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5060
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 2273
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHLA/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS MEXICO 000347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAIR CASC CPAS EIND KHLS MX
SUBJECT: MEXICO TOURISM SECRETARY: NO WORRIES ON WHTI 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The Mexican Secretary of Tourism has said 
that the impact of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative 
(WHTI) on international tourism to Mexico will be minor. 
According to estimates by the Secretariat of Tourism (Sectur), 
Mexico's revenue losses from WHTI will be less than 3 percent 
thanks to public outreach programs implemented by the Secretariat 
across the United States.  The President of the National Business 
Tourism Council agreed that, so far, weather has posed a greater 
threat than the passport requirement. The Consular section only 
received four applications on the first day of implementation 
from travelers who were denied boarding. Sectur anticipates that 
the final phase of implementation involving land border crossings 
will be the most problematic.  Nevertheless, any decrease in 
tourism will conflict with President Felipe Calderon's ambitious 
goals for the sector. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Secretary of Tourism Rodolfo Elizondo has predicted 
that only 318,000 of the 5.3 million U.S. tourists will cancel 
trips to Mexico due to lack of a passport.  He also said that 
Mexico expects to lose only USD 254 million of its annual USD 12 
billion in international tourism revenue due to the new regulations. 
He estimated that only 6 percent of U.S. air passengers to Mexico 
lack a passport. 
 
¶3. (U) He attributed the low level of travelers without 
passports to the extensive education drive led by the Mexican 
Tourism Promotion Council (CPTM). CPTM, which has offices in many 
large U.S. cities, spread the word to locales that are most likely 
to send vacationers to Mexico. They also enlisted the assistance 
of travel agents, hotels, airlines, and other private sector players 
to make sure U.S. citizens were aware of the new requirements in 
time to get the necessary documentation. 
 
¶4. (U) Gordon Viberg, president of the National Business Tourism 
Council, told Econoff that, so far, WHTI has not had an effect on 
bookings for February, March and April. Actual booking figures for 
January and February, as well as better estimates for the busy 
spring break season, however, will be unavailable until March. 
He said that the industry is still recovering from a slow down in 
bookings for December and January due to a combination of unusually 
warm weather in central and northeastern U.S., coupled with bad 
weather in the West. Industry insiders are citing this weather 
for the slow-down, not WHTI. 
 
¶5. (U) On January 22 and 23, Acting American Citizen Services 
(ACS) chief reviewed the new WHTI requirements with airline 
representatives at Mexico City's Benito Juarez International 
Airport.  The airlines were ready to implement the new rules. 
Only one airline knew of any grace period during which those 
without proper documentation would still be allowed entry. 
The Embassy passport unit in Mexico City only had four 
applications on the first day from persons who were denied 
boarding because they lacked a passport. 
 
¶6. (U) The Secretariat of Tourism, along with major industry 
players, feels that WHTI will not have as large of a negative 
effect as previously feared.  While some resorts may see a small 
drop in customers, the industry as a whole will easily weather the 
storm.  Of greater concern is the passport requirement for land 
travel since more than half of U.S. visitors to Mexico cross the 
land border. 
 
¶7.  (U) Mexico's tourism industry has already had its share 
of stumbling blocks with recent natural disasters along the coasts, 
election protests in the capital and political violence in Oaxaca. 
Tourism figures for the first nine months of 2006 show a 2.2 percent 
drop in revenue and a 4.6 percent decrease in visitors.  This 
experience conflicts with new President Felipe Calderon's goal to 
turn Mexico into the 5th ranking world tourism power during his 
six-year administration, a feat that even Secretary Elizondo himself 
believes improbable.  While the WHTI may cause only a small 
reduction in visitors and revenue, any drop in tourism is a step 
away from where the Mexican government wants to be. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
GARZA