The future for tourism in the Sea of Cortez region "looks very good", but the challenge is to do it in a sustainable way and integrating the communities to achieve the prosperitypanelists from the Summit 2022 from Sea of Cortez Forum.
Ernesto Coppel Kellyfounder and chairman of the board of Grupo Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts; Célida López CárdenasSecretary of Sonora; Emilio Hernández Kellypresident of Pacific Monarch Cruises; and David Hidalgo AyalaThe panel, which was moderated by Luis Osuna VidaurriGeneral Director of Grupo Panama.
Célida López Cárdenas emphasized in her participation the signing of the Sea of Cortez Alliance by the presidents of the five states in the region.
"It is the largest public and institutional effort that has been seen in recent decades from the point of view of an agreement between governors and among the many issues that are being addressed in this alliance is tourism," he said.
Sonora's Secretary of Tourism commented that the Sea of Cortez Region must have the ambition to position itself as one of the most important foreign exchange earners in the world, because the five states have a lot to offer.
"We need everyone to understand what the Sea of Cortez brand is. We want Asia, Europe and the world to ask where the Sea of Cortez is, because, just as the Riviera Maya has positioned itself, we have to position the Sea of Cortez in the same way," he said.
He detailed that the region's tourism industry contributes 9.4% of the national GDP of this sector, with Baja California, with 3.4%; Baja California Sur, 1.8%; Sinaloa, 1.7%; Sonora, 1.5%; and Nayarit, 1.1%.
However, in these five states there are 300,000 people living in extreme poverty, and the main task of this Forum is to get them out of this condition, using tourism as a great tool for social reconciliation.
"The challenge is sustainable tourism, which can be achieved first and foremost through the integration of our communities," he said.
Emilio Hernández Kelly suggested integrating the tourism offer of the entire region and creating circuits.
"I know that it has been tried in the past with the Escalera Nautica, it was tried and did not work, some marinas were made, others were white elephants, but perhaps that model was not so viable because of the sustainability part," he said.
David Hidalgo Ayala highlighted the relevance and impact of meetings tourism, which is equivalent to 20% of the tourism industry in general.
"Worldwide it is estimated that 1.5 billion people participate in events every year, equivalent to approximately 25% of humanity, which means that it is equivalent to 10% of the global Gross Domestic Product. In our country it is estimated that around one million jobs are generated and that one out of every four rooms is occupied by a congress, a convention, an incentive, a corporate event, this is the size of this industry," he said.
For regions such as the Sea of CortezThis can be an engine of transformation, not only of development and social and economic impact, but also of a change of mentality, he said.
Coppel Kelly considered that a pandemic that cost blood, sweat and tears has been overcome and, although some companies have accumulated losses, the future looks very good.
"I see the future of the Sea of Cortez, touristically speaking, very well. In 10 more years Los Cabos, the big developments programmed, with their golf courses, are going to be one after the other up to Todos Santos, close together, and on the side of the Gulf (of California) also, up to Bahía de los Muertos, because the conditions are in place for that to happen," he said.
"In Mazatlan there are a crazy number of towers, we counted 42 leaving from the lighthouse by boat to the shrimp, a world of towers that we never thought we would have".
The hotel businessman predicted permanent growth, with its challenges, such as the supply of drinking water and energy services, which is the only brake that tourism in the region could have.
