Interview with Josefina Rodríguez Zamora
Secretary of Tourism of the United Mexican States
Embedded Files
Josefina Rodríguez Zamora
Secretary of Tourism of the United Mexican States
(Exclusive interview for the World Religious Tourism Network)
Josefina Rodríguez Zamora has served as Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism since 2024 and is a member of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s cabinet. Born in Tlaxcala, she holds a degree in Business Administration and has completed postgraduate studies in senior management. Prior to assuming her federal role, she served as Secretary of Tourism for the state of Tlaxcala beginning in 2021, where she promoted strategies to strengthen local tourism activity.
Her career combines experience in both the private sector and public administration, enabling her to develop a comprehensive vision of tourism. Her management approach focuses on promoting tourism as a driver of social well-being, fostering inclusion, sustainability, innovation, and balanced regional development across Mexico. She also seeks to position the country as a competitive international destination through effective public policies and institutional collaboration.
Mexico possesses a profound spiritual and religious heritage that attracts millions of pilgrims each year. How does the Ministry of Tourism assess the economic and cultural impact generated by religious tourism in host communities across the country?
Religious tourism in Mexico is a force for social cohesion and a major economic driver. Each year, more than 40 million people travel for faith-based reasons, generating an estimated economic impact of 20 billion pesos. This flow stimulates local economies through accommodation, gastronomy, and handicrafts, while also preserving ancestral traditions that strengthen community identity. The Ministry of Tourism evaluates this impact as a virtuous combination of economic development and cultural preservation, reinforcing national pride and the international projection of our traditions.
Mexican religious tourism includes iconic sanctuaries such as the Basilica of Guadalupe and San Juan de los Lagos. What strategies is your Ministry implementing to diversify the promotion of other emerging destinations with spiritual and heritage potential?
Beyond the major landmarks, the Ministry promotes emerging destinations with high spiritual and cultural value. Examples such as the Pilgrimage of the Virgin of Zapopan, recognized by UNESCO, and the Sanctuary of Talpa de Allende, which receives three million visitors annually, demonstrate the richness of our country. These efforts are supported by the development of specialized tour operator products and initiatives driven by the destinations themselves.
Guanajuato Capital lights up each year with the magic of Christmas and opens its doors to the world with the “Magic in Guanajuato” Festival, held in December and January. This festival brings together tradition, culture, and religious tourism. The city becomes a stage where music, art, and gastronomy intertwine with spirituality and a sense of community. Student musical groups walk through plazas and alleys singing carols, nativity plays evoke unity and shared faith, while themed dinners blend local culinary richness with the flavors of Christmas. All of this reflects the hospitality and warmth that distinguish Guanajuato as a World Heritage city.
During the festival, tours of emblematic temples are offered, enriching visitors’ experiences. The Basilica Collegiate of Our Lady of Guanajuato, the Temple of San Roque, La Valenciana, and San Francisco are spaces that, through their architecture, history, and spirituality, consolidate the capital as an ideal destination for those seeking to experience Christmas through faith and tradition.
These initiatives allow religious celebrations to become drivers of local development and social cohesion, positioning new destinations on the international map.
Beyond faith, religious tourism involves infrastructure, services, and connectivity. What concrete efforts are being made to improve accessibility, safety, and sustainability in the country’s main pilgrimage centers?
The Ministry works in coordination with local governments to improve roads, tourist signage, and basic services in the main sanctuaries.
Universal accessibility is also being promoted, as demonstrated by the Procession of Silence in San Luis Potosí. During Holy Week 2025, San Luis Capital incorporated sign language interpreters, audio descriptions, and tactile replicas. These actions ensure that the religious experience is safe, inclusive, and sustainable, strengthening everyone’s right to fully participate in cultural and community life.
Patron saint festivities and celebrations are more than purely religious events; they are spaces for social and cultural cohesion, where Catholic faith blends with indigenous and local traditions. Moreover, each region contributes its own unique style, making Mexico a mosaic of distinctive celebrations and a significant area of opportunity.
The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe at her Basilica, the Passion of Christ in Iztapalapa, the Candelaria festivities in Xochimilco and Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, as well as the Night That No One Sleeps in Tlaxcala, are just a few examples of this richness.
In recent times, the World Religious Tourism Network has highlighted Mexico’s role in the region. How do you assess the country’s participation within this network and the benefits it brings at the international level?
It has been strategic in projecting our traditions onto the international stage. Cities such as San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Guanajuato have demonstrated how innovation and inclusion strengthen competitiveness. The Ministry views this participation as an opportunity to share best practices, attract new markets, and consolidate Mexico as a regional leader in this category of cultural tourism. We hope these experiences will soon expand with more destinations joining the Network.
Religious tourism can be a powerful tool for social cohesion and local development. How does the Ministry promote the integration of communities in the tourism management of their traditions, patron saint festivities, and pilgrimage routes?
The Ministry fosters community integration through training and support for local committees, artisans, and service providers, ensuring that communities play a leading role in managing their traditions. This approach is aligned with community-based tourism, which seeks to ensure that economic and cultural benefits are redistributed locally, strengthening value chains linked to accommodation, gastronomy, and handicrafts.
At the same time, it is connected to the Pueblos Mágicos program, as many of the most emblematic religious destinations—such as San Juan de los Lagos, Talpa de Allende, Cholula, and Pátzcuaro—are part of this national strategy. This integration allows patron saint festivals and religious celebrations to become comprehensive tourism experiences, where faith blends with architectural heritage, indigenous traditions, and living cultural expressions. In this way, religious tourism is consolidated as a key pillar of community tourism and the Pueblos Mágicos program, promoting economic development, social cohesion, and a strong sense of identity.
Mexico possesses a great diversity of religious and cultural expressions. What policies are being promoted to ensure respect for spiritual plurality and harmonious coexistence among different manifestations of faith within the tourism sector?
Mexico is a mosaic of devotions and traditions. The Ministry promotes policies of respect and inclusion that recognize not only Catholic pilgrimages and indigenous celebrations, but also events such as the Day of the Dead, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The aim is for religious tourism to serve as a space for intercultural dialogue, where different expressions of faith coexist in harmony and are projected as living heritage.
The pandemic transformed the way people travel and experience faith. What lessons did that period leave in the management of sanctuaries, and what measures remain in place today to balance health safety and spiritual experience?
The pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene protocols, capacity control, and virtual transmissions. Many of these measures remain in place today, ensuring that faith can be experienced with responsibility and confidence. The Ministry acknowledges the efforts of sanctuaries, communities, and tourism operators that adapted their practices to balance health safety with the spiritual experience.
Beyond the spiritual dimension, religious tourism stimulates local economies through handicrafts, gastronomy, and accommodation. What measures is the Ministry promoting to ensure that the benefits truly reach host communities?
Through instruments such as the Community Tourism Distinction and the National Experiences Guide, efforts are made to ensure that income is redistributed locally, that communities play a leading role in managing their religious and cultural heritage, and that value chains linked to patron saint festivities and pilgrimage routes are strengthened.
Additionally, there are innovative initiatives at the state and municipal levels. For example, the launch of the “Religious Route and Relics Exhibition” in the city of Querétaro, developed in collaboration with the Diocese of Querétaro, represents not only an act of faith and preservation of traditions but also a strategy to strengthen cultural tourism and stimulate the local economy. This initiative seeks to decentralize the religious experience by extending it beyond traditional spaces.
Finally, what is your vision for the future of religious tourism in Mexico, and what role do you believe it will play in consolidating the country as a regional leader in cultural tourism and authentic experiences?
The future vision for religious tourism in Mexico is to consolidate it as a strategic pillar within the national policy for cultural and community-based tourism, integrating tradition, innovation, and sustainability to offer authentic experiences that strengthen and promote local development.
Within this framework, the Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with UNESCO, is promoting measures to ensure that benefits reach host communities directly, strengthening value chains linked to handicrafts, gastronomy, and folklore.
A key milestone will be the commemoration in 2031 of the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Tepeyac Hill, a significant event that will further position Mexico as a regional leader in cultural and religious tourism.
We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to participate in this valuable interview, which highlights the strategic importance of religious tourism in Mexico and its impact on the country’s economic, cultural, and social development. We recognize the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism in promoting an inclusive, sustainable, and community-oriented model, as reflected in the initiatives presented.
From the World Religious Tourism Network, within the framework of the Tourism and Society Think Tank program, we reiterate our strong interest in actively collaborating with Mexico to further strengthen this segment. We believe that the exchange of best practices, innovation in tourism products, and international cooperation can significantly contribute to positioning the country as a global benchmark.
We express our willingness to build strategic partnerships that promote joint projects, specialized training, and international promotion, for the benefit of local communities and the positioning of Mexico.
The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of Tourism and Society Think Tank and do not commit the Organization, and should not be attributed to TSTT or its members.
This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies.
Report abuse