Torruco Marqués presented a brief overview of the history of the Tianguis Turístico and how it became the most important tourism fair in Latin America, which began in 1975, as the International Hotel and Tourism Agencies Fair of Acapulco (IHATA), which successfully brought together representatives of the national tourism industry with Mexico's main tourism promoters abroad; and a year later, it took the name of Tianguis Turístico.

He added that after 36 editions held in Acapulco, starting in 2012, Tianguis Turístico begins its itinerancy, he explained the results of the previous editions, and pointed out that a few weeks before the event, a record number of 1,301 buyers from 965 companies has already been registered.

"The 47th edition of the Tianguis Turístico will mark a milestone in the history of all previous editions, demonstrating the power of the capital of the Republic and of the service providers, travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, tourist guides, artisans, and all those who form part of the great tourist family," he said.

The Secretary of Tourism pointed out that after the pandemic, the recovery of the tourism sector came sooner than expected, thanks to the policies implemented by the President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the important work of the private sector.

"Proof of this is that in 2022, Mexico reached 28,016 million dollars in foreign exchange earnings, by international visitors, which is how the tourism potential of a nation is measured; it surpassed the historical figure in Foreign Direct Tourism Investment, by registering 3,447.1 million dollars, surpassing the 1,091.4 million dollars captured in the whole of 2019; the Tourism GDP reached 8.6 percent," he stated.

The head of Sectur reiterated that, at the Tianguis Turístico México 2023 Mexico City, for the first time there will be a Mayan World pavilion, with the presence of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, also the Mayan Train and Tag Airlines, a multi-destination tourism product that after 36 years has connectivity.

It will also be the first time that there will be a pavilion of airlines that connect Mexico with the world, a crafts pavilion where artisans will be able to show the creations of their magic hands, as well as a gastronomic pavilion where the culinary riches of our country will be on display.

The Tianguis Turístico México 2023 Mexico City will be the third inclusive event, so after the cutting of the ribbon, there will be the traditional Parade of Inclusion, with the participation of people with disabilities, "because in this government no one is left out," said the secretary.

As part of the academic programme, there will be two keynote lectures, one with Rosario Marín, the first Mexican-born woman to hold the position of Treasurer of the United States of America, and the other with Carlos Slim Domit, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Telmex. There will also be more than 30 virtual seminars, panels, conferences, workshops and forums on a range of topics of current interest, as well as a meeting with students.

"We invite you to be part of history. The 47th edition of the Tianguis Turístico of our country will demonstrate that when there is unity with the tourism service providers and all those who are part of the great tourism family, things work out well," concluded Torruco Marqués.

Mexico City's Secretary of Tourism, Nathalie Desplas, highlighted the transcendent role of the tourism sector in the country's capital, representing 9.1 percent of Mexico City's total GDP and 18.74 percent of the country's tourism GDP.

He also highlighted that in the host city of the next Tianguis Turístico de México, 14 per cent of employment corresponds to tourism-related activities, which makes it the entity that contributes most to tourism employment in the country.

He acknowledged the joint work between the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of Mexico and the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico City, so that the capital of the country, "the city that has everything" becomes an international reference, where its inhabitants, its exhibitors, its tourists and its national and international buyers, demonstrate once again that it is the fashionable city, not only of today, but also of tomorrow, on a par with the most important capitals of the world.

Judith Guerra Aguijosa, president of Grupo Mexicano de Asociaciones de Agencias de Viajes y Empresas Turísticas (GMA), pointed out that this is the moment for the great tourism industry: travel agents, tour operators, hotels, transporters and all tourism stakeholders. "This is Mexico's moment to break all records in terms of economic revenue, spending and investment," he said.

He thanked the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués, the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico City, Nathalie Desplas and all those who make up the value chain, for their great effort to bring the Tianguis Turístico to Mexico City.

He reiterated that Mexico is a range of tourist destinations, and that in a joint effort with Sectur Federal and Sectur Mexico City, new routes, new circuits, new tourist attractions, new anchor products and new experiences have been implemented, which are an opportunity for growth for travel agents.

Also present at this event were the Undersecretary of Tourism, Humberto Hernández Haddad; Emmanuel Rey, General Director of Promotion and International Affairs of the Ministry of Tourism; Cristian Leslie García Romero, Director of the Mexico City Joint Tourism Fund; Silvina Garcia Fillol, Country Manager of Universal Assistance Mexico; as well as presidents and representatives of the main chambers and associations of the tourism industry, among others.