Josefina Rodriguez: Mexico's new Secretary of Tourism

19-07-24

As part of her usual “Cabinet Thursday,” President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo introduced three new secretaries of state on July 18: Claudia Curiel de Icaza in Culture, Marath Bolaños in Labor and Social Welfare, and Josefina Rodríguez Zamora in Tourism. Sheinbaum highlighted that, despite her youth, Josefina Rodríguez has her full backing due to her experience in the sector.

“She is a brilliant young woman originally from Tlaxcala and since 2021 she collaborates with our colleague Lorena Cuéllar as Tlaxcala's Secretary of Tourism,” Sheinbaum mentioned from the Interactive Museum of Economics (MIDE). Rodriguez is currently vice president of the Central Zone of the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (Asetur), and her appointment has been widely recommended by other secretaries of tourism in the country.

Josefina Rodríguez was born on March 3, 1989 in Tlaxcala. She studied Business Administration at the Universidad Iberoamericana Campus Puebla, has a diploma in Emotional Management and a master's degree in Senior Management from the Universidad del Valle de Tlaxcala. She has been an advisor to the Oficialía Mayor de la Secretaría de Educación Pública in Puebla, deputy director of Planning at Tecnológico de Atlixco, and directed the “Espiral Educando” program for teachers. Since 2016, she has also been a restaurant entrepreneur.

In 2021, she was a candidate for local deputy for District VII for the Fuerza por México party and served as head of the Patronato de la Feria de Tlaxcala. That same year, Governor Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros appointed her as Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Tlaxcala. In this position, she created the campaign “Tlaxcala does exist” to position the state as a tourist destination, collaborated in the designation of Ixtenco as a Magical Town and promoted the publication of books highlighting the cultural heritage of Tlaxcala. She was also responsible for obtaining the Guinness World Record for the longest carpet in the world in Huamantla.

Josefina Rodríguez Zamora affirmed that it is an honor and privilege to serve Mexico and continue the transformation initiated by Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2018, which from October will be in the hands of Claudia Sheinbaum. He promised a new era of tourism in Mexico, with innovative approaches to promotion and policies that foster sustainable development in all destinations. Her administration will focus on making tourism accessible to all sectors of the population, especially benefiting indigenous peoples, artisans and communities in the country's 32 states.

“We will mark the new era of tourism, where Mexico will position itself competitively through innovative promotional tools and policies that foster sustainable and sustainable development in each of the destinations,” said Rodriguez. He added that Mexico is the sixth most visited country in the world thanks to its cultural, historical and natural heritage, and stressed the importance of Mexican hospitality to continue attracting travelers from all over the world.