According to an official, the Mexican state of Yucatan is interested in increasing its cultural exchanges with China through tourism

A local official said that the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatan wants to improve cultural and business ties with China to attract Chinese tourists.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Miguel Andres Hernandez, the undersecretary of market intelligence at the Yucatan Ministry of Tourism Development, said that most people think of Chinese tourists as “seekers of new experiences” who like to learn about other cultures and places.

“The Chinese market is one of the most important for us,” said Hernandez, referring to the fact that Yucatan is paired with two provinces in China: Anhui and Sichuan. “We will keep trying to improve and expand our “twinning” to bring in more tourists.”

After making a twinning deal with Anhui in 2014, Yucatan signed a memorandum of understanding with Sichuan at the beginning of 2022 to strengthen friendships and cooperation between the two countries.

Local governments often pair two places that are far apart geographically as “twin” or “sister” cities or regions to strengthen cultural and trade ties. He said that this kind of twinning is “a spearhead to attract tourism and get people to share good practices.”

Hernandez said that the state has a lot to offer in terms of tourism, from romantic beachside getaways to adventure tourism. He pointed out that the Yucatan Peninsula was once home to a thriving Mayan culture, as well as archaeological sites like the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and many other tourist attractions.

“We want them [tourists] to think of Yucatan as a place where they can have a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Hernandez, who also said that local food is “one of the most important in Mexico and the Americas.”

Yucatan sees tourism as a way to connect people from different cultures and boost the economy. As part of its plan to bring back tourists, the state has now set its sights on the Chinese market, he said.

The international airport in Merida, Yucatan’s capital, saw a record number of arrivals in 2022, with about 3 million passengers, and Hernandez said that Chichen Itza was the most visited archaeological site in Mexico.

Even though many Chinese tourists came to Yucatan from Mexico City or Cancun, Hernandez thinks that the state’s twinning agreements and strategies for developing tourism will bring more Chinese tourists directly to Yucatan.