Glowing with pride that Mexico City was named #1 on The New York Times “52 Places to Visit” list for 2017, Ricardo Tamer and Priscilla Flores, the marketing team from Mexico City Tourism Trust – aka CDMX, the acronym for Ciudad de Mexico – met in Toronto yesterday with a select group of travel agents and media to showcase a taste of what the city has to offer to the Canadian traveller.
Ricardo Tamer, CDMX Assistant Director of International Public Relations said, “We know the beaches draw Canadians to Mexico, but we urge them to take at least two extra days to experience the new revitalization of Mexico City – our thriving art and design scene, the culinary renaissance, the festivals and events, and the new hotels. With direct flights to Mexico City [say, via Air Canada or Aeromexico], easy air connections make the city just a hop to every popular beach destination.”
Describing Mexico City’s “magical, cultural, gastronomic and archeological sites,” Tamer noted it has 183 museums (the world’s highest number, after London); seven pyramids around the city; an eclectic architectural mix of pre-Spanish, colonial and skyscrapers; and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Tamer also noted Mexico City’s recent designation as the 2018 World Design Capital. This applauds the decided reorganization of the city’s layout grid to make it more liveable and environmentally friendly. In this densely populated city that sees a 9 million-population fluctuate daily to 22 million with the influx of workers from the suburbs, projects included permanently pedestrianizing some inner city streets, and pedestrianizing certain other streets on weekends; rescuing derelict open areas and turning them into public parkland; improving public transportation and creating a web of bicycle routes and lands. Tamer said, “I’m a biker, so I’m happy for that.”
Asked about safety, Tamer cited Mexico City’s friendliness and its recent rating by the global survey company Youthful Cities (youthfulcities.com) as Latin America’s #1 place for millennials to stay and visit because of its civil engagement to youth.
Canadian agents may be familiar with Mexico’s new Tourism Minister Cesar Castaneda, who was previously director of the the Mexican Tourism Board in Toronto and Montreal. Agents may follow the latest news on CDMX on Twitter @MexicoCityLive.