Foreign investment and tourism were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Thursday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Aug. 21 mañanera.
Record FDI in first half of 2025
Sheinbaum presented data from the Economy Ministry showing that Mexico received US $34.3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first six months of the year, up 10% from the same period of 2024.
She highlighted that the amount is a new record, exceeding the previous record set in the first six months of 2024.
Sheinbaum also pointed out that the FDI total between January and June is more than double the foreign investment Mexico received in the first six months of 2017.
“Not even tariffs could bring down the Mexican economy,” she said, referring to the various duties the United States imposed on imports from Mexico in the first half of this year.
Sheinbaum: ‘A lot of Canadians are coming to Mexico’
A reporter noted that Mexico was the second most visited country in the Americas in 2024, only behind the United States.
He also noted that international tourists are arriving in “good” numbers so far this year, and asked Sheinbaum her opinion on the matter.
“As [Tourism Minister] Josefina [Rodríguez] says, ‘Mexico is in vogue,'” the president said.
“A lot of Canadians are coming to Mexico,” she said, adding that the growth in visitors from Canada exceeds that of any other country.
Mexico aiming to become world’s 5th most-visited country
Sheinbaum highlighted that Mexico is currently the world’s sixth most-visited country.
Mexico welcomed 45 million international tourists in 2024 to rank sixth. The only countries with more visitors last year were France, Spain, the United States, Turkey and Italy.
Sheinbaum noted that Rodríguez, the federal tourism minister, has set a goal for Mexico to become the fifth most-visited country in the world by 2030.
Achieving the goal, the president said, will require “a very big effort” during the current six-year of government.
“There has to be promotional work,” she added.
Government-owned hotel in Calakmul is ‘full of Europeans,’ says Sheinbaum
Sheinbaum, who met with the president of Guatemala and the prime minister of Belize at the Calakmul archeological site last week, said that the nearby government-owned Maya Train hotel is “full of Europeans.”
She said that a lot of Italian and French tourists were staying at the hotel when she visited.
“Llenísimo,” Sheinbaum said, using a word that means completely full.
“And the hotel is gorgeous, very beautiful. “Some [tourists] arrive on the Maya Train, others arrive by car,” she said.
“From [the hotel] you can go on a little Maya Train vehicle to the archeological site, which is also something spectacular,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
