The Tianguis Turístico México, the nation’s largest and most prestigious tourism fair, celebrated its 50th anniversary over the weekend by temporarily opening up to the general public for the first time as it returns to its original host city of Acapulco, Guerrero.

Citing this year’s theme of “Acapulco Is Standing Strong,” the Tourism Ministry anticipates more than 58,000 business appointments, some 3,000 exhibitors and more than 2,500 national and international participants.

Moreover, officials expect an economic windfall of 1.1 billion pesos (US $67 million) for the resort and port city. 

“This is where the history of tourism in Mexico began,” Guerrero’s Tourism Minister Simón Quiñones said during the inauguration ceremony, referring to Acapulco. “And today, in this 50th edition, the Tianguis not only returns, but it also evolves.”

To showcase the port’s renovation following Hurricane Otis in October 2023 and Hurricane John in 2024, the tourism fair launched new features and attractions to diversify the offerings and promote inclusion. 

Over the weekend, the fair hosted Ventana a México, a public event featuring artisanal and culinary exhibitions with cultural displays and tourist offerings from more than 15 states. (From its official opening on Monday, and during its run through Thursday, April 30, the Tianguis is exclusive to professionals in the tourist industry.)

This year’s fair also initiated a community tourism pavilion dedicated to the experiences of local communities across the country, a retail pavilion offering direct sales of tour packages, and a technology zone featuring companies specializing in technology applied to tourism.

Federal Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora said that this edition aims “to boost local consumption and generate an economic benefit that directly benefits those who produce, create and keep traditions alive.”

This year’s Tianguis will also serve as the platform to announce new infrastructure projects, including a new cruise terminal for Acapulco and the launch of the “Maribús” water transport system.

In 2011, the Tianguis Turístico left Acapulco as its permanent host city to become an itinerant fair that travels across the country. Next year’s edition is expected to take place in Puebla, a city in central Mexico renowned for its colonial heritage, pre-Columbian ruins and traditional culinary scene. 

With reports from El Economista and Yahoo