Starting in September, Mexico’s Tourism Ministry (Sectur) will implement a new accreditation system that will certify tourist service providers who offer “community tourism” — that is, tourism experiences that benefit the local community and reflect its true culture.
Sectur, which made the announcement last Thursday, aims to identify community tourism experiences eligible for certification under its National Community Tourism Program. It’s the first certification drive since 2017, and the first under a Morena-led government.
Certificates will be reserved for “individuals, groups or communities that offer community tourism products and services with a focus on sustainability and continuous quality improvement,” Sebastián Ramírez Mendoza, head of the National Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur), said during Thursday’s daily presidential press conference.
Ramírez said the program is part of the National Tourism Quality System. He stressed that qualified local groups will be the ones to decide how their activities look, how big tour visitor groups are and other rules and specifications for tourism in their communities.
“The certificate will guarantee authenticity, that is, that there is no cultural appropriation, that no one pretends to be a public servant,” Ramírez said. “Therefore, we can tell travelers that when they see this certificate, it means they have found a truly community-based experience.”
By the August 8 deadline, 1,385 communities, cooperatives and service providers had registered their community tourism projects in hopes of being included in the 2025 National Guide to Community Tourism Experiences. Eight states were selected to participate in the first phase: Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Puebla, Morelos and Tlaxcala. The first eight Community Experience Guides (ETC) aim to provide lasting economic and social benefits to communities, as well as support tourism.
Community activities are assessed using a diagnostic tool with 120 questions, with supporting evidence required. Following assessment, certificates will be distributed to groups designated as Community Tourism Providers, after which they will be included in the 2025 National Guide.
Sectur, in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), plans to support community tourism providers by offering digital technology, training and professional development programs, among other tools.
“What we want to do with this is make it easier for community tourism projects to access markets, platforms, travel agencies,” Ramírez said.
With reports from Revista Contralínea, El Economista and Infobae
