Interview: Mexico's Chinese-friendly hospitality sector to get special seal of approval: official

The Mexican government plans to grant a special seal of approval to hotels and travel agencies specialized in catering to Chinese travelers, said a senior tourism official.

The measure aims to attract more visitors from the Asian country, Francisco Maass Pena, deputy minister of Quality and Regulation of the Tourism Ministry, told Xinhua in an interview.

The seal, called "Cerca de China" ("Close to China"), will certify that the hotel or agency has Chinese-speaking staff, among other things.

The "specialized seal aims to make Chinese visitors feel more comfortable, using their language, traditions and customs," Maass said.

For travel firms, the seal "implies the agency has staff who speak their language and know about their culture, tastes, preferences, etc.," he added.

In the case of hotels, in addition to having signs in Chinese, they would have to have personnel who speak Mandarin, restaurants offering Chinese dishes and a Chinese television channel, said Maass.

"That they know exactly what Chinese people like and what makes them feel good, that is, feel close to China, and that they have all the amenities they need," Maass explained.

Tourism between China and Mexico has been on the rise, but Maass believes "there is still more to be done to further increase the number of tourists."

Mexico has a lot to offer Chinese, not only in the traditional sun-and-sand tourism segment, but also cultural, business and even medical tourism, he said.

"We are especially interested, both the Chinese and Mexican authorities, in increasing the number of flights and to a greater number of cities," said Maass.

The deputy minister acknowledged that to boost tourism from China, better flight connections need to be worked on, while visa process for Chinese citizens needs to be sped up, although those with a U.S. visa are granted entry into Mexico.

"If a Chinese person has a U.S, visa, he will have no problem entering Mexico and can travel to any part of the country without any problem," he added.

In 2014, tourism flow between China and Mexico grew 25 percent compared to 2013, and a further increase is expected in 2015, he said.

Jorge Hernandez Delgado, president of the Mexican Federation of Tourism Associations (Fematur), believes the Mexican government could have done more to attract Chinese tourists.

Last year, only 60,000 Chinese tourists visited Mexico, Hernandez told Xinhua, adding "that figure should have reached around one million," like other countries.

"Mexico was certified as a destination for Chinese tourists over 12 years ago and today it makes us sad that countries in Latin America that were certified after we were now have more Chinese visitors than Mexico," lamented Hernandez.

He blamed that on "a lack of follow up of bilateral agreements when government administrations change in our country."

Hernandez agreed facilitating visas, training guides to speak Mandarin and increasing air connections can help attract more visitors from China. Endite