Learn about tourism in Mexico
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| Culture File: Mexico - Lesson 20: Tourism |
| Hello, and welcome to the Culture File: Mexico series at SpanishPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring essential cultural information about Mexico, Mexican Culture, and Mexican People. In this lesson, we will continue with another episode of this series about Mexican economic activities. I’m Michael, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 20: Tourism. |
| In Mexico, Tourism, or "turismo", is a very important economic sector, and is the fourth largest industry contributing to the gross domestic product. Mexico is the second most visited country in the Americas, ranking only under the United States, and is among the most visited countries in the world, with over 20 million tourist visitors each year. The country is well known for a variety of attractions, including its cultural festivals, or "festivales culturales", beaches, or playas, nature reserves, or "reservas naturales", Meso-American ruins, and colonial cities. |
| Tourism is a thriving industry all over the world because of the various expenses it involves, such as sightseeing, traveling, transportation, hotel stays, and enjoying the many unique and exotic foods available. The tourism industry is also a provider of many jobs, varying from restaurants, hotels, and transportation, to social and personal services. In Mexico, the tourism sector actually provides higher average labor productivity than the rest of the economy. |
| Tourism in Mexico has grown continuously over the years, and is responsible for over five percent of the total employment in Mexico. Not only does it bring in foreign currency and create employment, it also aids in lowering migration of Mexican citizens to other countries. If Mexico’s tourism industry continues to grow, it will have a great effect on the reduction of the nation’s poverty. |
| The Secretariat of Tourism, in Spanish "Secretaría de Turismo", is responsible for tourism development throughout the nation. It is in charge of encouraging the diversification of tourist products, developing new markets, and boosting tourism enterprises to become more competitive, both at a national and international level. |
| There are many beautiful places in Mexico to visit, but some of the top tourist attractions are Acapulco, Cancún, and Los Cabos, popular for their beautiful beaches and resorts. Guanajuato and Oaxaca are also well known for their local traditional festivals, such as the one celebrated on November 1st and 2nd for the Day of the Dead. There are also many important archeological sites, or "sitios arqueológicos", such as Palenque, Tulúm, Chichen Itza, and Teotihuacan. This last one is home to the largest pyramid, or "pirámide", in the country. Natural reserves such as Sumidero Canyon and Copper Canyon, in Chihuahua and Chiapas respectively, also often attract a large number of tourists each year. |
| So listeners, how did you like this lesson? Did you learn anything interesting? |
| Have you visited any of the tourist attractions mentioned in this lesson? |
| Leave a comment telling us at SpanishPod101.com! Until next time! |
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