Tourism Secretariat’s (Sectur) Regulation and Quality Undersecretary Salvador Sánchez Estrada said that gastronomy represents 30 percent of tourists’ budget when traveling abroad.
At the opening ceremony for the “Morelia en Boca” Mexican International Gastronomy and Wine Festival, he said that the food industry creates 1.7 million direct jobs and 3.8 million indirect jobs.
Sánchez Estrada said that since 2010, traditional Mexican cuisine has been a part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Intangible Patrimony of Humanity and that it is a way to “bring tourists closer to culture, identity, customs and traditions.”
According to Sectur, 25 chefs, 16 traditional cooks, 40 producers and 30 exhibitors attended the sixth edition of “Morelia en Boca,” which was held from May 20 to 22. The event also featured workshops, tastings and dinners made by Michoacán chefs.
The event brought together the ingredients most representative of the country “to show Mexico as a vibrant and modern gastronomic destination.”
Sánchez Estrada said that the gastronomic richness and the activities at the festival have made it one of the most important in the country and in the international gastronomic scene.
In August 2015 the federal government presented the Gastronomy Promotion National Policy in order to boost and promote gastronomy and traditional Mexican cuisine, through the “Ven a Comer” (“Come and Eat”) brand.
He said that this tourist activity creates an economic income of 183 billion pesos ($9.9 billion), which represents 2 percent of the national gross domestic product.
Michoacán Gov. Silvano Aureoles Conejo said that an integral tourism promotion project is being developed, in which gastronomy and more than 100 agricultural products will play an important role in the state’s economy.