Merida Bracing for Mexico’s Biggest Tourism Fair: Tianguis Turistico

Coming to Merida on November 16-19 is the biggest and most important tourism fair in Mexico: the Tianguis Turistico. Everyone in the restaurant and tourism sector is bracing for thousands of people to flock into Merida during that week starting November 14th. It’s an exciting time and it will shine a bright light onto tourism in Mexico and especially in Yucatan. 

What is the Tianguis Turistico? 

This is the 45th Tianguis Turistico and is bringing over 70 media outlets from around the world and all 32 of the Mexican states are participating. This is a large-scale private event where exhibitors such as hotels, airlines, and tourism authorities will be doing business with various tour operators, wholesalers, travel agents and tourism associations. It will take place in the Siglo XXI convention center in the north end of Merida, the new Yucatan International Congress Center on Avenida Colon, as well as the Gran Museo Maya.

This Tianguis Turistico was originally scheduled to take place in March of 2020. Everything was set and millions of pesos had been invested in Yucatan in preparation for the event. Then, the pandemic hit and authorities cancelled the event just days before it’s inauguration. The tourism industry went into a downhill spiral, especially in the states of Mexico that completely shut down, such as Yucatan. Now, the state government and the Secretariat of Tourism are going full force to recover some of the lost ground and get many people back on their feet.  

Is it open to the public? 

It will be open to the public Friday at 2pm at Siglo XXI. Anyone who would like to go needs to show a Covid vaccination card or have a negative Covid test within 48 of visiting the expo. 

How is tourism being boosted now? 

In March of 2021, Secretary of Tourism, Michelle Fridman and her team, launched 365 Days in Yucatan.  Every day on the state Yucatan Travel website https://yucatan.travel/365-dias-en-yucatan/ and Yucatan Turismo social media outlets, they post about one unique experience you can have in Yucatan. At MID CityBeat, we also post about these trips every week on Facebook and Instagram stories. This has been a great way for both small and large adventures to be promoted in the state. The idea is to encourage people to choose  local tourism, support the tour guides and bring business to all the beautiful areas in Yucatan. 

All players, both private and public, in the tourism sector are on overdrive and eagerly inviting tourism back into the state. 

Is it safe to bring so many people into the city during the pandemic? 

Many of us are caught between being thrilled to see the streets of Merida so active and anticipating a major influx of business mid-November, and being a bit wary of what will happen with Covid. The government promises all safety precautions will be followed, including a reduced amount of people in indoor spaces, mask mandates, temperature taking and lots of gel. But as we all know now, people are people and it’s up to the individual to stay as safe as possible. So, let’s cross our fingers and boost our immune system with exercise, vitamin D & C. If you are in a high risk health category, you might want to stay in during that week, and if not well mask-up and head out to the streets of Merida, there will be lots of excitement on the sidewalks all over town.