Mexico´s New Tourism Bill to Vest Municipalities with More Power

Mexican congressmen are working the kinks out of a new Federal Tourism Act that will eventually give municipal authorities and hotel associations at both local and governmental levels more wiggle room to manage their own projects.

In a press release issued by the House of Representatives, the legislative branch points out the bill will be voted as soon as possible in an effort to speed up the decentralization of the travel industry and turn municipalities into the key cells in the advance of the hospitality sector.

Officials from the country´s Tourism Department are confident the new act will also improve coordination between that entity and tourism-related organizations.

Congressman Francisco Xavier Lopez, of the ruling National Action Plan, said the new legislation must be construed as a useful tool to gear up Mexico´s tourism to a real world-class level without so much state participation.

As soon as the bill is signed into law, Mexican states will be in charge of taking care of business operations and services, giving federal authorities the possibility of having a say in those local issues in case of reckless disregard or improper behavior.

Mr. Lopez regretted the latest developments in Acapulco, a travel destination on the Pacific coast, where house owners have turned their residences into small hotels to lodge foreign tourists, but they haven´t legalized their statuses and remain outside the boundaries of fiscal regulation.