Mexico to Boost the so-called Flavor Circuits

In an effort to bring in more tourists to Mexico, the Latin American nation is stepping up the creation of the so-called Flavor Circuits in all of its top travel destinations, the country’s Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo informed today.

The millenary and traditional cuisine of the Aztec nation is a major piece of Mexico’s tourism offer, as well as the new dishes that have come out of the hands of today’s innovative chefs and cooks, Mr. Elizondo pointed out at the opening of the 2004 Exporestaurants, a tradeshow that concluded this week in Mexico.

According to Mr. Elizondo, the mapping of cuisine routes is destined to pack a punch among travelers as they will rely on over 22,000 outlets all across the country.

Mr. Elizondo also remembered that Mexico’s restaurants and hotels have created 800,000 full-time jobs and approximately two million part-time positions, generating some $13.6 billion every year.

For his part, Rafael de Jesus Saavedra, president of the National Chamber of Restaurants and Spicy Foodstuffs, said there are nearly 221,000 establishments of that kind in the country, a majority of them (96 percent) labeled as small-fry and mom-and-pop businesses.

“There’s no doubt,” he concluded, “that we’re the number-one industry nationwide in job creation and personal development, making a 2.3 percent contribution to the country’s Gross National Product.