Recent hard times in Mexico have made it difficult to highlight, as should be the case, the progress and achievements of society as a whole, regardless of whether such progress has occurred in the public or private sector. Bad news related to violence, insecurity, corruption and organized crime has generated public distrust. This has prevented a clear appreciation of a series of achievements in different areas that evidence Mexico’s progress. It is true that some electoral results have been criticized, but it is equally true that they were processes that have been conducted without major problems. The fact that the winning candidates do not have high percentages of votes in their favor is the result of the spreading of votes among a variety of political parties, in which the final result is a minority, plurality winner prevailing against a majority of candidates who wind up on the losing side. Nevertheless, Mexican democracy exists, and there is political alternation and competition among parties and proposals.
One of the areas that must be highlighted, which shows the progress the country has made, is the unprecedented success tourism has enjoyed, since tourism is an activity involving several, if not all, productive and distribution factors. The parties responsible for such success are the tourism authorities that regulate, plan, guide and direct all aspects of tourism. These actors include service providers, infrastructure investors, workers in the sector, academic institutions that train service providers, trainers and other different groups all engaged in a complex activity that is highly sensitive to financial, political and international behavior. Mexican tourism has positioned itself as one of the most important sectors of the economy, as shown in the following figures:
* In the first four months of 2017, Mexico received 12.5 million international tourists, which represented 8.9% more than those who visited in the same period of 2016.
* In 2013, Mexico was the fifteenth most visited country in the world, but by 2017 Mexico had climbed to eighth place (World Tourism Organization).
* In 2016, there was a 54% increase in foreign exchange derived from tourism, which brings the real investment closer to 20 billion dollars in revenue from international tourism.
* In the first four months of 2017, 22 million passengers arrived at Mexican airports, which is 11% more than those who entered in the same period in 2016.
