UNWTO launches first shopping tourism pilot project in Leon, Mexico

León, Guanajuato, Mexico 28 November 2019 - The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has joined with the Municipality of León (Guanajuato, Mexico) to present the first UNWTO project on Shopping Tourism, with the aim of boosting the local economy, creating jobs and driving sustainable and inclusive development.

The pilot project is the result of more than a year’s collaboration between the United Nations specialized agency and the Municipality of León, carried out with support from the Ministry of Tourism of the State of Guanajuato. The initiative aims to maximize the benefits of tourist activity in the city of León and promote it as a shopping destination, both within Mexico and around the world. The project focuses on several key areas, namely: attracting visitors, the creation of tourism products, the efficient use of tourist attractions and the quality of infrastructure. Alongside these, attention is also given to community involvement in tourism as well as local socio-economic wellbeing and the promotion of employment.

Around 65 interviews were conducted with actors from the tourism, commerce and design sectors, as well as with the public sector and government representatives. Two participatory workshops were then conducted to identify, create and validate proposed initiatives. As a result, a total of 21 initiatives were identified, out of which 10 were selected based on different criteria, such as their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their impact and the timeline.

Initiatives include the development of tourism products and services such as the León Shopping Card as well as urban interventions such as the León Design districts, which involves the conversion of emblematic areas and the installation of designer ateliers, boutiques or the House of Innovation and Trends, a unique public interactive space, open to all, where local designers can interact with visitors and come up with the design trends of the future Gloria Cano de la Fuente, director-general of Hospitality and Tourism of León said “Being a leading destination requires us to create a new culture of visitor service, based on the creation of innovative and value-added experiences, this is how this Shopping tourism prototype will define us” León, the capital of footwear and leather, was the selected destination because 27% of its visitors come to the city to shop, mainly for leather. With this project and the support of the UNWTO, León aims to position itself as a destination for value-added shopping tourism through innovative experiences in shopping tourism. At the same time, it aims to promote the integration of companies and individuals from different areas in the value chain of tourism and commerce in León and its surroundings (artisans, agriculture, leather, footwear, design, automotive, among others), while stimulating the creation of employment and new opportunities based on the promotion of high value-added shopping tourism and local development.

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