by Guadalupe Torres Garza AMAJ PRESIDENT
by Raúl Li Causi AMAJ NATIONAL SECRETARY
Nómadas Youth Hostel & Travel Agency
December 2000
NATIONAL PLAN FOR MEXICO’S YOUTH
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MEXICO
2001-2007 PERIOD
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
INTRODUCTION
· AMAJ and the Hostels of Hostelling International
· The Meaning of Youth Tourism: Independent Tourism
· Planning as Process
· Philosophic and Organizational Principles of the AMAJ
I. DIAGNOSIS OF THE STATE OF YOUTH TOURISM
II. POLICIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH TOURISM
III. CONCLUSIONS
PROLOGUE
The Mexican Association of Youth Hostels, (AMAJ in Spanish) is a legally constituted nonprofit organization, created for the development of youth tourism in our country and in the world at large. The AMAJ has as its principal objective to organize cultural and social services within hostels that will provide short term accommodations to youth without discrimination based on gender, race, class, religious beliefs or nationality.
Our association has been given the task of elaborating a National Plan for the period of 2001-2007 on the subject of Youth Tourism in Mexico. We begin with a substantial premise: Youth tourism, nationally and internationally, will develop more readily in Mexico if we first establish and organize a NETWORK of Hostels which follows international standards, stimulates and structures the flow of youth travellers within our country. Youth and students who are first time travellers, as well as though who travel frequently, will be drawn to accommodation services which are comfortable, economical, clean and safe.
Annually, Mexico receives close to twenty million foreign visitors that utilize mainly traditional tourism services. We propose to increase the flow of youth travellers within our country through providing an infrastructure of non-traditional tourism services created especially to attend to the needs of this sector. The youth traveller known as the backpacker is an independent traveller who spends a daily average of $58.37 USD and remains an average of 57.4 days in the Continents that he or she visits. In contrast, the traditional toursist spends an average of $88.20 USD on goods and services but only remains an average of 23.2 days. This means that during his or her stay, the traditional tourist spends $2.042 USD, while the youth traveller spends $3.350 USD on nontraditional tourism services.
To this we must add the possibility of increasing the flow of national tourism, for which we have no official statistics. This is a population that if harnassed within a network of hostels would produce a massive overhaul in the quality of the country’s tourism, especially with respect to youth and family travellers. The Hostel is an ideal place to accommodate these travellers because it lays out a gamut of alternative and complementary services: private rooms, shared dormitories, open kitchens, laundry rooms, Internet access, libraries, TV and game rooms, camping, etc...
Travel is considered to be a part of the basic education of an individual in many countries of the world. Such trips are especially important at a young age since it is in this stage of life, like in no other, that we are more open to understanding and accepting the cultural, social, ideological and racial differences that exist in the world. Youth become enriched in a special way when they make contact with people from other lands, and this experience has great impact on how they come to value their own culture, as well as on their tolerance and acceptance toward other cultures.
AMAJ was founded by the six most important tourism operations in Mexico, dedicated for more than 25 years to the promotion and organization of youth and student travel and cultural interchange. The mission of AMAJ has been to promote educational and cultural trips for Mexican youth and to welcome and guide the youth of foreign lands here in our own country.
The founding of AMAJ has been an important step in uniting forces toward the creation of a Mexican Network of Youth Hostels. AMAJ is an Accredited Member of the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF), an international organisation that maintains a membership of over 4,000 hostels and four million affilliates throughout the world. With the backing and guidance of the IYHF, our association has founded 16 youth hostels in the central and southeastern sections of the country, which represents an important step toward the consolidation of youth tourism services within Mexico.
We believe that the Youth Hostel can be the axis around which non-traditional tourism services will develop to meet the growing demands of youth and family tourism: cafeterias, arts and crafts, transportation, internet cafes, restaurants, tourism services of local businesses, etc.
The AMAJ commits itself through this PLAN to extend its network from eighteen to eighty hostels throughout the Mexican republic which will offer over two million beds per night per year. The influx of foreign currency would be greater than one hundred million dollars annually.
The benefits of this Network will be as great for its clients as it will for Mexican small businesses. Small businesses traditionally do not benefit from foreign tourism. The traditional tourism industry tends to rely on services brokered by large tourism operators and often by transnational corporations. The non-traditional tourist wanders through open markets in search of arts and crafts. He or she arranges tours with local drivers, eats in small popular establishments, takes public transportation, buys groceries in small neighborhood stores, cooks his or her own food in the hostel’s kitchen, etc...
The purpose of this Plan is to attract national and foreign tourism through the expanding number of quality hostels making up the Network of Mexican Hostels of the AMAJ.
INTRODUCTION
A Work Plan has been elaborated by the Mexican Association of Youth Hostels (AMAJ) on the subject of Youth Tourism over the next seven years. This plan contains the major policy development activities which the Association will take during the 2000-2007 period. The plan presents short- medium- and long-range activities.
- AMAJ AND HOSTELLING INTERNATIONAL HOSTELS
This Plan seeks to make clear the activities which AMAJ will take to develop, organize and promote a NETWORK of Hostels affiliated to Hostelling International (HI) and to the International Federation of Youth Hostels (IYHF). At the present moment AMAJ has a working capacity of 1000 beds distributed throughout 16 Hostels in the Mexican republic.
Mexico is a country that could easily convert itself into a center of world attention for national and international youth travellers. This is so because Mexico boasts many ecological, cultural, archeological, and ethnic attractions, as well as a very good infrastructure for tourism. The only thing lacking is a secure, economic, clean, safe and comfortable accommodation system to increase the flow of national and international non-traditional tourists: families, young people, solo adult travelers, and groups traveling independently.
Hostelling International has four millions affiliates –young people, students, adults of both sexes and from all over the world, workers and retired men and women –who have learned to travel around the world with a non-traditional concept of tourism. They use their accommodations –the hostel –as a meeting point, a reunion center to develop friendships and to get to know more deeply each village, city or country that they visit.
The French speak of the Youth Hostel as the “Aubergue de Jeunesse”, and in some Spanish speaking countries, the terms “Albergue” or “Hostal” are used. Very different from traditional hotels, a hostel is much more than simply a place to sleep; it is in fact a center of cultural interchange between travellers of different nationalities.
As Janet Thomas, author of At Home in Hostel Territory, says:
“The word Hostel does not describe a place, it is an attitude, a philosophy, an encounter of different cultures that share the adventure of traveling.”
Young Mexicans never come to know many of our attractions because they lack safe and cheap alternatives to stay in and visit their own country. For this reason, AMAJ proposes to develop intensive information campaigns to expose young Mexicans to this alternative attitude or philosophy of tourism. The hostel will be the axis on which the tourism of a given zone will rotate. Consequently the hostel will support and promote all other Hostels, all other members of the NETWORK.
In some cases in order to achieve the increase in the flow of national youth tourism in a given state or city it will be necessary to establish agreements between AMAJ and National and International Organizations, such as the Secretary of Federal Tourism and of the States, as well as the promotional programs of Tourism from the various state and city governments.
It is important to build awareness in all of these organizations with respect to the necessity of developing non traditional tourism, not only to educate travellers regarding our territory, our culture and natural beauties, but also for lucrative benefit. For example, the spread of currency around the world by non-traditional travelers is much greater than that of traditional tourists, because the former tend to stay for longer periods of time in each country. Generally, the non traditional traveler enjoys longer vacation periods – especially students and professors, and in some countries it is a tradition for young people to travel around the world after they finish their college careers.
This Plan has as its primary objective to develop and promote the hostels’ NETWORK of the AMAJ. It seeks to motivate young Mexicans and also foreigners to use the International Hostelling NETWORK in Mexico, transforming it into a real alternative for accommodations available to tourists from all over the world.
Even now thousands of young foreigners are traveling through our territory. And even now we are providing them with the very best in accommodations and other tourism services. We wish to improve and further extend the NETWORK of Hostels, making it accessible to the rest of young and non-traditional independent travelers.
AMAJ is organizing and expanding its NETWORK in areas of the country that are highly attractive to tourists. For example, some cities that we consider should be integrated into the NETWORK are: Acapulco, Guadalajara, Patzcuaro, Valle de Bravo, Puebla, Taxco, San Cristóbal, Isla Mujeres, Isla de Holbox, Real de and Catorce. At the same time MAYH must develop promotional campaigns at the key points of entry to Mexico (Mexico City and Cancun), so that a larger number of foreign travellers can benefit from the existence of AMAJ’s accommodation NETWORK.
Within seven years – when AMAJ will have completely developed its PLAN – Mexico will be able to depend on an excellent NETWORK of Hostels with a capacity of four thousand beds and additional space for two thousand persons in our campgrounds. This will mean two million, one hundred ninety thousand beds/night (2.190.000) per year. Related income will be greater than one hundred million dollars annually.
AMAJ wishes, in the near future, to mobilize Mexican youth tourism through promotional campaigns to produce changes in attitudes and to promote the appearance of new behaviors with respect to how people use their leisure time. This will require an aggressive marketing strategy, the spreading of diverse publicity content. It will also require national (State and or municipal) and international support. In the meantime, the campaign for Mexican youth should contain at least three messages: a) explaining what a hostel consists of ; b) explaining what the national Network of AMAJ hostels is, and c) explaining how to make use of the NETWORK of Hostelling International throughout the world.
- THE MEANING FIELD OF NON-TRADITIONAL TOURISM
There are a variety of terms, concepts, and meanings associated with youth tourism. Many think of the non-traditional tourist as the “backpacker” (“mochilero” in Spanish). This word has in some Spanish speaking countries (except Argentina and Uruguay) a pejorative connotation since it is wrongly considered that these travelers do not generate profit. In English the word Backpacker and in French Routard both generate a more favorable connotation since they appeal to words closer to adventure and independence. Routard for example means “the one who makes way” and backpacker is the one who carries his luggage on his/her own back.
Those who call these tourists “non-traditional” are more clear and assertive in their communication, because in reality this is a distinct type of tourist: these travellers escape from the crowded routes of traditional tourism; they don’t follow bus tours which travel through several countries, nor do they seek “All inclusive packages” in the major world tourist centers (e.g., Cancun, Miami, etc.) This group is also referred to as “youth tourism” or “student tourism” most simply because most of these people are young, with ages ranging from 18 to 26. But the word “youth” can also be a misnomer, since in reality backpack tourism reflects more of an attitude or philosophy toward tourism and not simply a matter of age. Perhaps a better word would be independent traveler. This compound word expresses better its true meaning.
In summary, this independent traveler is made up principally of young people, many of them students, but also on ocasion it includes entire families and retired folk who opt to travel as Backpackers, Routards, or Mochileros.
VENN DIAGRAM OF THE MEANING FIELD OF YOUTH TOURISM
B
A: Student Tourism
B: Non-Traditional Tourism
C: Backpacker, Routard or Mochilero (Synonyms)
D: Family tourism, Social, Adult and Retiree Tourism
E: INDEPENDENT tourism
F: YOUTH tourism
Youth, independent, non-traditional, backpacker and student tourism tend to resemble one another. Family tourism and tourism for independent adults and retirees in many ways does not resemble youth tourism although they do share certain essential attitudes or values. Definitely youth tourism and independent tourism are those that make up the largest market.
The chief charactistic of this tourist – whether we call him youth, student, backpacker mochilero or routard – is his independent style of consuming goods and services. He does not buy tour packages in his place of origin, he makes decisions about the consumption of touristic goods and services as his trip evolves, paying close attention to the recomendations of local service providers or the suggestions of other travellers he encounters in his path.
The independent traveler buys all of his goods and services in the country that he visits: tours, land trips on public transportation, sports activity services, airline tickets for national flights or to border countries, car rentals, internet services, arts and crafts, etc. This traveller is a large consumer of services provided by small tourism businesses. The small business is greatly favored by the non-traditional traveller.
The good news for Mexico is that the majority of these travellers are afilliated with Hostelling International (HI) and they utilize Hostels for their accomodations ( 4000 Hostels throughout the world). Thanks to the NETWORK of hostels of the AMAJ, Mexico will appear as a new touristic destination for this independent traveller.
- PLANNING AS PROCESS
The purpose of this plan is principally to provide an orientation for action. It seeks to show the path which we consider to be the correct one. The model refers to so called Strategic Planning, which means that planning which respects trends, actors and sectors. It is a type of planning in which the Plan is a document for the ongoing discussion of the Policies, the Objectives, the Programs, and the Goals we pose; these are the elements of a changing, dynamic and organic process.
The methodological approach that underlies this is that the members of AMAJ –wholesaler operators dedicated to youth and student tourism and the Hostels of the NETWORK – converge to pursue common objectives. AMAJ is an organization built on a solid foundation that will encourage consensus between its members and will maintain a vast information exchange with all the members to remind them periodically of the commitment they made to participate in this process of Planning, to manage performance and to re-structure Plan contents.
In this same way, many of the policies of this Plan may demand modification when new elements and actors get into the picture. In this case the Plan will be modified in accordance with new proposals from the new members. For now, AMAJ proposes programs and projects which will be adequate to the present objectives and initiatives and within the limits of actual resources.
- AMAJ’S PHILOSOPHIC AND ORGANIZATION PRINCIPLES
MAYH has decided to rely on four great philosophic-organization principles:
The FIRST PHILOSOPHIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLE OF AMAJ declares to be a Non-profit organization based in the principles of IYHF.
The SECOND PHILOSPHIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLE OF AMAJ is that it declares that the great mission of MAYH is to develop an excellent NETWORK of Hostels throughout the nation with the highest standards in the world for the use of Mexican and foreign young people.
The THIRD PHILOSOPHIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLE OF AMAJ declares that it is an organization dedicated to tourism for independent travelers, whether they are individual youth, groups, families, retired nationals or foreigners, within a framework of tolerance and respect for the cultures and natural environments of each place.
The FOURTH PHILOSOPHIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLE OF AMAJ is that which declares before the IYHF its readiness to work with other national Associations recognized by the IYHF.
I. DIAGNOSIS OF THE STATE OF YOUTH TOURISM
In this section we present a brief diagnosis of the actual situation of non-traditional tourism in the world. This will help us form a clear view of the extent to which tourism can develop in Mexico. The statistics that are accumulating are highly encouraging and make us think that if Mexico is already in the top ten countries for traditional tourism, we may just have the same luck with respect to non-traditional tourism.
1) YOUTH TOURISM IN THE WORLD
· Youth tourism sector is the fastest growing sector of tourism in the world
· Youth tourism has to do with a style of travel, not with the age of the traveler. A large sector of travellers are demanding youth tourism services without respect to age.
· The youth tourist is a traveler with more independence who values the culture of the places he/she visits, gets involved with the locals, learns their language, practices their customs, likes outdoor sports and getting in touch with nature.
· The spread of money of the youth tourist is very important because of the time he stays in the places he visits and because the services he demands are more than the ones demanded by traditional tourism.
· The backpacker tourist spends an average $58,37 USD daily and stays 57,4 days in the Continents he visits. It is true that the traditional tourist consumes in services $88,2 USD, daily, but he only stays for an average of 23,2 days. This means that the traditional tourist spent 2,042 USD against 3,350 USD spent by the backpacker. (see infra in the comparative chart between traditional and independent tourism).
· Youth tourism is an important source of employment since it leads to the development of small businesses generating employment with a very low investment. The services that youth tourism demand are a new combination of the services offered for locals and those offered for tourists. As a result, specialized services of high quality and low prices have been created. This way the development of the small business network is encouraged with businesses like: Internet cafes, hostels, crafts, coffee shops, travel agencies, restaurants, etc.
· Youth tourism is a tool that encourages international understanding and cooperation. The development of youth tourism must be done internationally with the help of institutes, universities, organisms, governments, clubs, etc. to achieve strong and solid networks that allow a safe and kind exchange among people. The young people who participate in youth tourism have experiences which make them more sensitive to perceive and accept the differences between towns, races, languages, geographies, etc. This will bring as a consequence the rise of more tolerant people who will help preserve both the local and the foreigner culture.
2) COMPARATIVE STAYS AND AVERAGE EXPENSES BETWEEN NATIONAL TOURISM AND BACKPACK TOURISM.
Traditional Tourism
Average Stay Average Expenses
Europe 39 days $2,390 USD
America 25 days $2,070 USD
Japan 11 days $1,347 USD
Asia 26 days $2,499 USD
New Zelanda 15 days $1,777 USD
Backpack Tourism
Europe 65 days $3,785 USD
America 78 days $4,560 USD
Japan 80 days $4,203 USD
Asia 82 days $5,908 USD
New Zealand 42 days $2,132 USD
Source: Stuart, Richardson, Australian Tourist Commission
3) BASIC ELEMENTS OF YOUTH TOURISM
· Young people need Networks of accommodations with international standards for Hostels and campgrounds.
· Young people demand more information than other tourists, they are willing to experiment and innovate with different routes or tourist circuits. Hence, they require more and better information in each place they visit.
· Young people demand more Ecotourism, Adventure, and Cultural Immersion.
· Young people also require safety levels of a different quality. It is not about protecting a hotel, an airport or a restaurant. It is about daily safety, safety in the squares and markets so that people can walk at any hour of the day or night with high levels of security.
4) OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEXICO
· Mexico has many attributes, it is a country of geographical and cultural diversities. Our country could occupy the first place as a world destination for backpackers.
· Mexico is a friendly country
· Mexico is a prolific country, diverse in culture, history, sport and geography.
· Mexico is geographically the entry way to Central and South America
· Mexico is for the most part the first destination for Americans and Europeans. When the young European travels to Latin America, Mexico is his/her first –and sometimes the only- destination in Latin America.
5) PRECEDENTS OF HOSTELLING IN MEXICO
The Network of Youth Tourism, “Young Cause”, was formally the organization in charge of promoting youth tourism; but it is not in operation any longer. The Counsel of Tourist Promotion, is not focused on the youth sector. Another important organization, The Subdivision of Alternative Tourism –Sectur Federal –is frankly insufficient.
6) YOUTH TOURISM IN MEXICO AND HOSTELS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Mexican and foreign youth do not have comfortable and clean accommodations available to them at cheap prices. Only in the year 2000 AMAJ will establish a net in the south-east and the central sections of the country.
The Hostel is a space or a place where services are shared and expenses are optimized. For this reason the Hostel is a viable alternative accommodation for the young, not only because the prices are accessible, but also because people can mingle really easily with other guests from other countries. The Hostel is a privileged place in which the backpacker prepares his/her own food, watches TV, uses the Internet, cooks and eats and does everything in an ambiance of frank camaraderie. In the Hostel the guest is never alone: according to some recent statistical studies, possible about 30 % of the young foreigners who travel through Mexico, travel alone; 25 % with their partner and the rest accompanied by friends. The solo traveler goes to hostels because he/she knows that he/she will find a cheap rate and a nice environment for an enriching exchange of ideas.
7) SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AMAJ’S HOSTELLING NET.
These are some of the formal, personal and managerial characteristics of AMAJ’s Hostels:
· Mexico’s Hostelling Net offers approximately 1000 beds (including shared and private rooms).
· At least 16 hostels offer wide camping areas. Some offer trailer park facilities.
· Approximately fifty percent of the hostels are new projects, investments having been made during 1999 and 2000.
· The remaining 50% are hostels or hotels developed some years ago which requested their AMAJ affiliation.
· The first hostels opened where the ones located in Oaxaca (December 1998) and Mérida (November 1999). During 1999 San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato Hostels were opened too. The oldest hostel has been operating for only two years.
· The majority of hostels are managed by couples who live in the same hostel.
· The majority of facilities are excellent. Some offer services as Internet access, social spaces, board games, TV room, etc. Other offer lockers and safety boxes. Almost half of them offer many acres for entertainment (Escudo Jaguar, Maya Bell, Cabañas Copal, Copal Hostel and the JFK Institute).
· Some offer small stores or supermarkets. Those without open kitchens offer restaurant service with affordable prices and discounts for Hostelling International (HI), International Student Identity Card ISIC, International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) and International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) cardholders.
· Some of the hostels will appear for the first time in new editions of international guides as Lonely Planet, Let’s Go and Le Routard. The information provided by these guides states that these hostels are AMAJ and/or Hostelling International affiliates. Besides, these guides will review AMAJ’s web site: http://www.hostels.com.mx
8) A SAMPLE OF THE GREAT TENDENCIES OF YOUTH TOURISM IN A REGION OF MEXICO.
The AMAJ has conducted research on the best routes for adventure and ecotourism trips, backpackers’ most visited locations, the nationalities of the tourists that visit the country’s south east area, the ID discount cards that young tourists carry, the guides they use, the services they ask for, their needs while travelling, the hostels and hotels they stay in and the restaurants where they eat.
One of the sources for the research MAYH conducted is the archive containing 600 guest check-in cards from the Nómadas Youth Hostel in Mérida, Yucatan, from the 1st of December, 1999 to June 30, 2000. This research represents a sample of about 0,1% of tourism spending nights in the city of Mérida, which amounts to 650,000 visitors in 6 months.
For this research other sources have been used: the Nómadas Travel Agency database, which contains systematized information obtained from direct and interactive observation during various tours; interviews of hundreds of backpackers and many e-mail messages between Nómadas and guests:
· Out of a sample of 600 backpacker Nómadas Youth Hostel guests at the city of Mérida, in Yucatan, 75% comes from 10 countries: England (10%), USA (10%), Switzerland (8.5%), Argentina (8%), Germany (7.5%), Italy (7%), France (6.5%), Holland (5%), Japan (3.5%), Denmark (3.5%), Sweden (3%) and Canada (3%).
· In seven months, young people of 40 nationalities stayed in Nómadas. More than 50% came from Europe.
· Excepting Argentina (8% of the total amount) there are no Latin American backpackers: only 3.5% are Mexican and 1% Uruguayan.
· 50% of the visitors are ISIC cardholders, approximately 10% hold a Hostelling International card and just a few hold IYTC and Euro 25 (British Card). None held ITIC.
· 45% of Nómadas guests travel alone, the rest do it in couples, some in groups of three people or more. 65% are male and 35% female. The statistical mode was 23 and the statistical median 26. The youngest backpacker was 17 –a Swedish girl- and the eldest 67, from China.
· A little bit more than 75% use the Lonely Planet guide and 20% use Let´s Go, Le Routard, Rough Guide, Moon, etc. Less than 5% use no guide at all.
· The locations in the southeast of Mexico that show more visitor’s permanence are Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen and Tulúm (all beaches) and San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, which are coincidentally geographical extremes in the route.
· The cities with an average permanence of two days are Valladolid, Mérida (2.7 days per person) and Palenque.
· Young people use the city of Chetumal (Quintana Roo’s capital city) as a connection place to travel from Tulúm to Belize and enter Guatemala.
· A very small number of travelers (less than 3%) stays in the city of Campeche, halfway between Palenque and Mérida. In general they do not even stop in that city and prefer to travel by bus for 9 straight hours between Palenque and Mérida.
· The greatest trend -of those who traveled southeast and stayed in Nómadas- is represented by those who arrive to Mexico via Cancun and return to their countries again via Cancun and only visit Southeast Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. They do not travel to Mexico City or visit the rest of the country.
· Another trend is represented by those who arrive in Cancun, travel to Valladolid, Mérida, Palenque and San Cristóbal, go up to Oaxaca and arrive in Mexico City by land. Or they do the inverse route and come by bus from the Mexico City via Oaxaca and arrive in San Cristóbal de las Casas to get to Cancun traversing Guatemala and Belize.
· A small percentage (approximately 7%) are coming in or exiting Mexico via the Corozal border (previously known as Echeverría Border). Those who get in our country head towards Palenque and those leaving Mexico go to Flores de Guatemala.
· Backpackers’ great majority get into Belize and Guatemala and visit Flores, El Remate, Tical, Lago de Atitlán, (Huchuetenango). From there they go up North and enter Mexico via Chetumal to continue all the way up to Tulúm, Playa del Carmen and/or Cancun. Others travel South and enter Mexican territory via Ciudad Cuauhtémoc and head towards San Cristóbal de las Casas.
· None visited Honduras, El Salvador or other Central America countries. A few seemed to be interested in those countries. Very few know the rest of Latin America. Mexico seems to be their first destination in Latin America.
· In brief, the majority of the travelers to this region cover the following routes:
· CANCUN-GUATEMALA-BELICE AND MEXICO CITY (approximately 20%): Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Playa Del Carmen, Tulúm, Valladolid, Mérida, Palenque, San Cristóbal, Oaxaca and Mexico D.F. This traveler leaves Mexico D.F. for his country or goes back to Cancun to take his plane. This route is also covered the other way around, from Mexico, D.F. to Cancun, including in both cases Guatemala and Belize.
· CANCUN-GUATEMALA-BELICE AND CANCUN. (Approximately 60%). Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Túlum, Valladolid, Mérida, Palenque, San Cristóbal, Guatemala, Belize, Chetumal (no permanence) and Cancun.
· Service-costs wise, Cancun is the most expensive city of the Mayan Route; as the traveler gets to Chiapas prices go down. A backpacker in Cancun needs at least 25 USD per day for Hostelling and meals. Staying in traditional hotels the traveler spends more than 40 USD per day.
· The same backpacker will spend approximately 15 USD per day in Hostelling and meals in the cities of Mérida, Valladolid and Campeche (cities halfway between Cancun and San Cristóbal). If the traveler stays in traditional hotels will spend between 20 and 25 USD per day.
· San Cristóbal de las Casas is the most affordable city of the Mexican Mayan Route. There’s a Bed & Breakfast for 4 USD/day, each meal is two dollars; a backpacker can live in San Cristóbal with only 10 USD/day. There are good Bed & Breakfast for 4 USD and very affordable restaurants which serve meals for 2 USD.
· Southeastern transportation is well reputed; especially the ADO service. There’s good information, good depots and good buses. The transportation expense might take up as much as 30% of the traveler’s budget. Some complain about the bus fare and prefer to spend more time traveling using second class services.
· If we had to define the first traits of this kind of traveler’s profile we would say:
· The backpacker traveling the southeast feels safe. By the moment of his arrival to Nómadas none of the guests had had trouble with crime, physical damage or suffered robberies.
· His main complaint is Chichen Itza and Uxmal entrance fees: 80 pesos each and the Puuc Route (160 pesos per person the five archeological sites).
· He is satisfied with his visit to Uxmal and Palenque ceremonial centers. He even seems to prefer these archeological sites to Chichen Itza.
· He likes to swim in basins and in the sea. He has a very good opinion of the Mayan Riviera beaches. Lots of them prefer Playa del Carmen’s atmosphere and others prefer that of Tulúm. They reject Cancun because of its high prices and “Americanized” atmosphere.
· He buys handcrafts in Chiapas and Yucatan. At least half the guests (300 backpackers) bought hammocks in Mérida.
· He has many information needs and asks questions very frequently. He talks about his trip, makes questions to the other guests about their next tour, gives recommendation about the places he has visited, he communicates easily and uses an average of 30 minutes of internet time. All this communication exchange happens in English and in smaller measure in French and German. If he does not find someone who speaks these languages he tends to become quiet and lonely
· Most of them speak English (approximately 60%). He likes to read, watch T.V. and cook.
· He likes to take strolls around the markets and colonial cities downtown areas; he has a good opinion of San Cristóbal de las Casas; appreciates Celestún (Flamingos), does not stay the night in Campeche and likes a lot Mérida’s night life scene and its free music and cultural shows.
· He spends a lot of money in extreme sports: skygliding, rafting and scuba diving in the basins or the sea. He likes to practice snorkeling and kayak. When he stays in hostels he invites other guests to rent a car as a group.
10) PRESENT AND IMMEDIATE FUTURE OF MAYH’S HOSTELLING NETWORK.
At the time this PLAN was written, AMAJ was being considered as a potential for the International Federation since at the moment it has 16 affiliated hostels. Besides this, there are projects in four towns or cities: Ría Celestún –small fishing town and Ecological Reserve with millions of flamingos-, San Cristóbal –important and beautiful city in Chiapas-, Isla Mujeres and Playa del Carmen in the Mayan Riviera.
The AMAJ has made approximately 30 scouting trips between July, 1999 and September, 2000; its members have traversed more than
Due to the enormous tourist flow in the Yucatan Peninsula, most scouting trips have been done along the Mayan Route which covers 5 Mexican Republic States (Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Tabasco, Campeche and Chiapas), a territory covering approximately 400.000 km2 and a population of more than 4 million inhabitants. The Mayan Route primary network (the main cities or tourist locations in Southeast Mexico) is practically covered; its extremes –Cancun and San Cristóbal- stand
The Independence Route is mainly formed by Hostal Moneda in Mexico City and the hostels Alcatraz and Parador del Convento in San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. This city will function as a coordination point between the Northern Routes and the Independence Route. These routes will be carefully studied to promote hostels only in those places that will have important tourist flow for its attractions or for its tourist tradition, such as Tequisquiapan, Querétaro, Guadalajara, Pátzcuaro, Taxco, Zacatecas, etc. Other routes can be created, such as the Pacific route, the Clouds Towns or Sacred Mountains route in Oaxaca and formalized bi-national tourism between USA and Mexico with the so-called Camino Real.
In order to improve the development and coordination of the Routes AMAJ’s offices in Mexico D.F., and Mérida, Yucatan are established.
II. POLICIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH TOURISM
As mentioned above, the Policies must accomplish an explicit Objective, be expressed in an ample and general Program which, when needed, could be detailed in a Project. Some policies can give course to various programs and various projects. Some of these actions can be expressed very generally (Programs) and others very specifically (Projects).
1) COMPILE INFORMATION OF INTEREST FOR THE NON-TRADITIONAL TOURISM SECTOR.
Objective: Preparation and maintenance of a Data Base about the tourist attractions of the youth sector in Mexico.
· PROGRAM (1): SYSTEMATIZE MEXICAN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS INFORMATION. History and culture. Country’s main attractions. Celebrations and festivities. Gastronomy and Folklore. GOAL: JANUARY, 2002.
· PROGRAM (2): SERVICES INFORMATION. Land and Air transportation information for each spot. Maps of each city. Service costs. Distances between cities. Schedules and prices of buses, etc. GOAL: JANUARY, 2002.
· PROJECT (3): DOCUMENTATION CENTER. MAYH must have available enough theoretical and practical information about tourism in Mexico and the rest of the world. A data base must be organized which would include information from books, thesis works, brochures, studies and specialized magazines so that in the short term the AMAJ has scientific information on tourism and in the mid term is able to produce and develop documentary and empirical research of its own. GOAL: JANUARY, 2003 AND PERMANENTLY.
2) ORGANIZATION POLICIES FOR YOUTH TOURISM
Objective: Organizing youth tourism spaces.
· PROJECT (4) SPECIAL TOURIST CIRCUITS OR ITINERARIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. Study, organization and promotion of the tourist attractions through special and interesting tours: Art Circuit, Colonial Circuit, Haciendas Circuit, Beach Circuit, Museum Circuit, Archeological Sites Circuit, Biosphere Reserves Circuit, Basins Circuit. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (5) DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH TOURISM POLES. Many young people have to cover the same routes of traditional tourism. When they stray from those traditional paths they face an absolute or partial absence of accommodation, transportation and meal services. The AMAJ must promote the creation of Youth Tourism Poles –not commercialized places-, special spots like biosphere reserves, volcanoes, basins, etc. Right now the AMAJ is advancing at least two Hostel projects in some of those poles. More than a hostel one can think of the Youth Town modality. The AMAJ must pay special attention to Lagunas de Monte Bello, Magagual (or Mahahual), Sian Kaan, Calakmul, Ría Celestún and Corozal Border (or Echeverría) where the famous Bonampak and Yaxchilán archeological sites are located. GOAL: 2004.
· PROGRAM (6) TOURIST FLOW BETWEEN THE USA AND MEXICO. Caminos Reales Project development along with the INAH. Bi-national tourist program. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (7) YOUTH SERVICES. Discounts in the AMAJ’s Hostels Network and memberships with discounts for Mexican young people. Bus fare for young people with permanent discounts. Additional services in restaurants, Internet Cafes, rent-a-car, etc. Feasibility study to achieve discounts in archeological sites and museums throughout the country. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2003.
3) TO PROMOTE MEXICO’S TOURIST INFORMATION NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.}
Objective: Promoting Mexican tourist attractions as well as AMAJ’s accommodation services internationally, nationally, regionally and locally.
· PROJECT (8) MAGAZINE. To promote tourist attractions nationally and internationally to Mexican and foreign youth through a color magazine published bimonthly to be distributed throughout Mexico and the rest of the world. The magazine will be published in English, French and Spanish. (To be distributed in Embassies, International Fairs, associations linked to Hostelling, etc.) GOAL: OCTOBER, 2003.
· PROJECT (9) COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE WEB SITE http://www.hostels.com.mx. AMAJ’s web site will be commercialized. The economical resources will be mainly used to develop links and invest in written and electronic promotion for the Hostels Net. The consolidation of the http://www.hostelslatinoamerica.org is expected to situate our web site in that portal and promote it in Mexico correctly. GOAL: JULY, 2001.
· PROJECT (10) INTERNATIONAL GUIDES: Massive publishing of 10,000 annual flyers to promote AMAJ’s Network in Mexico. During the year 2000 thirty thousand (30,000) flyers were printed. Twenty thousand were distributed in this country and ten thousand internationally in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, England and Holland; these are the main nationalities of backpackers visiting our country. GOAL: ANNUALLY.
· PROJECT (12) AMAJ’S MEXICO NEWS. An electronic magazine including Mexico’s updated tourist information to be distributed through the world wide web. GOAL: MARCH, 2001.
4) TO REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY ORGANIZE AMAJ
Objective: To regionally and centrally organize AMAJ.
· PROJECT (13) TO CREATE THE ORGANIZATIVE AMAJ MANUAL in which the hierarchical structure, Functions, Systems and Procedures of the Organization are expressed. GOAL: JANUARY, 2001.
· PROJECT (14) MAYH’S REGIONAL ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIVE FORMALIZATION FOR YOUTH ROUTES. Study of youth tourism movements and AMAJ’s organization according to those movements: Mayan Route, Independence Route, Northern Route, Sacred Mountains Route, Pacific Route, etc. GOAL: JULY, 2001.
· PROJECT (15) REGIONAL COORDINATORS: AMAJ has Coordinators in the Distrito Federal and the Mayan Route. The Regional Coordinator position will have to be created for those routes to be developed and the opening of additional offices are needed. There are two AMAJ offices to date, one in Mexico City, and another one in Merida, Yucatan. GOAL: JANUARY-JULY, 2001.
5) TO DEVELOP IN ORGANIZED FASHION MAYH’S HOSTELS NETWORK’S GROWTH THROUGHOUT MEXICO.
Objective: To grow in organized fashion and follow the Hostelling and AMAJ’s standards.
· PROGRAM (16) CONTRACT AND HOSTELS ETHICS CODE. A new contract and ethics code will have to be designed in which AMAJ’s norms and basic rules between hostels are expressed. One of the simplest norms is the one which enforces every hostel to promote the whole NETWORK. Besides, when in a specific city there exists an AMAJ Hostel, every other Hostel must promote that accommodation and no other one in that city. GOAL: PERMANENTLY.
· PROGRAM (17): WHERE TO GROW? Specification of the main zones to develop the hostels network. Where should a new hostel be established? Market study. How to help the new member? Can we establish a hostel in that city or zone? AMAJ’s study and approval of the architectonic project. GOAL: PERMANENTLY.
· PROJECT (18) How to build a hostel? Manual including Hostelling and AMAJ’s norms for building a hostel. GOAL: PERMANENTLY.
· PROJECT (19) CLASSIFICATION FO MEXICAN CITIES. Where should one build a superior, standard or rustic hostel? GOAL: MARCH, 2001.
· PROGRAM (20) YOUTH TOURISM AND SOLIDARITY ORGANIZATIONS PROGRAM. Study the affiliation to the Network of the hotels or hostels managed by indigenous communities of solid character (ejido members, cooperatives, etc.) and, in order to achieve that, organize meetings between FONAES and AMAJ. For the time being there is contact with the communities “Lagos de Monte Bello”, “Ara Macao” and “Mi Sol Ha” in Chiapas y “
· PROGRAM (21) HIGH STANDARD HOSTEL IN CANCUN. Cancun requires a superior hostel. At least 150 beds are needed. In this city AMAJ has the Mexico Hostel with 34 beds. It is through that city that most young travelers get to Mexico’s Southeast. GOAL: 2003.
· PROGRAM (22) EIGHTY HOSTELS OF STANDARD CATEGORY. According to preliminary and exploratory studies, Mexico could have eighty (80) hostels in the most attractive cities for student or youth tourism, national and foreign: 4.000 beds by the end of 2007. It will be achieved in two stages: forty (40) Hostels for 2004 and forty additional ones (40) for 2007. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2007.
· PROGRAM (23) TWENTY HOSTELS (RUSTIC AND STANDARD) FOR ECOTOURISM AND ADVENTURE TOURSIM. As a result of AMAJ’s scouting we have found that in the Southeastern Zone there’s a unique environment for developing adventure, cultural, ecological and sport tourism.
Ø In this zone there are located around twenty of the most important Mayan ruins: Tulúm, Cobá, Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, Dzibilchaltún, Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Labna, Edzna, Calakmul, X’Pujil, Chicana, Río Bec, Tonina, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, etc.
Ø There are various ecological reserves: Montes Azules Reserve, Biosphere reserve at Calakmul, Petenes reserve, Biosphere reserve at Río Lagartos (18,000 flamingos), Ría Celstún (8,000 flamingos), Lacandona Jungle, Chiapas Jungles, Sian Kaan and Majagual reserves, etc.
Ø In Yucatan there is more than a thousand basins out of which at least fifty are exceptionally beautiful and will be totally open to the general public in the next years.
Ø There are three “prehistorical” caves open to tourism: Loltúm, Balankanche y Calcehtok.
Ø There are around twelve Haciendas which can be visited by young people with previous agreement with it’s owners. Around or within these spots is where adventure and ecological tourism can be best developed. For this reason AMAJ seeks to promote hostels with all facilities within these spots of difficult access. These hostels will include the Hostelling standard of quality to receive thousands of young people who cannot find accommodation in those places. In some of them there will be private rooms and/or shared rooms and there will be important all-facilities camping spaces. These will allow prices to go down to increase national youth tourism flow. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2003.
6) COMPILE HOSTELS INFORMATION
Objective: Creating a AMAJ Hostels Network database with reliable and factual information.
· PROJECT (24) UPDATED TECHNICAL CARDS FOR EACH HOSTEL: Draft maps of the city and hostel’s location. How to get there. Services it offers, fees, discounts and capacity. GOAL: PERMANENTLY.
· PROJECT (25): GROWTH PLAN FOR EVERY HOSTEL: Analysis of the zone and every AMAJ hostel’s future. How much do you want to grow? How much can you grow? Growth plan for every hostel for year 2004. Do you want to improve your Hostel? Investment cost. Cost/Benefit relation. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2001.
7) TO DEVELOP INTRAORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION POLICIES
Objective: To develop internal communication mechanisms among the network and AMAJ members.
· PROJECT (26) TRIMONTHLY LETTER. Permanent communication between every hostel and AMAJ. Design of a trimonthly letter for all the network with the periods’ achievements; submission of the information electronically and via regular mail. GOAL: APRIL 1st, 2001.
· PROJECT (27) INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION. To organize annual regional meetings and biannual national ones. To prepare the necessary mechanisms for maintaining permanent communication between every hostel and AMAJ. Every hostel will be provided with an electronic mailbox and brief introduction to Internet. GOAL: NOVEMBER, 2000.
· PROGRAM (28) PUBLIC RELATIONS VISITS. Visits every six months by every ROUTE coordinator and annual visit by the National secretary, General Coordinator or President. GOAL: LATE 2001.
8) HOSTELLING AND MAYH’S NORM, SERVICES AND FEES STANDARIZATION POLICIES.
Objective: Watching the abiding of Hostelling International and AMAJ’s standards. Proposing the regulation of certain services and fees.
· PROGRAM (29): AMAJ’S SUPERVISION. Through a constant supervision program all hostels must reach Hostelling’s standard about privacy, safety, hygiene, hospitality and comfort. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2001. (Later on, it will be a permanent program).
· PROGRAM (30): QUALITY SERVICE REGULATION. All standard category hostels must offer similar services: open kitchen, shared rooms, TV room, Internet access, lockers, permanence, laundry and a great amount of tourism information about the whole country. All hostels must work with services of the same quality and size so that they look like and work like a real NETWORK. The guest must always find the same services in all the important cities. This should encourage guest’s rotation among all the hostels. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (31): FEES AND DISCOUNT REGULATION. All hostels must structure their prices according to certain maximum and minimum prices: beds, deposits, towel rental, Internet service rental, laundry, locker rental, storage/continued stay after check out, discounts, HI, etc. GOAL: DECEMBER, 2001.
9) DEVELOPMENT OF FORMATION AND TRAINING POLICIES FOR MAYH MEMBERS.
Objective: Permanent training of the hostels’ human resources, emphasizing AMAJ personnel, owners, managers and reception (Welcome) staff .
· PROGRAM (32): International courses imparted by Hostelling International for AMAJ’s personnel. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER OF 2002.
· PROGRAM (33): AMAJ must offer training courses on every aspect and need of the facilities, management, maintenance and on the standardization of Hostelling International norms. For the owners and managers of the NET. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER OF 2002.
· PROJECT (34): COURSE FOR RECEPTION STAFF (WELCOME). To prepare courses with the necessary training elements to improve Hostel-guest relationship: Hostel facilities, NETWORK information, general tourism information, land and air transportation services information, zone attractions, places to eat, etc. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER OF 2002.
· PROJECT (35) ENGLISH, FRENCH AND GERMAN MANUALS. 60% of the guests speak only English, the rest German and French. There are many difficulties in finding personnel who speak various languages, especially in Chiapas and Yucatan. It’s due to this reason that is necessary to prepare three manuals with key phrases and words for reception personnel and the staff working at the hostel. Collaboration will be asked from the French Alliance and the Goethe Institute. This project will improve the welcoming process in our hostels. Hostelling can sell this manual to its affiliates in order to improve the development of youth tourism in our countries. GOAL: SECOND SEMESTER, 2002.
· PROJECT (36) LANGUAGE COURSES. Short length introductory language courses will be designed for reception staff and guest-contact general personnel. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (37) TRAINING AND ATTENTION CENTERS: Moneda Hostel in Mexico City and Nómadas Youth Hostel in the Southeast will work as AMAJ’s Training and Attention Centers. Nómadas has trained personnel from other hostels and tutors permanently and at no charge all those interested in establishing and managing a Hostel in the Mayan Route. These courses must be financed totally or partially by AMAJ. GOAL: PERMANENTLY.
10) PUBLIC IMAGE AND QUALITY STANDARDS
Objective: Unify the advertisement and public image of the Hostels.
· PROGRAM (38) UNIFYING ADVERTISEMENT. Common brochures and formats. Uses of symbols and flags. Similar colors. Stands and activity calendar at reception. Maps. Check-in cards with similar information. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2001.
· PROGRAM (39) QUALITY STANDARD. An 01-800 line will be created to receive calls from throughout the country relative to the quality of our services. An electronic Comment Card will be created so guests can submit comments via internet. All hostels will be required to keep the comments book in reception to receive guests’ opinions. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2002.
11) FINANCIAL AND BUDGETARY POLICIES
Objective: Achieving the equilibrium point between income and expense in order to fulfill the PLAN completely.
· PROGRAM (40): TO OBTAIN ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY INCOME TO ENABLE GOOD IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN. AMAJ’s income must be increased through I.D. sales and usage of the IBN booking service and the commercialization of the web site. All managers and Travel Agencies affiliated to MAYH will be charged a fee to be a credentialed vender. I.D. sales will be promoted in Mexico in Universities, Hostels and through special agreement with Travel Agencies throughout the country.
· PROJECT (41): AMAJ’S WEB PORTAL COMMERCIALIZATION. AMAJ’s Portal or Web Site must generate, according to conservative estimations, two thousand USD during 2001 and ten thousand USD annually beginning in the year 2002. Certain windows will be commercialized with airline companies, cruise services and land transportation. Besides, AMAJ will propose Tourist “Theme” Circuits, which will be offered for sale; i.e. Las Haciendas, Basins, Ruins and Gastronomy Circuits. GOAL: JANUARY, 2001.
· PROJECT (42): ROUTE COMMERCIALIZATION THROUGH THE PORTAL. Every route (Mayan, Independence, Pacific, Sacred Mountains, etc.) can be commercialized through the web site via franchising contracts. There will be agreements about a percentage of the billing for the AMAJ. If after three years the Route does not create for the AMAJ an amount greater than twenty thousand pesos per year, such route could be handed in to a different franchise holder or commercialized directly by AMAJ. Inclusion in the route must be sold –at very affordable prices, (between 250 and 500 pesos per year) – to all companies offering services to the youth tourism sector: car rental, restaurants, laundr-o-mats, Internet Cafes, international telephone service, etc. Accommodation-wise, exclusivity will be for AMAJ’s Hostels Network. GOAL: EARLY DECEMBER, 2000.
· PROJECT (43) ANNUAL BUDGET. During January, 2001, AMAJ will present the budget to work correctly during the year 2001. The approximate estimate for the expenses of 2001 Projects is 300.000 pesos. 10% will be covered by web site commercialization and 90% through the selling of I.D. cards and guides. The Objective for 2001 is to sell 3000 I.D. cards and 500 Hostelling Guides throughout the country. A small fee will be charged to every MAYH member and hostel according to its category. During 2002 I.D. card sales must increase progressively to 20% until reaching an annual total of 10.000 I.D. cards and 1000 Hostelling International Guides. In five years 60.000 young people will have been affiliated. This amount represents just 0.2% of Mexican youth of traveling age (between 18 and 26 years). GOAL: JANUARY, 2001.
· PROJECT (44): AFFILIATION FEES FOR HOSTEL AND CITY CATEGORY. The affiliation fees are being changed. There will be differentiated fees between rustic, standard and superior category hostels. For the time being fees are as follows: 500 pesos for rustic and standard hostels in secondary ways and/or of difficult access; 1500 pesos for standard hostels in towns and cities of easy access; 2500 pesos for standard hostels in high flow tourist developments and 4000 pesos for superior category hostels. GOAL: NOVEMBER 2000.
· PROJECT (45): AFFILIATION FEES PER BED NUMBER. During 2004 there will be a change in the affiliation fees. The new fee will be that which results from multiplying the bed rental price by the number of beds offered to guests. The relation will be an economic equivalent to “a day for the AMAJ”. GOAL: JANUARY, 2004.
12) MARKETING POLICIES
Objective: Developing marketing plans along with the Mexican Government and/or the private sector.
· PROGRAM (46): MARKET RESEARCH. Advice in product development. Marketing. Differentiated strategies for the national and international market. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2002.
· PROJECT (47): TRAVELERS’ PROFILE. Needs. Marketing channels. Product development. International standard service regulation. Ecotourism and adventure tourism new product design. GOAL: SECOND SEMESTER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (48) MARKETING. Media advertisement. Product catalogue in various languages. Hostelling Travel Agencies. GOAL: SECOND SEMESTER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (49) MARKETING SERVICE STATISTICS. Every hostel should request guests to fill in check-in cards with similar information. For
13) INTERINSTITUTIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT
Objective: Establishing and maintaining formal and official relations with the different organizations which make up the Mexican Government. Propose to these organizations (central, regional and local levels) an action plan to improve tourism focussed on medium and low social sectors and on youth and student sectors.
· PROGRAM (50): INTERINSTITUTIONAL WORK GROUPS FORMATION: Establish permanent work relations with the different official organizations (directly or indirectly, totally or partially) involved in youth tourism activities: Embassies, Consulates, Congress, Secretariats, Tourism Secretariat, Social Development Secretariat, Fonaes, State, City or Ayuntamiento Tourism Offices. Independence from Federal Sectur with a public and private cooperation scheme. Political activities before local and federal authorities. PERMANENT GOAL.
· PROGRAM (51) POLITICAL ACTIVITY. Cooperative participation in urban development plans. Lobbying to stop corruption and insecurity in the tourist areas before local and federal authorities. PERMANENT GOAL.
· PROGRAM (52) LAW FOR YOUTH TOURISM SECTOR. Cooperative participation in the design of law proposals for the youth tourism sector. GOAL: SECOND SEMESTER, 2005.
· PROGRAM (53) TOURIST PROJECT FINANCING. Government raised funds as seed capital and mixed funds from public and private contributions for the promotion of special zones for youth tourism, youth towns, hostels, etc. GOAL: SECOND SEMESTER, 2005.
14) INSTITUTION AND PRIVATE COMPANIES INTEGRATION POLICY
Objective: Integrating common activities between private companies and institutions devoted to youth tourism.
· PROGRAM (54) PRIVATE SECTOR COORDINATION. The MAYH is integrated by tourism companies devoted to youth tourism. Our organization will coordinate the Projects for youth tourism development along with other companies and private and public institutions. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2002.
15) INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEVELOPMENT
Objective: Keeping permanent dialogue with international organizations of Hostelling International involved in youth tourism whose countries have the greatest tourism flow with Mexico.
· PROGRAM (55) INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION. Our relations with affiliated associations from all countries, especially Latin American Associations, should be very close. There must be permanent and uninterrupted communication between Hostelling International and the International Youth Hostel Federation as well; they must be usual and pragmatic. This way it will be easier to fulfill our International Promotion Plan and reach the objective of turning Mexico into the main destination for young people from the world. It will also facilitate travelling of Mexican youth around the world, enjoying the conveniences of the Hostelling Network. PERMANENT GOAL.
· PROGRAM (56) INTERNATIONAL EVENTS ATTENDANCE. The AMAJ must attend all seminars, congresses, international events and fairs. Especially those which promote youth tourism development. PERMANENT GOAL.
16) SUBREGIONAL INTEGRATION POLICY.
Objective: Integrating Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Southeast Mexico into tourism.
· PROGRAM (57) SUB REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE MAYAN ROUTE. To work toward developing Hostelling in Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. To encourage various private sector organizations of each country to apply for its affiliation to Hostelling. To offer an alliance with these organizations and share promotion and advertising expenses for the Mayan Route. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2002.
· PROGRAM (58) SUBREGIONAL TOURISM COORDINATION ASSOCIATION. To encourage a Subregional Youth Tourism Coordination Association between the four countries. GOAL: FIRST SEMESTER, 2004.
· PROGRAM (59) YOUTH INTERNATIONAL FAIR. Taking advantage of a common culture between Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Mexico, the AMAJ will encourage the meeting between tourism service providers in a Youth International Fair. This event could be promoted within the international fairs held every year in Mexico D.F., Acapulco and Mérida. GOAL: 2004.
III. CONCLUSIONS
A). To achieve intense work relations between the AMAJ, the Mexican Government, HI and the IYHF: There are 4 main actors directly involved in the PLAN. The AMAJ must work very hard to keep permanent, pragmatic and cordial relations with these actors. It is a warrantee for the PLAN’s complete fulfillment.
B). To obtain important income: The AMAJ must increase noticeably its income; otherwise, only theoretical- intellectual programs and projects will be fulfilled. These projects and programs represent a 30% of the PLAN projects. Increasing income must be realized in at least three ways: selling of the HI I.D. and Guide, the development of a booking system known as IBN and the commercialization of the http://www.hostels.com.mx web site. This money will allow the financing of promotion work, scouting trips and MAYH’s administration. The first year the AMAJ requires approximately 300.000 pesos (2001) and the next years 600.000 pesos annually.
C. Promote the creation of the Youth Tourism Promotion Counsel in Mexico: The PLAN demands the AMAJ to be well structured and with its own important resources, but it also requires the public sector to produce a specialized organization in youth tourism. With a State Organisation which coordinates the official policies of the youth sector, the AMAJ will have greater opportunities for fulfilling its mission: to develop the Hostels Network throughout the country and, as a consequence, promote youth tourism in Mexico at national and international levels.
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