Mexico City Certifies 215 Community Tourism Projects in 5 Boroughs
Mexico City gave community tourism badges to 215 projects in 5 boroughs, 140 of them in Xochimilco. What the badge means and which areas are included.
Mexico City handed community tourism badges to 215 local projects in 5 alcaldías (boroughs), most of them in Xochimilco, according to El Universal. The badge tells visitors that the money they spend at a restaurant, guesthouse or tour goes to the community that runs it and looks after the land around it.
Mayor Clara Brugada presented the certificates with local and federal officials at a ceremony in the Parque Ecológico Xochimilco, an ecological park in the city’s south. She said the projects had to meet several requirements to qualify, though the requirements were not listed at the ceremony. She also thanked the people who make community tourism possible in Mexico City.
Where the 215 certified projects are
Sebastián Ramírez, director of the Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (Fonatur, Mexico’s national tourism development fund), gave the breakdown by borough:
- Xochimilco: 140 projects
- Milpa Alta: 25 projects
- Tláhuac: 17 projects
- Tlalpan: 17 projects
- Magdalena Contreras: 17 projects
Xochimilco alone holds more than half of the certified projects, where the ceremony was also held.
What kind of businesses got the badge
The certified projects cover food, traditional medicine, lodging, guided tours, community-run transport, workshops, and adventure and nature activities, according to the officials quoted by El Universal. Officials did not say how many projects fall into each type, and no list of individual businesses was published with the announcement. Ramírez said the badges recognize projects that belong to the communities themselves.
What the badge means for visitors
Brugada said anyone who sees the community tourism badge will know for certain that their visit benefits the local community, and she described that as the difference from other kinds of tourism. Ramírez said the badge exists so that a tourist can tell whether a project belongs to the community.
For residents and visitors, the practical change is a visible sign. Someone booking a tour, a workshop, a meal or a stay in one of these boroughs can look for the badge to find a project the community itself runs.
Why it matters for the southern boroughs
Brugada called the people behind the projects “authentic ambassadors of our city” and described them as guardians of local memory, biodiversity and land. She also called them storytellers of the city’s history and hosts to its centuries-old cultural and natural heritage. With the badge, the city government and Fonatur put an official label on community-run tourism, so visitors can choose those projects over other operators in the same areas.
The program reaches beyond the central neighborhoods most newcomers know. It covers Xochimilco, Milpa Alta, Tláhuac, Tlalpan and Magdalena Contreras.
City officials did not say at the ceremony when a public list of the 215 certified projects will be available or whether more boroughs will join the program.
Source: El Universal
