Within the framework of the Fifth Tourism Summit, held in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, the head of the sector in the state of Querétaro, Adriana Vega Vázquez Mellado, participated in the forum "Tourism for shared prosperity: A new model for Mexico", where she presented the model of this industry with a social focus that is currently applied in the state and that has become one of the main levers of social development and economic.

During her speech, the official stressed that tourism is the industry with the greatest capacity to generate employment in record time, and is the main employer of young people and women globally; since worldwide indicators indicate that 1 in 10 jobs are generated by this sector. He added that this industry has managed to adapt in terms of sustainability, inclusion and accessibility for all people.

Before businessmen, authorities in the field and service providers, Adriana Vega, presented as an emblematic case of the social tourism model, the Initiatory Way of Santiago in the Sierra Gorda, a route of more than 120 kilometers that crosses four mountain municipalities and has become an economic, gastronomic, landscape and cultural backbone.

On this trail, he explained, family lodgings, restaurants, community transportation, nature guides, traditional cooks and artisan workshops will be activated, leaving economic value in each community; with which Querétaro has joined the efforts of the Federal Government with the recent launch of the National Guide of Community Tourism Experiences and the Distinctive dedicated to this segment.

"Querétaro has it all when we work together: private sector, communities, municipalities and government. My message is simple: we need more transversal value chains, protagonist communities and real inclusion in every corner of Mexican tourism," he stressed.

He also highlighted the role of traditional cooks and artisans, such as the creators of the Lele doll, originally from Amealco and today recognized worldwide as a cultural ambassador of the state. Through workshops, festivals and gastronomic fairs, communities have ceased to be spectators to become protagonists who sell, invoice and position themselves in new markets.