Gay Nagle Myers
Will the recent visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping spark a mass influx of tourists from China?
It’s way too soon to tell if Mexico can capitalize on that opportunity, but Mexican officials did showcase one of the country’s top tourist attractions to Xi, in between talks between Xi and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto regarding bilateral trade and investment.
The two heads of state (and their wives) toured the Mayan archaeological site of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan.
During Xi’s visit, the Mexico Tourism Board reported that Mexico received 19,363 Chinese tourists in the first quarter of the year, a 35% increase over the same period in 2012. 
Of the 93 million Chinese who traveled abroad last year, nearly 50,000 visited Mexico.
Secretary of Tourism Claudia Ruiz Massieu plans to travel to China in July to discuss joint tourism plans, according to a statement from the tourist board.
“We are drawing up a program on China-Mexico cooperation to increase the bilateral tourism flows,” Ruiz Massieu said in a statement.
Her trip will include meetings with Chinese authorities from tourism agencies and airlines to discuss increased airlift and tourism investments.