First published on May 9, 2016 by Jorge Alvarado
“Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees”…well this can be literally true in Canada, where you’ll see so many trees it can be difficult to imagine the entire forest.
But Canada’s natural landscape is not what the country is all about for Mexicans. The image of Canada as a huge camping tent next to an iceberg is a thing of the past. Mexicans already know better.
For many Mexicans, Canada is like “Europe in the Americas”. Why fly 12 hours to Great Britain when in less than 6 hours you can enjoy a cup of tea at 5 p.m. surrounded by British architecture in Victoria? Why spend $1,200 to go to France to finally practice the French you learned with Miss Jeannette in high school when with less than $600 you can go to Quebec and discover that learning “Le chat est brun” is still not enough to order breakfast? Scotland? No big deal. You can listen to real bagpipes in Nova Scotia in no time.
Authentic French crêpes, double-decker buses, Queen Elizabeth on the bills and coins, Little Italy…these are just some of the European touches Canada offers, all of it without having to jump across the Atlantic.
But Canada’s appeal to Mexicans is not limited to its European similarities: the Canadian visa requirement to Mexicans is going to be lifted anytime now and it is expected to create a boom in Mexican tourists.
“Eliminated, terminated, finished… caput!” said Stéphane Dion, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, referring to the Canadian visa requirement for Mexicans during a meeting with his Mexican and American counterparts earlier this year.
Lifting this requirement will make Canada even more appealing to Mexican tourists who would rather visit a visa-free Canada than other countries that still have stricter requirements.
Anticipating the imminent wave of Mexican tourists, a number of Canadian tourism and hospitality organizations have already been promoting Canada in Mexican media. Many are reaching out to potential visitors through a variety of platforms ranging from newspapers to social media. These and other Spanish language marketing initiatives have Canadian businesses well positioned to take advantage of this growing audience.
Canada is all-in for Mexican tourism now… it is just a matter of time.
