How Technology Can Shape the Future of Mexican Tourism

Mexico is having one of the best moments in its tourism history. Today, it is the sixth most visited country in the world, and that momentum continues to grow; San Miguel de Allende was named the World's Best City in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2026, while Oaxaca and Mexico City ranked among the world's top urban destinations.

The country's food has also gained international recognition. UNESCO recognized traditional Mexican cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Michelin Guide has expanded into the country, and Mexican restaurants and bars continue to earn places among the world's best. More recently, the 2026 FIFA World Cup again put the country in the global spotlight, proving its ability to welcome millions of visitors.

Tourism is also one of Mexico's most important industries. It contributes 8.7% of GDP and supports nearly 2.9 million jobs. As the sector continues to grow, improving the visitor experience is not only about hospitality; it is about strengthening one of the country's biggest economic drivers.

Where Technology Can Help

Mexico has become a destination people from everywhere want to visit. The next step is making sure the experience matches that reputation.

Hospitality will always be one of the country's greatest strengths, but travelers today also expect convenience; they want to pay with their phone, book experiences online, find information in their own language, and move around easily. Many businesses already use digital tools, but adoption is still uneven, making parts of the travel experience more complicated than they need to be.

For hotels, restaurants, museums, tour operators, local communities, and governments, the goal is to remove friction and make traveling easier through technology. 

Payments: Making It Easier to Spend

A visitor's experience begins before arriving at a destination: booking a tour, buying museum tickets, reserving transportation, or simply paying for dinner should be simple. But now, many businesses still rely on cash, bank transfers, or payment systems that create unnecessary steps, every extra click increases the chance that a purchase will never happen.

Making international cards, digital wallets, QR codes, and contactless payments more common is about much more than convenience. It helps visitors spend more easily while giving small businesses the same opportunities as larger companies.

For example, Singapore has already demonstrated how integrating digital payments across transportation, attractions, restaurants, and neighborhood businesses creates a smoother visitor experience while strengthening local economies. Tourists can use the same digital payment methods to ride the MRT, visit attractions, dine at hawker centers, and shop at local merchants, reducing friction while helping smaller businesses participate in the country's tourism economy.

Speaking Every Visitor's Language

Language is still one of the biggest barriers for international visitors. Travelers need to understand menus, transportation, schedules, cultural experiences, and safety information, while many small businesses simply do not have the time or budget to translate everything they offer.

Artificial intelligence is changing that. Huevito, a free initiative developed by Fundación Placemaking, automatically translates the daily menus of neighborhood restaurants and fondas. Instead of hiring translators or printing multilingual menus, business owners can communicate with visitors almost instantly. It is a simple solution that helps travelers discover local food while making small restaurants more accessible.

Making Local Experiences Easier to Find

The country has far more to offer than beaches and large cities. Community tourism, ecotourism, local food, cultural workshops, and nature experiences exist across the country, yet many remain difficult to find because they are not part of the digital platforms travelers use every day.

Technology can help close that gap. Making local experiences easier to find and easier to book allows more visitors to reach destinations that often receive little attention.

During the ETH Cinco de Mayo Hackathon and Incubator, supported by FONATUR, several teams worked on these challenges. Navigo developed a platform that helps travelers discover and book community tourism experiences, while Pueblos Mancomunados created digital tools to improve the management of one of Oaxaca's best-known community tourism projects. Although these initiatives are still under development, they show how entrepreneurs are solving practical problems that have limited local tourism for years.

Better Decisions Through Data

Technology is not only changing how people travel. It is also helping destinations make better decisions. Understanding where visitors spend their time, identifying busy periods, and analyzing mobility patterns allows cities to improve transportation, public services, and the overall visitor experience.

Barcelona is a good example. The city uses real-time data to monitor visitor flows, identify crowded areas, and encourage travelers to explore different neighborhoods. This not only improves the visitor experience but also helps local businesses benefit from tourism while reducing pressure on the city's busiest attractions.

Tourism is also becoming more connected with sustainability. At ETH Cinco de Mayo, one of the projects developed was InlandMex, a platform that monitors environmental restoration projects and generates data to support regenerative tourism initiatives. It is a good example of how innovation in tourism is creating opportunities beyond the travel industry itself.

Mexico already has what many of the world's top tourism destinations offer: great food, archaeological sites, beaches, cities, biodiversity, and a rich cultural heritage. Yet much of the country's tourism is still concentrated in a few destinations, while places across Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, and many community tourism projects remain unknown to most international visitors.

We do not need to create new attractions, the opportunity is to help more people discover what already exists beyond the destinations they know. Technology can make that happen, and the benefits of tourism will reach more communities, create more local businesses, and strengthen one of the country's most important industries.