Grupo Xcaret President Touts Mexico’s Culinary Diversity at Apapaxoa 2026

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s culinary diversity is one of the country’s biggest advantages over rival tourism destinations, Miguel Quintana Pali, president and director general of Grupo Xcaret, said as he opened Apapaxoa, a gathering that brings together leading figures from Mexican and international gastronomy.

Quintana Pali credited Akis Neocleous, executive director of Hoteles Xcaret, and his son David Quintana, Grupo Xcaret’s vice president of strategy and development, with organizing the event. He said he was proud of the result, which he added surpassed even his own expectations.

“It has left me blown away,” Quintana Pali said of the scale of Apapaxoa 2026, which features more than 70 Michelin stars as well as sous chefs and other international culinary specialists.

Mexico’s 32 states, 32 cuisines

Quintana Pali argued that Mexican cooking has enormous potential as a tourism draw because of the cultural and culinary differences between each of the country’s states.

“I say there are 32 cuisines in our country, because there are 32 states that are completely different from one another. So here we are the equivalent of 32 countries in the world,” he said.

He explained that this diversity is part of Grupo Xcaret’s culinary offering, with its hotels operating more than 30 restaurants, many of them dedicated to showcasing different expressions of Mexican cooking.

The executive also highlighted the presence of 32 traditional cooks, each representing a different state and preparing dishes characteristic of their region.

The tour, he said, lets visitors sample a wide range of flavors and dishes, from street snacks and tacos to other regional specialties — an experience he described as hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Quintana Pali also announced the upcoming Mexican Popular Art Fair, a project he called one of his favorites and one aimed at refocusing attention on the country’s cultural and artisan traditions.