Mara Lezama Highlights Maya World Unity at K’íiwik 2026 to Boost Community Tourism

Mérida, Yucatán — Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa, who also chairs the Tourism Commission of the National Conference of Governors (Conago), said the revival of K’íiwik, the 2026 Maya World Tourism Fair, marks the recovery of a space for dialogue, cooperation and collective construction among peoples who share one of humanity’s most extraordinary civilizations.

Speaking at the fair’s opening ceremony alongside Mexico’s Tourism Secretary Josefina Rodríguez Zamora and representatives from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, Lezama emphasized that the Maya World has much to offer a world seeking new development models. She called for a shared vision: building tourism that generates shared prosperity, preserves natural heritage and strengthens cultural identity.

“Talking about rural and community tourism, about tourism in the Maya World, means giving life to indigenous Maya peoples, to generations that have been passive spectators of success,” Lezama said. “Today in Quintana Roo, through Maya Ka’an, our Maya peoples are resurging, becoming active actors, protagonists of history, and transforming their lives with shared prosperity and greater social welfare.”

K’íiwik runs from June 2 to 5 in Mérida and is billed as the first specialized fair of the Maya World, a platform designed to connect the cultural wealth of Maya peoples with global trends in responsible tourism.

The opening ceremony was led by Tourism Secretary Josefina Rodríguez, who also presides over the Mundo Maya Organization; Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena; Campeche Governor Layda Sansores; Fonatur Director General Sebastián Ramírez Mendoza; state Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra; CPTQ Director Andrés Martínez Reynoso; and representatives of the countries and Mexican states that make up Mundo Maya.

Rodríguez noted that with the support of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, community tourism in Mexico has great relevance, as it represents expressions of the people themselves, transmitting their identity, culture and history. She added that the federal Tourism Secretariat has Community Tourism Distinctions that allow communities to enter value chains with better sustainable tourism.

Nine tourist destinations from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador are participating. Mexico is represented by five southeastern states: Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco.