• Zazil Tunich is the winner of one of the seven categories of the most important Recognitions granted by the Federal Ministry of Tourism.
• The entity has become a reference in the Mexican southeast and in the country, for holding large events in the Meetings Tourism industry.

February 23,2023; Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico.- The Ministry of Tourism of Mexico – SECTUR -, through the General Management of Tourism Product Innovation, announced the winners of the Recognition for Innovation of the Mexican Tourism Product 2023, in which the Yucatecan product “Encounter in Xibalbá” by Zazil Tunich, was recognized in the Meetings Tourism category.

Zazil Tunich is a space in total isolation and in direct contact with nature. Located in the Xeneba Mayan Village, 15 miles from downtown of the capital of the Eastern Maya region of Yucatan and Magical Town of Mexico, the city of Valladolid. Zazil Tunich has developed a guided and personalized tour, a unique experience in a cavern-cenote through the Mayan Underworld (Xibalba). As context, while descending 65 ft. deep through the cavern, the Mayan mythology tells a story through the Legend of Xibalba, it explains why these places are indented for the Mayan culture; Zazil offers the opportunity to descend and enjoy its sacred waters, in addition to reliving the ancestral Mayan Ceremonies and Culture in an authentic way that has been inherited from generations to the current Mayans, an ancient culture that is still alive.

This award is the most important confer by the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico – SECTUR – to the most relevant tourism experiences and products in the country and its purpose is to recognize the initiatives that have contributed to the innovation of the national tourism product of small and medium-sized tourism companies. The 235 vacancies that exist in Mexico, through the promotion of the development of the activity, they contribute to reduce the inequality of the population historically discriminated, and strengthening the diversification of competitive and innovative products.

Every year, a call is opened prior to Tianguis Turístico – México’s mayor Travel and Tourism Event -, and it is precisely during this event where the awards ceremony takes place, so it will be in the next 2023 edition in Mexico City, where the award will be given.

The registration of candidacies was made on the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico website (www.gob.mx/sectur). In total, seven recognitions were given in the categories that include Meetings Tourism, Accessible Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Sports Tourism, Nature Tourism, Romance Tourism and Health Tourism.

Only one prize was awarded for each category. The postulated tourism products fully demonstrated an example of tourism innovation, understood as the introduction of a new or improved component that provides tangible and intangible benefits to the actors in the tourism activity and the local community, thus enhancing tourism competitiveness and sustainability. Yucatan has become an important reference in the Mexican southeast and in Mexico in general due to its ability to host large events of international relevance, due to its infrastructure that allows to carry out events of this magnitude. The city of Mérida is a promoter of regional development in southern Mexico with an unbeatable geographical location and excellent connectivity and accessibility. The state has the International Congress Center (CIC) and the Yucatán Siglo XXI Convention Center, both are part of the wide cultural, tourist and entertainment offer that exists in the Yucatecan capital.