A clear plan for San Miguel de Allende has already been put in place: to make it the best cultural city in the world by 2034.
In 2013, the city was declared by Condé Nast Traveler magazine “the world’s top city,” and since 2008, it is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, titles that San Miguel Mayor Mauricio Trejo Pureco brings to the fore to meet his ultimate goal—one he has had since the beginning of his term.
“During the last administration, the city’s colonial architecture had deteriorated considerably, prompting UNESCO to frown upon San Miguel de Allende and its dwindling cultural heritage. A total of 6 high-profile abductions occurred within a period of only 3 years, one of the most alarming rates in the country. We were heading down the road toward the abyss, as happens with many tourist destinations.”
The mayor highlighted the four main objectives of his action plan, outlined from the start of his term in office and all of which have already been set in motion:
Objective 1: Regain San Miguel’s tourism competitiveness, by attracting high-end tourists, those who appreciate culture and tradition, which our city has to offer.
Objective 2: Reunite the business sector, the government and society.
Objective 3: Promote San Miguel de Allende intelligently.
Objective 4: Incentivize projects that not only drive the economy, but that are also in sync with the municipality’s tourism industry.
“The fact that San Miguel was named “the best city in the world” isn’t a coincidence; it is a consequence. It is the result of people believing in my project, and it is the result of local businesses backing my plan.
“It stems from the intelligent promotion of the city that succeeded in attracting high-end tourism in 2013, which has allowed us to restore tourism to its previous level. Obviously, it’s also rooted in the top-notch services offered by the majority of businesses and in that friendly atmosphere that you can feel in the air. All of these factors led to boosting our position in the ranking. No one was excluded, society banded together, leading to cooperation and to a healthy environment. And above all, we have started to move toward regaining public security in San Miguel de Allende.”
San Miguel and Public Safety
Mauricio Trejo indicates that over 5 years, tourism endured grave declines, affecting the lives of San Miguel locals, and thus, the city’s economy.
“San Miguel de Allende was very sick, suffering from numerous illnesses: cancer, lung disease, stomach pain and a severe skin rash. To tackle these problems, we had to dive in head first and eliminate the cancer of cancers—the abductions. Today, we are proud to say that the cancer has been eliminated, and now it is time to treat the more minor, yet no less serious, ailments, including home-invasion robberies and car break-ins.”
Given that 83% of the city’s economy depends on tourism, factors like a decline in public security, kidnappings, cases of influenza and terrorist acts in the United States, can directly damage the city’s image and ability to move forward.
“Subsequent to the 5-year period in which security was volatile, we can confirm that zero high-profile kidnappings occurred in San Miguel in 2013. Today, San Miguel de Allende is an abduction-free city. Today, it is also a municipality in which pedophilia is significantly on the decline. It is a city that is free of organized criminal operations, and these are the first steps to follow in order to reduce other indicators.”