President Felipe Calderon's new Mundo Maya 2012 campaign is designed to increase tourism in Mexico's southeastern states, including Quintana Roo, Campeche, Yucatan, Chiapas and Tabasco. Efforts will center around preserving and promoting the impressive remnants of the Mayan civilization that once ruled this entire region. This heritage is unique to Mexico and has already made the Riviera Maya once of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

As part of the new initiative, President Calderon announced that new archaeological sites and a Hispanic cultural museum will be opened in the coming months and years, stating that, “We will continue to invest heavily in tourism infrastructure in the southeast.”  Calderon made the announcement from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City at a presentation for the governors of the aforementioned states.

“Today we are the 10^th power for tourism in the world, and we are working hard to be in the top five,” he stated. “We want the world to know the splendors of the Mayan civilization, with the end goal of positioning Mexico as a privileged and unique tourist destination.”

The Mundo Maya 2012 campaign is designed to coincide with the end date of the Mayan calendar, which is December 21, 2012. Southeastern Mexico's “Mayan World” will host a wide variety of events to promote international interest in its six UNESCO World heritage sites. All told, Mexico is home to 27 of these sites, which is the most of any country in the world. 

“This effort looks to give an unprecedented boost to touristic activity in the country's southeastern states, where this incredible civilization was established,” stated Calderon. “We want tourists from Mexico and the world to know Mexico. We want them to explore the unrivaled riches that this magical region has to offer.”

To make this happen, Mexico's government will launch an aggressive infrastructure development plan to improve roads and facilities that will provide access to the ancient sites. The region already receives more than 250,000 visitors every month, a number that is expected to increase dramatically as old archaeological sites are restored and new ones are opened up for visitors.