Guanajuato, Gto., July 26, 2016. The University of Guanajuato (UG) works in creating a master degree program in Development, Heritage and Tourism, for which was organized a consultation forum where representatives from public dependencies, educational institutions and business people and potential employers of the graduates of the program participated.

The objective of the Master in Development, Heritage and Tourism will be to address the needs that rise from the growth and diversification of the touristic sector. The program will have research as the main core, and will focus in forming students capable of proposing innovative solutions in global environments.

After welcoming the participants in the consult forum "Sustainable Research and Development of Tourism", the Director of the Division of Economic-Administrative Sciences (DCEA), Ph.D. Claudia Susana Gómez López said that the intention is to know the experts' opinion –and potential employers—on the profile a graduate from this master should have.

She reminded that tourism is a growth factor for the economies in the world. In México, the number of tourists increased almost six million tourists in the last two years, which approximately represents the 8% of the GDP. Hence the need to have an educational program oriented to research, that guides service providers and who defines the public politics in the matter of tourism.

In the consultation forum participated the Secretary of Tourism of the State of Guanajuato, M.A. Fernando Olivera Rocha, with the conference "Research in Touristic Ambience", where he exposed the most relevant features of the Tourism State Plan 2013-2018, sector that in 2015 left in Guanajuato an approximate income of $74, 640.00 million pesos.

The state functionary recognized the openness of UG to listen who work in the touristic sector and thanked the opportunity to collaborate in the analysis of the master degree program.

In his intervention, UG's Secretary of Management and Development, M.A. Jorge Alberto Romero Hidalgo, representing the General Rector, Dr. Luis Felipe Guerrero Agripino, said that this event sets and important path, and reiterated the interest from the House of Studies to contribute in projects that detonate the economic and social development.

In matter of tourism, he said that the state has a sound strategy, and UG will support it from the academic ambience so Guanajuato consolidates as one of the most important destines of Mexico.

On his part, the Rector of Campus Guanajuato, Dr. Javier Corona Fernández, highlighted the increasing importance of tourism in the economy has demanded a high level of development and specialization in the last decades to broaden and improve the touristic offer, hence, the interest of UG to create the master degree in Development, Heritage and Tourism, which is expected to begin next year.

Dr. Corona Fernández augurs for such program the same path to success that the degree in Touristic Resources Management has followed, one of the two educational programs at UG with international certification.

At the consult forum held in the Magnus spaces attended also as special guests, the Secretary of Innovation, Science and Higher Education from the State of Guanajuato, Dr. Arturo Lara López; DCEA's Academic Secretary, M.A. Velino Esteves Jiménez; the Director of the Department of Management and Direction of Businesses, Dr. Ricardo Valdez González, and the Director of the Department of Economy and Finance, Dr. J. Refugio Vallejo Gutiérrez.