The main challenge for the state of Veracruz was to turn tourism into one of the main development boosters, capitalising on the geographic proximity of a great issuing market, such as the capital of the country, Mexico City, with approximately 20 million inhabitants.

Therefore, the Department of Tourism Development of the State of Veracruz commissioned THR with the elaboration of a Plan of Tourism Development establishing the main guidelines which will guide the government's action on territory infrastructures, features and planning in the development of sustainable tourism.

According to the request of the Department of Tourism Development of the State of Veracruz, THR's work focused on the following basic aspects:

• Assessing and diagnosing the tourism potential of the territory based on the quantity and quality of its resources.
• Identifying the tourism zones with greater potential.
• Selecting and prioritising the tourism businesses or products which reveal better oportunities for each zone.
• Identifying and assessing the needs of each zone to successfully compete in the selected businesses/products.
• Designing competitiveness programmes to create and/or improve each zone's conditions.
• Preparing programmes for product creation and development.
• Designing programmes for the marketing and communication of products on offer.
• Identifying business opportunities.
• Conceptual development of business opportunities.
• Viability study of business opportunities.
• Elaborating a sales book to attract investors.

THR elaborated tourism development plan which established the main strategic directions that the government must follow to develop and maintain infrastructures and features, as well as to correctly plan the territory of Veracruz.

Furthermore, business opportunities were identified to attract investors who could contribute to increase the offer of products and tourism projects.