Along with the states of San Luis Potosi and Coahuila, Guanajuato has led the country commercially with a growth in GDP of 11.1 per cent. Much of the state’s growth is due to its strong manufacturing sector, with an especially robust automobile industry. Metals, leather goods and processed foods also make up a significant portion of the state’s GDP.
While manufacturing and agriculture are the engines of the economy in Guanajuato, foreign direct investment (FDI) has also been on the rise. Currently ranking 11th out of 32 states, Guanajuato has significant possibilities for attracting further FDI.
According to the former State Governor Hector Lopez Santillana, “Guanajuato currently boasts a portfolio of 81 projects that represent a potential investment of $2.2 billion.” Roughly 90 per cent of Guanajuato’s FDI is directed at the manufacturing industry, helping to finance sectors such as auto parts, cars, energy and food products. The remaining investments go toward the agriculture, mining and gas industries.
This rise in investment in Guanajuato is consistent with a general trend toward growing FDI throughout Mexico. The expansion in the country’s largest urban areas such as Mexico City and Monterrey gives the commercial centres in the state reliable trading partners, particularly in the capital, Guanajuato, and other important cities such as Leon and Celaya.
The state’s most frequent local exports include automobiles and pharmaceutical. Traditional handicrafts, often made at small regional enterprises, are also exported, principally to the US.
Trade with Guanajuato is particularly convenient because it is located almost exactly in the geographic centre of Mexico. In fact it can be found within the “golden triangle” which includes Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. This geographic region holds 60 per cent of the Mexican population, 80 per cent of the national market, 70 per cent of international commerce and 70 per cent of the country’s automobile industry.
Besides location, the state also enjoys a developed infrastructure of 675 miles of railways, as well as an international airport. Guanajuato additionally manages one of the most efficient post offices in the world, as well as possessing 14 television channels and 53 radio stations.
Although economically Guanajuato has shown significant strength as a state, it is perhaps most well known for its rich cultural attractions. It is the only state in the country with two sites on the World Heritage list: the cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. These colonial towns were important sites during the Mexican War of Independence and now are among the most visited tourist sites in the region.
Furthermore, the government has set up cultural routes throughout the area highlighting important regional attractions such as the nation’s independence, archaeology, handicrafts and monasteries.
Visitors to Guanajuato can find quality accommodation in the state’s approximately 530 hotels, 70 of which are ranked with four or five stars.
Guanajuato’s important cultural sites are key for the growing tourism industry and will contribute to the state’s overall attractiveness as more and more international investors take notice of this elite Mexican state.
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