Acapulco opened the XXIII Congreso Nacional de la Asociación Mexicana de Mujeres Empresarias 2026 on Wednesday with more than 500 women from across the country gathering at Expo Mundo Imperial for a meeting organizers say will leave a measurable economic mark on the port city.
The congress was expected to generate 1,000 room nights and an economic spillover of more than 15 million pesos, according to figures presented around the event. Simón Quiñones Orozco, speaking at a press conference on behalf of Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda, said the gathering would help project Acapulco’s recovery and tourist development at a time when the city is trying to strengthen its image as a destination for major meetings.
The three-day congress brings together businesswomen from various states and places Expo Mundo Imperial at the center of a program designed to mix networking, tourism promotion and local spending. Ivett Bonifaz Famania thanked the state government for its support and the joint work with the Guerrero chapter of AMEXME, saying the meeting would also boost the destination’s economy and generate jobs for families that work in the venue and in other tourist businesses.
That message landed against a wider backdrop that has shaped how Acapulco is being promoted this year. Officials have framed the city’s recovery not only in terms of hotel occupancy, but also through the return of congresses and conventions that can spread money beyond the beach front and into restaurants, transport, event services and retail. In that sense, the gathering is being used as both an industry event and a signal that the port can still compete for large-scale tourism business.
Quiñones also underscored the role of women in that business. He said, citing figures from the federal tourism ministry and the national employment survey, that women now make up 54.2% of Mexico’s tourism workforce and participate daily in hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, transportation, event planning, tourism promotion and other parts of the sector. He said tourism in Mexico is inseparable from women entrepreneurs, hoteliers, restaurateurs, travel agents, artisans, traditional cooks, guides and leaders who strengthen the visitor experience.
Liliana Palomares Bataz said attendees will also be able to visit some of Acapulco’s best-known areas, including Bahía histórica, the Zona Dorada, La Quebrada, Sinfonía, the Museo Histórico de Acapulco, Fuerte de San Diego and the beach area. Those stops fold the city itself into the program, turning the congress into more than a closed-door business meeting and tying its success to the broader tourism circuit that Acapulco is trying to rebuild.
The immediate test is not whether the congress can produce speeches about recovery. It is whether the promised spending, hotel demand and local jobs actually show up in a city that is still trying to translate optimism into steady tourism growth.
