With a message of conservation for Chiapas’ natural areas, the seventh Chiapas Birding Festival 2026 kicked off, marking the beginning of birdwatching tourism’s rise in the state as an international attraction, competing alongside Oaxaca.
From April 15th to 17th, the Chiapas Convention Center will host this event. Segundo Guillén Gordillo, the State Secretary of Tourism, emphasized the current administration’s commitment to the conservation of natural spaces as an engine for community and economic development.
The event will feature booths from various community centers across Chiapas’ diverse regions, including the Coast, the Comitán Plateau, the Highlands, and the Rainforest.
Communities from Nahá, the Lacandon Rainforest, Las Nubes, and Guacamayas, among others, will be present, offering tourism products linked to nature and community-based tourism. In addition, conferences and talks focused on conservation and nature tourism will be held.
Rómulo Farrera, a businessman from Chiapas and one of the founders of this festival, stated that the idea of holding the event in Chiapas arose after a trip to South America; the state’s biodiversity provided the perfect setting for its development.
Guillén Gordillo emphasized that Chiapas is home to approximately 70 percent of Mexico’s bird species, positioning it as a powerhouse in the birdwatching tourism sector.
“Today we have more trained guides to provide the specialization required by tourists seeking this type of experience,” he noted.
He mentioned that last year the largest program in the history of the Ministry of Tourism was launched for certified guides, based on standards 08 and 09.
Regarding the language barrier for foreign tourists, Guillén Gordillo revealed that they are working with the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) so that language students can complete their community service in community centers, providing support in a second language.
Source: cuartopoder
