Iberoamericanas FHC adds proactive voices. Martha Venegas to the Advisory Council of the Initiatory Way
- Editorial
- Sep 19
- 3 min read
Jalisco - Michoacan.— Iberoamericanas FHC has announced the integration of new proactive participants into its network and the Advisory Council of the “Initiatory Way to the Way of Santiago” Jalisco–Michoacán. Among them is Martha Venegas, a change agent with more than three decades of experience in cultural tourism and the development of strategic products such as the Tequila Route. Currently a leading executive in the regional tourism industry, Venegas brings to the initiative her expertise in professionalizing offerings, strengthening territorial articulation, and enhancing binational outreach.
The Initiatory Way is an emerging project that will connect municipalities in Jalisco and Michoacán through a cultural, nature, and religious tourism route, spanning an estimated 120 kilometers. Its path will include Concepción de Buenos Aires, La Manzanilla de la Paz, and Mazamitla in Jalisco; as well as Marcos Castellanos, Cojumatlán, and Sahuayo in Michoacán. The initiative aims to design, organize, and signpost a high-value experience that combines local identity, wellbeing, and economic opportunities, while also promoting a culture of peace and long-term sustainable development.
With Martha Venegas on board, the Advisory Council gains the expertise of a professional whose vision shaped the Tequila Route into an internationally recognized icon and a driver of Jalisco’s agave landscape economy. Her leadership in festivals and tourism platforms with strong social impact makes her a strategic addition to this new project, ensuring it is conceived from its very foundation with professional standards, cultural storytelling, and global competitiveness.
The initiative is also aligned with international tourism trends, such as sustainable experiences, community-based development, and thematic routes that integrate heritage, gastronomy, and spirituality. Beyond positioning itself as a bridge between Mexico and Spain —inspired by the millenary Jacobean tradition— the project seeks to establish a binational platform between Jalisco and Michoacán, capable of attracting national visitors as well as the Hispanic market in the United States.
Strategic Partnership with FEMATUR National
Iberoamericanas FHC highlights the excellent linkage with Lic. Juan Carlos Arnau, Vice President of International Affairs at FEMATUR (Mexican Federation of Tourism Associations), as fundamental for the project’s institutional design and public–private articulation. Arnau’s background in international cooperation, tourism diplomacy, and multilateral promotion offers the governance structure needed to engage chambers, associations, tour operators, and academia, while also forging alliances with embassies and key markets.
In recent months, FEMATUR, with Arnau’s active role, has emphasized that tourism must be seen not only as an economic driver but also as a cultural and diplomatic tool that strengthens ties between nations and regions. This same approach —tourism as development with identity and peace— underpins Iberoamericanas FHC’s vision for the Initiatory Way.
Local Impact with a Binational Vision
The Advisory Council will coordinate with municipal governments, local communities, ecclesiastical actors, and service providers to:
Standardize signage, safety protocols, shelters, and service standards.
Train local guides and businesses in hospitality, storytelling, and sustainability.
Integrate the Way with existing products like the Talpa Pilgrim Route and the Tequila Route, avoiding overlaps and building complementarities.
Measure outcomes in tourism flows, average spending, women’s employment, and environmental conservation.
Iberoamericanas FHC —a network of women leaders from 22 Ibero-American countries— will ensure that a female leadership perspective permeates every stage of the project, from design to commercialization. Its principles of human rights, culture of peace, and cultural diplomacy will help guarantee the inclusion of women entrepreneurs, cultural promoters, academics, and officials in the project, translating participation into jobs, social cohesion, and investment.
Next Steps
The roadmap includes technical forums, detailed mapping of the route, safety committees, first-mile/last-mile access planning, and pilot packages for both regional markets and Hispanic visitors from the U.S. Promotion will be coordinated with FEMATUR, state associations, and sister cities. With proactive participants like Martha Venegas joining the effort, the Advisory Council is consolidating a public–social–private alliance that will enable the launch of a first stage with international standards, powerful narratives, and impact measurement from the very beginning.
About Iberoamericanas FHCIberoamericanas FHC is an international movement of FHC International that brings visibility and articulation to women leaders across 22 Ibero-American countries. Its mission is to drive agendas of peace, development, and culture with measurable local impact and binational reach. In Mexico, its Board of Directors and Advisory Council unite public and private leaders committed to projects that generate wellbeing and opportunities for communities.
Written by: Editorial
Photo previously published in: https://playersoflife.com/guadalajara/martha-venegas-huella-turismo/
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