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Mexico City –  President Felipe Calderon on Monday signed an agreement with the leaders of Mexico's tourism industry seeking to position the country as the world's No. 5 tourist destination by 2018.

The aim "is clear and I want to repeat it: we're going to make Mexico one of the five main tourist destinations in the entire world, both in tourist arrivals and in entry of foreign currency," said Calderon during the signing ceremony.

If Mexico fulfills this goal it could generate "more than 4 million direct jobs, perhaps 12 million more indirect jobs and increase (foreign currency) income to $40 billion," said the president.

Calderon noted that while Mexico has "real and perceived problems," the country currently "is the 10th (leading) tourist destination on the world level," and in 2010 it welcomed 22.3 million international visitors, not counting "more than 6 million tourists who came by cruise ship."

The National Tourism Accord, which contains 10 key points, seeks "to increase the connectivity" of the nation by sea, land and air, as well as to facilitate tourism by easing "the arrival, transit and exit" of tourists along the main routes, Calderon said.

The pact also sets as a goal "building, maintaining and improving the tourist infrastructure and fostering urban codes" in tourist destinations, something that implies "accelerating the pace ... (of the) construction of ... ports and highways," he said.

Another of the agreement's proposals is to strengthen Mexico's tourist promotional efforts abroad to improve the country's image and to push public and private investment in the sector via financing stimuli and facilities, the president said.

Likewise, the accord sets forth the need to diversify the country's tourist offerings with new products and destinations because Mexico "is much more ... (than) the best beaches and the best archaeological destinations," the head of state said.

He said that during 2011, which has been declared the Year of Tourism, the authorities each month will announce the government's specific programs to boost tourism.

Some Mexican tourist destinations such as Acapulco recently have experienced a reduction in tourist flow due to the local lack of security resulting from organized crime.