Huntsman outlined the plan he will present to the Mexican president to the business leaders, promising that within the next six months to a year, Utah will send more traditional trade missions to Mexico focused on biotechnology and manufacturing, particularly supplying air bags and other parts to Mexico's growing automaking industry.

As for tourism, he said he wants to increase the four weekly direct flights between Utah and Mexico as well as increase the state's profile. The governor said a group of tour operators he met with earlier in the day said they see advertising about Colorado and other states competing for travelers but not from Utah. A $10 million boost in travel promotion passed by the 2005 Legislature should change that, Huntsman said.

Utah has culture to offer, too, he said. "We're not a homogeneous culture," the governor said. "We're a blend of people in Utah. We're more diverse. We need to put that on display a little more than we have."

As for education, Huntsman said he was inviting the Mexican secretary of education to visit Utah to see what kind of language exchange programs might be possible. He has suggested that could include tapping Mexican teachers to

help immigrant students learn English as a second language.

Joe Reyna, a Zions Bank regional president who campaigned for Huntsman and is accompanying him here in Mexico, said Utah is setting itself apart from other states seeking economic development opportunities south of the border by offering more than just business deals. "We're giving back," Reyna said. "That is the base for an economic relationship. We have to understand that."

The governor's proposals appeared to be well-received by the business leaders, who asked questions and made suggestions after the governor's presentation.

Jorge Santistevan, an attorney whose clients include an air bag manufacturer with an operation in Utah, warned the governor that doing business in Mexico can be difficult. He asked if the state was considering joint ventures or other direct investment. Huntsman said he was most interested in finding new export opportunities for the state.

The need to first establish, in essence, a diplomatic relationship with a foreign market is a lesson Huntsman learned as a U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and a former U.S. trade representative in Asia.

He told the Deseret Morning News about his proposal shortly after arriving here Monday, saying that without such groundwork, trade missions can be "scatterbrained."

Huntsman will invite Fox to make his first visit to Utah, likely this fall. That's where a formal agreement detailing the governor's plan is expected to be signed. Those details will be left to groups the governor said he would name soon over each of the three areas — economic development and tourism, education and culture.