Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell August 1, 2008 San Miguel de Allende


Mexico Travel News

Mexico tourism figures published

According to the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations, Mexico earned US$12.9 billion from international tourism in 2007, six percent more than the previous year. Nonetheless, Mexico slipped to seventeenth place in terms of tourism earnings. The organization reported that 21.4 million international visitors arrived in 2007, the same figure as the previous year. France ranked first as a tourist destination, followed by Spain and the US.

US pre-clearance blocked?

Mexico reportedly is interested in allowing US Customs and Immigration to process passengers departing for the US at Mexican airports. The US is hesitant, worrying about terrorists. Negotiations are said to be on the back burner until next year. Mexico had hesitated, since pre-cleared passengers technically would then be under US jurisdiction while still in Mexico. Sovereignty is a big issue in Mexico, but so is bringing in more tourism dollars.

Pre-clearance operates at several airports in Canada and in the Caribbean. Passengers from these countries arrive in the US at domestic, rather than international terminals, avoiding delays at inspection stations. The system also opens up direct flights to foreign destinations from cities lacking international airports.

More environmental closures in Acapulco and Mazatlan

The newspaper Reforma reported on July 11 that the Environmental Protection Agency had ordered the closing of Members’ Deck, under construction near Puerto Marques in Acapulco, and Residencial Torrenza, a condominium complex in Mazatlan. Both apparently had failed to file environmental impact studies.

Trouble in paradise

On July 16, tourists in Los Cabos, most of them Americans, were forced to leave buses that would transport them to the airport and board taxis to make the trip. In some cases, they had to haul their luggage as much as a quarter of a mile.

Taxi drivers used their vehicles to block buses, keeping them from leaving hotels. The taxi drivers argue that they alone have the legal right to transport passengers in the area, a concession granted to them when they pay US$200,000 (not pesos) for taxi licenses. They argue that tour buses operate illegally.

Tourists, who usually have paid for airport transfers as part of a package, are caught in the middle, and reportedly hurled insults at the taxi drivers and at Mexico, promising never to return. Tour packagers say they will stop offering programs to Los Cabos until the problem is solved. 


Federal Tourism Minister Rodolfo Elizondo recently met with state officials in a vain effort to reach an accord. The taxi drivers had supported the ruling Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD), which governs the state of Baja California Sur, where Los Cabos is located. The situation has been simmering for years now, but exploded this week.


Mexico City courts tourists

The new slogan and song for Mexico City is Besame Mucho, along with a sketch of the Independence Monument, topped by an angel. Rights to the internationally known song (it has been translated into more than 40 languages) have been bought and paid for.

Mexico City is the most visited destination in the country, although most international travelers arrive for business reasons. The metropolis suffers from a reputation for being crime-ridden, over-crowded and snarled by traffic jams. A new tourism promotion campaign will attempt to emphasize the positive.


Cancún opens a “Green Door” to sustainable tourism

Cancún’s commitment to sustainable tourism has reached another goal with a new community-based alternative tourism network called Puerta Verde (Green Door). Through the nonprofit organization Kanché, visitors can take a sea and jungle route operated by 14 cooperatives from seven different Mayan communities in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas. The cooperatives are directly paid for the services they provide and a percentage of the proceeds are reinvested in environmental and cultural improvement projects in rural communities of Quintana Roo and Yucatán states.

Experiences on the new circuit include exploring caves, kayaking on lagoons, visiting a colorful butterfly house, camping in the jungle, tasting traditional gastronomy or swimming with the harmless whale shark. Altogether 23 activities are combinable in many ways, from one-day getaways to the complete 4-day and 3-night route.

Sources: Mexican Tourism News, Budget Travel, Travel Agent Central, Modern Agent, Travel Research Online.


Judy Newell, a writer and travel industry executive, heads the custom tour company Perfect Journeys that specializes in luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at JudyNewell_03@msn.com  or go to her website www.PerfectJourneys.net.