Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell December 5, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Mexico Travel News

Monarchs are back 

Migrating monarch butterflies have started fluttering down in the central Mexican states of Michoacan and Mexico. The butterflies return each year from Canada and have become a tourist attraction in rural areas that otherwise are seldom visited by outsiders.

The winter home of these creatures was discovered only a few decades ago. Paradoxically, roads built to make the area more accessible to visitors also attracted loggers who threatened to destroy the habitat. The government has been struggling to halt this illegal woodcutting and apparently is having some success. Tourism brings in more money than lumber.


Mexico City named one of Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities for 2009

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 has named Mexico City one of the Top 10 cities in the world. Lonely Planet is a leading information website for travelers and its website contains over 20,000 pages of detailed, on-the-spot information, reviewed by an ongoing army of dedicated travelers. 


"Mexico City is immersed in culture, history and entertainment. There is something to be found for everyone and we are proud that visitors around the world feel the same," said Oscar Fitch, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board. "Mexico City is the hot ticket.”

Mexico City is singled out for its architecture, rich culture, trendy bars, live-music venues, museums and fine restaurants. The book says: “After all, we're talking about the so-called 'Manhattan of Latin America,' a city so fast and invigorating that sleep is a mere afterthought. Boredom is not an option." 

In fact, Mexico City is so ready to pop, that Lonely Planet just released a brand new guidebook to the city, its first since 2000. Its two authors have captured the city in all its gritty glory. With an insider's perspective, the guide makes this chaotic, exciting city accessible to the traveler through in-the-know neighborhood reviews and detailed maps, walking tours, top gallery showings, extensive dining coverage from street eats to Mexican haute cuisine, and the best nightlife for all tastes.


La Paz gets in on the development act 

Often overlooked La Paz, capital of Baja California Sur, finally is getting a bit of residential development, although it still is not in the same league as Los Cabos or even Loreto, better-known parts of the state. 

Paraiso del Mar reportedly is ready for its first residents to move in as its golf course opens for business. Paraiso lies on a secluded stretch of bay, sufficiently isolated that it can only be reached by ferry. This is to be a 1,700-acre development of two-, three- and four-bedroom villas on the sea; other houses are located along the golf course itself. 


More business travel sought 

Representatives of the Tourism Ministry and the Tourism Promotion Council met recently with 15 travel specialists in the US to discuss ways of increasing convention and business travel to Mexico. The goal is to convince those coming to Mexico on business to linger a while and enjoy some of the country’s attractions. 

Business travelers usually have their costs covered by corporate expense accounts and tend to be big spenders. Should they stay longer it is assumed they would pay their own tabs, but they would have saved on airfare. City hotels often offer deep discounts for weekend stays, when their occupancy drops sharply.


Mexico eyes domestic market 

Hoping to compensate for what may be a decline in tourists arriving from abroad, Mexico’s travel industry is taking a fresh look at the folks from home, according to Alejandro Bojorquez, president of one of Mexico’s largest tour operators. 

Official statistics show that nine million Mexicans vacation abroad every year. But now that the peso has slipped about 20% in relation to the dollar, these travelers may be having second thoughts. In fact, they already are, according to Bojorquez, who says domestic travel has increased 30% during the last few months while foreign travel is down 6 percent. 

Hotels and airlines are said to be joining forces to prepare packages that will convince Mexicans to vacation in their own country in the months to come rather than simply staying at home. 



International News

WellPoint to launch medical tourism pilot program

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. will dabble in medical tourism next year when it launches a pilot program that sends patients to India for some surgeries.

The insurer says the program can save thousands of dollars and the concept could eventually give WellPoint extra clout at the bargaining table with US doctor networks.

About 750,000 Americans headed abroad last year for major health care and an estimated 1.5 million are expected to this year, according to a study released last summer by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. The largest US health insurers are starting to take notice.

Aetna Inc. launched a medical tourism pilot program earlier this year. Cigna Corp. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. representatives say they're studying the idea.

Medical tourism generally involves traveling to another country for non-emergency care that can include hip replacements, shoulder surgery and even heart bypasses. The Deloitte Center predicts that the number of people trying it could jump tenfold over the next decade to nearly 16 million Americans a year. The center says savings is one of the drivers.

She also said care quality in their program will equal that in US hospitals. The program will comply with both American Medical Association medical tourism guidelines and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association service standards. WellPoint subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin will set up the medical care and take care of scheduling and travel service. The insurer will cover the travel and lodging costs for both the patient and a companion and will set up follow-up care back home for the patient.


Avis to boost rental fares

Avis Budget Group Inc. is going to increase car rental rates by $3 per day and $20 per week, beginning December 1, for airport and some off-airport rentals in the US in order to offset rising business costs. Customers covered by corporate account agreements or other special arrangements will not be subjected to the rate increases.

Shares of Avis Budget are down 97 percent so far this year and it just reported a $1 billion third-quarter loss. Standard & Poor's announced that it was removing Avis from its index of midcap stocks.

A Baltic turnover?

Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, had an overnight revolution. In the early hours of November 26, referendum results showed that Greenlanders voted overwhelmingly for much greater autonomy from Denmark. This is not the first time that Greenland has rocked the boat. 

In 1985, Greenland seceded from the European Community (the precursor to the European Union), and in so doing immediately halved its geographical area. Greenland may be tiny in terms of population, but its land area is four times larger than France.

The referendum debate has not just been about the massive hydrocarbon reserves that may or may not surround Greenland. Political discussion has also revolved around culture, as inhabitants of the Arctic nation have asserted their right to celebrate their own distinctive history and use their language. 



Airline News

Get email alerts when a frequent-flyer seat becomes available

You can now receive an e-mail alert when an award seat becomes available on a route you're interested in flying. Search for airfare on Yapta.com and click "including award tickets" to begin tracking the flight. Yapta will automatically send e-mail alerts if either the price drops or a seat available for frequent-flier point redemption becomes available. The service is free and works on Alaska Airlines, Continental, Delta, United, and U.S. Airways.

Interesting note: Yapta stands for Your Personal Travel Assistant.

Sources: Mexico Tourism News, Mexican Tourism Board, AP, TRO Travelgram, Travel Agent Central, Budget Travel, Hidden Europe 

Judy Newell heads the travel company Perfect Journeys that specializes discounted rates for airfare, hotels, tours and cruises worldwide, as well as in luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at JudyNewell_03@msn.com  or go to her website www.PerfectJourneys.net.