Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell May 16, 2008 San Miguel de Allende
News from Mexico
Did you know?
The oldest winery in the Americas is in Mexico? Mexico has 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any country in the Americas? Mexico has more millionaires than Germany? The Global Retirement Index just voted Mexico as the world’s #1 retirement destination? More that half of Mexico is above 5,000 feet in elevation? Mexico produces more corn than India, more beer than Australia, more steel than Sweden, more glass than Austria and more oil than the United Arab Emirates?
Mexican airline woes
Increasing fuel prices have sparked fresh rumors that Aeromexico and Mexicana Airlines may merge, a union prohibited last year by anti-trust regulators when Aeromexico was sold. Mexicana attempted to acquire its rival back then.
Now none of the 14 airlines operating in Mexico is earning a profit and there is some speculation that Aviacsa will soon fold its wings if new investment money is not found. Aerolineas Mesoamericanas (operating as Alma), one of the newer low-fare airlines which claims five percent of the Mexican market, is trimming its 50-seat Bombardier fleet of 19 aircraft to 12 and reducing its route structure. Avolar, another new low-fare carrier, is returning four old Boeing 737-200s to its supplier, canceling some routes and laying off 60 employees.
Fonatur probe urged
On May 5, the chairman of the Senate Tourism Committee urged a special panel to investigate Fonatur, the National Tourism Development Fund. Fonatur, which developed Cancún, Ixtapa and, to some degree, Los Cabos, spent a billion and a half pesos during the previous administration in a failed attempt to develop the “Nautical Stairway.”
The goal was to build 29 marinas along both coasts of the Baja California peninsula in order to attract yacht traffic from the US. Sen. Luis Coppola wants to know what happened. Vast sums of public money raised from taxes were spent, but very little accomplished. The senator demanded that former Fonatur general director John McCarthy be summoned to explain the failure.
 |
 |
No shoes, no shirt, no worries A real boom in nude vacations for naturalists is coming at the high end of the business as upscale hotels and resorts, and even some luxury cruise lines, have begun to see the economic potential in the no-clothes crowd—particularly those who want to shed their clothes but not their pampered lifestyles. |
Roughly an hour south of Cancún, the US$300-a-person, all-inclusive Hidden Beach Resort, a nude-only luxury hotel offering 42 oceanfront suites, opened in 2003 along Mexico’s popular Mayan Riviera. Guests are greeted with champagne upon arrival, rose petals are tossed on the beds at turndown and beach butlers hand out towels and reading materials to guests relaxing in the nude, while they themselves walk around in discreet uniforms of buttoned-down shirts and khaki pants. In addition to the pool, beach and hot tub, au natural amenities include nude dining, nude bars and a nude disco.
According to the American Association for Nude Recreation, roughly 20 percent of members have a median household income of $106,000, drive luxury cars and spend $3,000 or more on travel.
Most nude vacationers say that what they enjoy most is liberation from the typical pretenses of society. “When you don’t have any clothes on, you don’t know if someone’s a judge or a doctor or a lawyer or a mechanic,” said one nude vacationer. “You are what you are.”
Travel Alert for Mexico’s border areas
The State Department has issued a travel alert for US citizens who are planning to visit border areas in Mexico. “Violent criminal activity fueled by a war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the US-Mexico border,” the alert states, adding that “dozens of US citizens were kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007.”
On April 26, according to news reports, a shootout on the streets of Tijuana left 15 gang members dead and 8 others wounded. Tourism in Tijuana, which is also an international business center, has declined significantly this year (The New York Times).
Airlines
More checked bag fees
The lone holdout among the network carriers, American Airlines, said that on May 12 it would join the competition and start charging US$25 for a second checked bag. The fee will apply to all coach passengers except those on full-fare tickets and those with elite status in the AAdvantage frequent-flier program.
The Alaska Air Group, which operates Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, said it would also start charging US$25 for a second checked bag starting this summer. The fee for an overweight bag will double, to US$50, and the extra fee for an unaccompanied minor will rise to US$75 from US$30.
International News
Israel marks 60th anniversary
On May 7, the eve of the 60th anniversary of its rebirth in 1948, Israelis celebrated with a countrywide series of shows. The 12-minute spectacles lighted up the skies above Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashdod, Netanya, Beersheba, Tiberias and Eilat with elaborate fireworks, laser-light displays and celebratory music.
Arie Sommer, Israel Tourism Commissioner for North and South America, noted that in 2007 more Americans visited Israel than in any year in the nation’s history and for the first months of 2008 tourism is up 51 percent.
Sources: Magic of Mexico, Mexican Tourism News, The New York Times, Travel Agent
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.