Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell
November 7, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Mexico Travel News

San Luis Potosí—a “City of Lights”

San Luis Potosí can now be called a “City of Lights.” It is one of the 59 “Cities of Light” in the world and the only one in Latin America. San Luis Potosí’s major streets and buildings are lighted to enhance the wonderful architecture in its historic center and picturesque colonial streets. This year San Luis Potosí will host the Annual General Meeting of Lighting Urban Community International (LUCI), October 29–November 2.

More than 60 countries are expected to participate.

In 2006, San Luis Potosí received third place in the International City People Light Award given by LUCI and Philips, an award that promotes the use of lights as an essential part of urban development.

The City Lighting Master Plan of the state intends to highlight the architecture of the historic buildings and monuments of the city, such as the Del Carmen Church, the Viceroyalty Museum, the La Paz theater and the National Mask Museum. So far, the state government has invested more than US$2 million in this illumination project.

International tourists warned about travel to Mexico

According to the newspaper Reforma, at least a dozen governments are cautioning their citizens that travel to Mexico can be dangerous because of crime. Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Federal District (Mexico City) are considered especially risky. Travel agents in many countries provide written warnings as well.

None of this, according to the daily, has yet had any adverse effect on tourism. Indeed, the recent decline in the value of the peso—one dollar will get you 12, compared to 11 last month—is expected to bring even more visitors this winter.

Reforma points out that the primary danger lies in getting caught in crossfire as narcotics gangs battle each other and the police. Thus far no tourists have been injured, but the day may come. In Mazatlan, army troops were called out to combat drug trafficking and this has irritated restaurant and bar owners who claim that the presence of soldiers is scaring customers away.

Tourism promotion funds trimmed 

With its advertising budget being cut by 40 percent, the National Tourism Promotion Council is planning some major changes. Institutional advertising with its focus on Mexico as a brand will be all but eliminated. The new emphasis will be on cooperative campaigns in which hotels, airlines or local destinations will share the costs.

Most advertising will be directed at the US, which supplies the bulk of tourists coming to Mexico. While Mexico has been hoping to diversify its markets, with less money available, the idea now will be to keep what it already has.
Spanish development planned 

Spain’s Hansa Urbana has won approval from the Ministry of the Environment to commence work on a 4,000-hectare development between Los Cabos and La Paz in Baja California. Among the documents published is a plan to create rooms, suites, timeshare apartments, condominiums and more.

This, on top of the huge (investments totaling US$6.5 billion are sought) planned project near Mazatlan, indicates this will be a decade when development in northwestern Mexico will be emphasized. Greenpeace is protesting that these developments will damage local ecology. 

A dream deferred

The Mexican cruise ship Ocean Dream, scheduled to commence sailings from Acapulco in December, appears to be delayed. According to Reforma, the maiden voyage has been pushed back until next July. Pulmantur, the operating company and an affiliate of Royal Caribbean International, has yet to make an official announcement.

By sailing entirely within Mexican waters along the Pacific coast, the Ocean Dream hoped to appeal to Mexican vacationers who do not want the trouble and expense of acquiring a visa to cruise from the US.

The delay is understandable. Apparently due to world economic conditions, some 600 scheduled cruise ship arrivals at Mexican ports have been canceled for the upcoming season. Passengers will be missed by tour operators, taxi drivers, shopkeepers and bartenders.

Cozumel’s Puerta Maya reopens 

Carnival Corp.’s pier at Puerta Maya in Cozumel—closed since being damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005—officially reopened when the Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Fantasy visited on October 16. Representing an investment of more than US$50 million, the new two-berth pier has been constructed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

Puerta Maya’s nine-acre cruise center housing 42 shops and restaurants also will reopen, along with a four-acre transportation hub capable of accommodating dozens of taxis and tour buses and four rental car facilities. 

The October 16 reopening was the first of 550 cruise ship visits at Puerta Maya over the next year. Vessels from Carnival Corp. also will continue to use the other two piers in Cozumel. Collectively, these ships will bring annually to Cozumel an estimated 1.5 million visitors, who are expected to spend US$126 million on the island each year.

The Puerta Maya pier and cruise center is located on the southwestern part of Cozumel, approximately five miles south of San Miguel, the island’s largest city.

Royal treatment sought for royal road 

A World Heritage designation is being sought from UNESCO for the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or Royal Inland Highway, that since the vice-regal era connected Mexico City with Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the oldest and longest route in the Americas, originally built by the Jesuits as they extended their missions northward. 

In Texas and New Mexico, the United States National Park Service has designated the Camino Real as a National History Trail. In Mexico, it is cared for by the National Institute of Anthropology and History. Both agencies are cooperating in preserving whatever there is to preserve along its length.

Tourism Council budget increased 

Congress has restored to the Mexican National Tourism Promotion Council the 70% it collects from tourist entry fees. The total had been trimmed to 40%. The money comes from the US$20 non-immigrant fee charged to those arriving with the intention of spending more than a few hours in the country. 

Cruise ship passengers and border visitors are exempt. A separate fee will be charged to cruise ship companies—not individual passengers—but it does not take effect until 2010.


Gourmet Festival in Puerto Vallarta

The 14th Festival Gourmet International Mexico in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit takes place November 13–23. Local chefs of various boutiques, hotels and restaurants will team up with top chefs hailing from all over the world at numerous parties, tasting and dinners over the 10 days dedicated to gastronomy.

The official events include the Grand Gourmet Opening Dinner, a spectacular Sunday brunch buffet, cooking demonstrations and wine tasting, a cheeses of the world and wine party, and the legendary Chefs Tables and Winemakers Dinners.

New events this year’s will raise funds for charities, such as the “Chefs Corrida theater” and the “Spaghettata.”

Cooking classes, held November 17–19, are 1,400 pesos for one day, 2,520 pesos for two days and 3,570 pesos for three days. 


Another Tenochitlán 

Mexico City began as Tenochitlán, a city on an island in a lake founded by the Aztecs in 1325. Following the conquest, the Spaniards destroyed much of what they found to build an Iberian-style capital in its place. 

Now, with the help of private investors, the Mexico City government hopes to build a replica of Tenochitlán at Xochimilco, the area known to tourists as the Floating Gardens. At Xochimilco rafts covered with earth were converted into flower gardens by the Aztecs, whose capital apparently was much like Venice, with canals serving as streets. 

If plans materialize, the Great Temple (actually two temples) atop a pyramid will dominate the rebuilt city and the Halls of Montezuma will flourish once again.



International News

Ted Turner unveils global sustainable tourism criteria 

UN Foundation founder and Chairman Ted Turner joined the Rainforest Alliance, the UN Environment Program and the UN World Tourism Organization to announce the first-ever globally relevant sustainable tourism criteria. The new criteria were developed to offer a common framework to guide the emerging practice of sustainable tourism. They will help ensure that tourism helps, rather than harms, local communities and the environment.

The criteria were developed by the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, a new coalition of 27 organizations that includes tourism leaders from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. They focus on four areas that experts recommend as the most critical aspects of sustainable tourism—maximizing tourism’s social and economic benefits to local communities, reducing negative impacts on cultural heritage, reducing harm to local environments and planning for sustainability. 

Grandtravel offers special deals to AARP members

AARP Services and Grandtravel have announced a new relationship that will provide AARP members with vacations, discounts and experiences to enrich the special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren. Under the agreement, AARP members will receive a US$200 per person discount off Grandtravel’s escorted tour vacations to Alaska, Italy, London/Paris, New Zealand and Washington, DC/Williamsburg.

Grandtravel promotes a smaller, intimate group travel experience. Activity directors, who are certified teachers, accompany each group, enhancing the educational component for children. 



Airline News

Turbulence for low-fare airlines 

Avolar and Nova Air, two of the newer low-fare airlines, were grounded by government order on October 29. Aviacsa won a reprieve when it paid some of its debts. All three airlines have been reportedly facing severe financial difficulties, owing large amounts to the government-owned oil company (which supplies fuel) and to federal navigation services. Earlier this year, Aerocalifornia was obliged to suspend services.

New Mexico City airport planned 

The federal government has confirmed that it intends to soon announce plans for the construction of a new Mexico City airport and that the work will begin next year. The government says it plans to increase public works projects to deflect the possibility of unemployment resulting from the world economic crisis. 

Mexico itself appears to be financially healthy but may suffer as the US reduces imports of automobiles and electronic goods. Declining oil prices will hurt, as the government-owned oil company, a monopoly, supplies nearly half the funds in the federal budget. Also, hundreds of thousands—possibly millions—of Mexicans illegally in the US may return, not so much because of tightened immigration controls but because jobs are becoming more difficult to find. 



Cruise News

Orient Lines slashes 2009 fares in response to economy 

Orient Lines has revamped its rate structure in response to the current financial crisis, offering savings of up to US$5,000 per cabin off brochure rates.

The line has launched a new Leadership Pricing initiative, with 11-day Europe cruises priced from US$1,799 per person, based on double occupancy, reduced from $2,999. Two 16-day Baltic cruise-tours, which include an overnight hotel stay and sightseeing in Berlin, are priced from $2,999 per person, double, reduced from $4,649.

Savings also are offered on fall voyages. The Passage to Rio, departing November 8, 2009, is a 20-day cruise from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro, priced from US$1,799 per person, double. Ports include Malaga and Cadiz (Seville) in Spain; Casablanca and Agadir, Morocco; Lanzarote, Canary Islands; Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands; and Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. An overnight is scheduled aboard ship in Rio de Janeiro.

Marco Polo II sails

The Marco Polo II maiden voyage is set for April 15, 2009. The classic 650-guest ship features four open-seating dining venues, six bars, a show lounge, cinema, casino, library and internet center, card room, fitness center, spa with indoor pool and outdoor swimming pool. Experts from the fields of academia, politics, science and the diplomatic corps will be featured on every voyage. 

Sources: Mexico Tourism Board, Mexican Tourism News, Travel Pulse Daily

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 www.PerfectJourneys.net.