Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell


Mexico Travel News

US lifts travel alerts to Mexico

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its warning advising against all nonessential travel to Mexico on Friday, May 15. Later that day, the US State Department lifted its travel alert as well.

According to the CDC, the increasing number of cases being seen in the US and other countries is not directly associated with travel to Mexico. Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and the United Kingdom also have lifted their advisories against travel to Mexico and have resumed all commercial flights to the country.

Fear of the H1N1 virus virtually ended pleasure travel to Mexico during May. Hotel occupancy rates tumbled—in some cases to less than 10 percent—and some resort properties closed temporarily. The concern now is how long it will take for the hospitality industry to recover.

Carnival Cruise Lines announced it will resume all scheduled port calls to Mexico. Voyages with previously modified itineraries will continue and revert to their original routes in Mexico in mid-June. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean resumes its port calls in Cozumel beginning with sailings that depart on or after May 24. Several other lines that operated Mexico itineraries this past winter have since repositioned ships to Alaska for the summer.

Emergency tourism campaign planned 

The Tourism Ministry has announced it will invest US$92 million in an emergency campaign to encourage travel in Mexico. The campaign focuses on both the domestic and foreign markets.

Details of the campaign have yet to be announced. The hospitality industry is probably Mexico’s largest employer (statistics depend on what figures are used) and third or fourth most important earner of foreign exchange. The recent scare over a possible flu epidemic has led to the temporary loss of thousands of jobs, closing of hotels, and airlines reporting a 60-percent drop in ticket sales. The challenge now is to see what can be saved.

Six states, plus Mexico City, will benefit from the emergency campaign being formulated by Oscar Fitch, general director of the National Tourism Promotion Council, said the program aims to promote travel to Quintana Roo (Cancún, Cozumel and the Maya Riviera), Guerrero (Acapulco and Ixtapa), Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara), Baja California Sur (Los Cabos), Sinaloa (Mazatlán) and Oaxaca (Huatulco), as well as the national capital.



International News

US, Canada prepare for enhanced border checks

Americans headed to Montreal or Canadians visiting Michigan’s Mackinac Island face more complex trips this summer. As enhanced border crossing requirements loom, more states and provinces are putting in place the tools needed to make it easier for people to go between the US and Canada.

A few loose ends remain, but officials with US Customs and Border Protection say they will be ready June 1, the day the US fully implements the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The initiative strengthens documentation requirements for everyone entering the country, calling for a passport or special driver’s license.

The requirements will be in effect along the entire US border with Canada. The initiative doesn’t affect Mexican nationals, who are already required to present a passport and visa to come into the US.

Vermont, New York, Michigan, Washington State and the province of Quebec are the only places issuing enhanced drivers’ licenses, according to the customs agency. The license is designed for travel into the US by land or sea.

Extra documentation and an interview are generally required to get the special licenses, which are considered secure.



Royal Oak Foundation promotes British gardens

The Royal Oak Foundation, the US membership affiliate of the National Trust which protects and conserves some of England’s top gardens, promotes British gardens to US travelers. Royal Oak membership (US$55 grant) offers free access to all Trust gardens, as well as over 200 historic houses, 700 miles of coastline and 620,000 acres of open countryside.

One of the celebrated gardens is Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Cranbook, Kent, which was developed around the surviving areas of an Elizabethan mansion. Also included in the pass are the Cotswolds garden of Hidcote Manor Garden, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, and nearby Snowshill Manor and Garden. Knightshayes Court, Tiverton, Devon, is one of the finest surviving Gothic Revival houses dating to 1869 and holds the celebrated “Garden in the Wood.”

Cowboy Ethics Boot Camp

The Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang, California, is offering a Cowboy Ethics Boot Camp led by Jim Owen, motivational speaker and author of the book Cowboy Ethics. The retreat builds on the principles of the Cowboy Code, such as live each day with courage; when you make a promise, keep it; remember some things aren’t for sale; and always finish what you start.

Dates are October 29–November 1 and the price is US$1,500 per person, double, including meals, winemaker’s dinner, horseback ride, an evening of entertainment featuring Will Rogers’ America, turn-down gift, taxes and service charges.



Airline News

Name matches required on tickets and IDs

New US rules governing the name you use to book air travel now have gone into effect. When you make airline reservations, you are required to use your full name exactly as it appears on the government-issued ID (e.g., passport, driver’s license) that you plan to show when you go through airport security checkpoints. In the near future, minor discrepancies such as using a middle initial on a ticket instead of the full middle name that appears on the driver’s license won’t cause problems at the airport; however, the US Transportation Security Administration says you should make every effort to match the names exactly.

Wi-Fi not yet on board

Major airlines are scrounging for every dollar now that fewer people are flying amid the economic downturn. Yet the carriers have been slow to install in-flight wireless internet access across their fleets, a feature that could generate millions in fees.

Cost, technology and passengers’ willingness to pay for the service are some of the carriers’ concerns. Some say it simply takes time to install the necessary equipment to allow fliers to surf the internet and send email from their laptops and PDAs from their seats.

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have both stated plans to install Wi-Fi on 300 or more aircraft. Delta already has installed it on 130 aircraft, but won’t reach its original goal of having the remaining domestic mainline planes retrofitted by the end of June. American has the service on 15 aircraft and plans to spread work on the remaining planes over a couple of years.

United Airlines currently doesn’t have Wi-Fi on any of its aircraft, but plans to have the service available on 13 aircraft in the second half of this year. Continental Airlines said early last year that it planned to introduce onboard Wi-Fi services on flights operating within the continental US at the beginning of 2009; so far there has been no update on the status of Continental’s rollout.

Airlines also face cost-vs-benefit issues. Some airlines charge up to US$12.95, depending on the length of the flight and the type of device the passenger is using. None of the carriers will say how much it costs to install the hardware necessary to make Wi-Fi work on their aircraft, but American expects to spend millions of dollars to retrofit 300 planes.

Change of flight plan for Click

Click, which has been operating as the low-fare subsidiary of Mexicana Airlines, is now being referred to by its owners as a regional airline. The fleet of Fokker F-100 jets is gradually being replaced by Boeing 717s, which have a business class cabin. Mexicana also has another subsidiary, Mexicana Link, operating out of Guadalajara.



Cruise News

Crystal’s Theatre at Sea features renowned actors

Crystal Symphony’s “Theatre at Sea Experiences of Discovery” cruise will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Theatre Guild.

This summer, Gena Rowlands, Susannah York, Patricia Neal and others will perform during the 11-day August 12 sailing from Stockholm to London.
Among the live performances from the Guild’s most famous productions are Porgy & Bess, Oklahoma and Carousel. The artists also will perform their own works throughout the voyage.

Rowlands will present her latest film, Broken Promises, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Academy Award-winner Neal will perform her play, As I Am, which chronicles her life. York will present her one-woman show, The Loves of Shakespeare’s Women.

Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill will present songs from Arnaz’s cabaret show and scenes from Luckinbill’s plays. Lee Roy Reams, acclaimed for his Broadway role in The Producers, will present a musical journey through the works of Broadway composer Jerry Herman. Patricia Routledge, an English actress who plays Mrs. Bucket on Keeping up Appearances, will present scenes from her plays and musicals.

Founded in 1919, the Theatre Guild has produced more than 220 Broadway plays and is credited with fostering the successes of Gershwin, Shaw and Rodgers & Hammerstein.

Ports on the cruise include Stockholm, Helsinki, Warnemünde, Copenhagen, London and three days in St. Petersburg. Celebration Savings cruise fares start at US$4,590 per person, double occupancy, plus an “All Inclusive-As You Wish” $1,000 per person shipboard credit. 



Deal of the Week

Pushkar Camel Festival with “voluntourism”

Spend two days experiencing the simple village lifestyle of Rajasthan, and join in painting the local school and community services. Voluntary work is just one of many components of the Royal Rajasthan and Pushkar Mela tour. The exclusive journey departs for Delhi on October 16 and includes a three-day stay at the festivities of the annual Pushkar Mela Camel Festival.

At this colorful and major festival in India, locals trade camels and other livestock, take camel safaris, organize animal races and spend the evenings folk dancing, feasting and horoscope reading.

The 21-day itinerary includes traveling through rural Rajasthan, a land of colorfully dressed and very friendly people, and overnight in world-renowned, palace-like desert dwellings. Other highlights include full moon night at the Taj Mahal, Jaisalmer, a camel safari, jeep safari through the Thar Desert, Jodhpur, horseback riding at Rohet, the world-renowned city of Udaipur, boating on Lake Pichola, the famous Pink City of Jaipur and an elephant ride to Amber Fort.

With centrally located first class properties, deluxe tents at Pushkar, all entrance fees, local transportation and English-speaking guides included, the 21-day tour is priced at US$4,950, which includes international airfare from Vancouver or Toronto to Delhi, with a $185 supplement for flights from Los Angeles.



Sources: OSSN, Mexico Tourism News, Associated Press, Travel Pulse Daily



Judy Newell heads the travel company Perfect Journeys that specializes in discounted rates for airfare, hotels, tours and cruises worldwide, as well as luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at judynewell_03@msn.com  or go to her website www.perfectjourneys.net.