Mexico Encourages Spring Break Travel

This article has been re-posted from Travel Weekly. You can find the original article at: Mexico tourism exec: “Texas travel warning too broad.”

Mexico Encourages Spring Break TravelThe Mexico Tourist Board said that a warning from the Texas Department of Public Safety for spring-breakers to avoid Mexico because of the dangers of drug-related violence paints an inaccurate picture of the country.

In the written warning issued on March 1 by the Texas agency, Director Steven McCraw stated: “Our safety message is simple: Avoid traveling to Mexico during spring break, and stay alive.”

The statement did not draw distinctions between tourist zones and the border regions recently hit by violence. “While drug cartel violence is most severe in northern Mexico, it is prominent in other parts of the country as well,” McCraw said.

The agency also urged students to stay on the U.S. side of Falcon Lake, a boating spot on the Rio Grande River where an American was shot and killed last September.

Mexico Editor Gay Nagle Myers spoke with Alfonso Sumano, director of the Americas for the Mexico Tourism Board, regarding the impact of the warning on spring break travel and beyond.

Alfonso Sumano Travel Weekly: What is Mexico’s reaction to this warning?

Sumano: While we are respectful of government and state advisories and recommendations regarding travel to Mexico, it is inaccurate to paint the whole of Mexico with the same brush. Certainly visitors should avoid the border towns, which are 2,500 miles in some cases from the resort areas.

Still in effect is a travel warning issued by the U.S. State Department last September, which does point out that resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and along major drug traficking routes.
We’re a big country, we have safety initiatives in place for our visitors, and we have a large number of repeat guests, especially from Texas.

Travel Weekly: How important is the Texas market? How large is your spring break market?

Sumano: Texas is huge in size and market strength. More than 2.5 million visitors from Texas came to Mexico by air last year, topping our record year of 2008.  In January, we had a 12% increase in arrivals from Texas.
Spring breakers are not as large a component as our winter season visitors, but for a few weeks each spring, the beach resorts are packed with students.

Travel Weekly: What are you telling your tour operators and travel agents with regard to the Texas warning?

Sumano: Communication with our partners always has been a key tool for us. It’s the same in this case. The Mexican resort areas and cruise ports already have bilingual tourist police, security officials and initiatives in place to protect our visitors and ensure their safety. The government goes to considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and all visitors.

Travel Weekly: Any new marketing campaigns planned?

Sumano: We just launched a new TV and outdoor campaign that promotes Mexico travel this year. We’ve added new training programs for our Mexico agent specialists. We’re off to a good start this year, and we aim to continue. It takes work to dissolve misperceptions and add perspective.

Travel Weekly: Mexico’s biggest tourism advocate appears to President Felipe Calderon.

Sumano: Absolutely. He is committed to, and focused on, tourism. It’s a top priority. This is the year of tourism for Mexico. Calderon held a meeting of all tourism stakeholders in Mexico last week to align efforts on a countrywide basis in promoting tourism. It’s the frst time such a meeting has been held at this level. His goal is to make Mexico the world’s fifth largest tourist destination by 2018, and it will happen.

*Journey Mexico Update*

According the Mexico Tourism Board, travel to Mexican tourist destinations from Texas is up 12 percent from the year before. The board reports that over 253,000 travelers visited Mexico from Texas in December and 210,000 in January compared to 224,000 and 196,000 in the previous year, respectively.

Highlights From Obama-Calderón Press Conference

Obama Calderon Press ConferenceOn March 3rd, US President Barack Obama and Mexico President Felipe Calderón held a joint press conference from the White House. You can find a transcript from the entire conference here, but below are stand out quotes from both heads of state.

President Barack Obama:

  • “The relationship between the United States and Mexico isn’t measured just in the partnership between two Presidents. It’s evident every day in the strong bonds between our two societies.”
  • “I look forward to visiting Mexico when President Calderón hosts the G20 next year… I especially want to commend President Calderón for Mexico’s successful leadership of the Cancun Conference, including progress toward a Green Fund that he himself helped to get started and champion and which will help developing countries adapt to climate change.”
  • “Our governments have spoken out forcefully for the human rights of the Libyan people, and Mexico played a leading role at the United Nations in suspending Libya from the Human Rights Council.”
  • “Mexico is standing tall” and ready to take its “rightful place in the world.”
  • “We’re also deepening our cooperation against the drug cartels that threaten both our peoples… President Calderón and the Mexican people have shown extraordinary courage in the fight for their country… Mexico has a full partner with the United States. Because whether they live in Texas or Tijuana, our people have a right to be safe in their communities.”
  • “I reiterated that the United States accepts our shared responsibility for the drug violence.”
  • “I remain deeply committed to fixing our broken immigration system with comprehensive reform that continues to secure our borders, enforces our laws — including against businesses that break the law — and requiring accountability from undocumented workers.”

President Felipe Calderón:

  • “Mexico and the United States are authentic, strategic partners, as can be seen by our joint work on the global and regional agendas.”
  • “I would like to congratulate President Obama for the visit that he will be making to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador in a few weeks’ time. Greater dialogue among the United States and Latin American nations will always be beneficial to the hemisphere, and beneficial not just for Latin American countries but also for the United States.”
  • “In terms of the border, both President Obama and I agree that we must turn this area into the land of opportunities and not of conflict.”
  • “The United States and Mexico can and must make the most of the comparative advantages that make us unique as a region and that would enable us to convert, to turn North America in its entirety into the most competitive region of the world. I am convinced that together we can achieve this.”
  • “Both governments have taken on our positions as co-responsible parties in the fight against transnational organized crime. This is a paradigm change in our relationship. And today we have reached increased levels of exchange of information that are unheard of in the past. I would like to thank President Obama for the clarity with which he speaks of the effects that the consumption of drugs has on his country, as well as the illegal traffic of weapons and of monies into Mexican territory. I know that together we can achieve ever greater results.”
  • “In the fight for the security of Mexico, thousands of military officers and members of the police force have died in Mexico. They fall in the line of duty. And to these deaths we add the death of Agent Jaime Zapata from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency of the United States. And I would like to add my deepest condolences to his relatives, to the people and government of United States in view of his death.”

For the full transcript of this joint press release, visit the White House’s website.

New Museum Unveiled in Mexico City

soumaya museum grand opening

photoa via presidencia.gob.mx

Mexico’s Carlos Slim, currently the world’s richest man, unveiled a new art museum in the Plaza Carso region of Mexico City on Tuesday, adding to the many collections of fine arts in Mexico. More than 1,500 were in attendance of the inauguration including Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón, Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, famed reporter Larry King, and many other national and international celebrities.

The museum is named the Soumaya Museum after Slim’s late wife, Soumaya Slim Domit, and houses more than 60,000 pieces. The 16 exhibits are comprised from Slim’s private collection (the largest private collection in both Mexico and Latin America) and feature pieces by Salvador Dali, Cezanne, Renoir, Rodin, Matisse, Leonardo Da Vinci, Diego Rivera, and others. In addition to sculptures and paintings, the collection includes historical documents of Hernan Cortes and Christopher Columbus as well as prehispanic pieces from different Mesoamerican cultures. The museum also features a workshop area, shops, a restaurant, and an auditorium for 350 people.

The Carlos Slim Foundation’s collection has become one of the most important private collections in the world, representing the great European masters, the artists of New Spain, and national (Mexican) treasures of varied centuries. Spanning 17 thousand square meters with an exhibition area of six thousand meters distributed over six floors, the Soumaya Museum is sure to attract art lovers worldwide. According to Slim, however, the aim of the museum is to increase “human development” in Mexico, which is why admission is free. The museum is to open for the public on March 28th with operating hours of 10:30am to 7:30pm.

You can find more on the history and making of the Soumaya Museum in this piece at The Telegraph.

Mexico’s President First to Join Worldwide Tourism Initiative

Calderon first to join International Tourism Initiatve Last month we published a blog post titled President Calderón Walking the Walk and since then, he’s started running.

The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, became the first head of state to join a new worldwide campaign launched by the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), designed to highlight the importance of travel and tourism to global growth and development. WTTC President and CEO, David Scowsill, said:

President Calderón is leading the way in recognizing the enormous contribution Travel & Tourism makes to the economy and its power to boost GDP, employment and exports, and drive economic growth… His willingness to join the industry in exploring new and smarter ways to help tourism achieve its full potential sends a clear signal to other governments around the world.”

President Calderón commented, “For Mexico, tourism is a national priority and a political priority. It is an essential activity for promoting growth and raising living standards,” and added, “The sector is also key for promoting the regional development we seek and for doing so sustainably.”

Becoming the first head of state to join this initiative is an honor Calderón is happy to receive after recently declaring 2011 the Year of Mexican Tourism. The president has promised to increase international awareness of Mexico’s natural, cultural, adventurous, and luxurious treasures and to raise the country even further up the list of top destinations for international tourism. With the addition of Gloria Guevara as Minister of Tourism, his willingness to personally guide travel reporters throughout his country, and his eagerness to champion the importance of travel and tourism to global growth and sustainability, it’s obvious that President Calderón is making good on his word.

Violent Deaths in Mexico: Everything Is Not as it Seems

safety of mexico by the numbersThis article has been re-posted from http://thecatalist.org. The original article can be found here.

“In recent months the debate about violence in Mexico has heated up significantly. Most news channels have been giving a broad coverage on the facts of crime, which are usually focused on the issue of combating organized crime.

When it comes to human lifes, it is always difficult to speak coldly about figures. But when we need to know what really is going on, in terms of crime, we can do nothing but refer to them.

The indicator which measures the violence in a country is the number of violent deaths per 100,000 people. This indicator has the advantage of allowing us to compare figures between countries with different population sizes.

This indicator is highly reliable and comparable between countries of the world, since in all countries it is necessary to produce death certificates to account for a death caused for any reason whatsoever. In the case of violent deaths, there is no possibility that this indicator, unlike others, observe significant levels of sub report because violent deaths are registred by law in all countries.

According the available indicators, Mexico as a country has a general level of 13.3 violent deaths per 100.00 inhabitants, making it one of the safest countries in Latin America. Levels in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela surprised us since they are at high as 16.8, 36.7 and 44.9 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. Brazil and Venezuela are two and almost three times more violent than Mexico, respectively.

Moreover, if we compare this indicator with some U.S. cities we will see that our country is much better than we would expect to imagine. Comparing Mexico to Washington DC, New Orleans or Detroit the difference is very big, violence is a tangible problem in those cities. And without going too far, Mexico City has 9.8 violent deaths per 100,000 people, far below of other major cities like Houston, with 12.5, Phoenix, witn 12.6, and Los Angeles, with 17.1. It is true that there is a big problem in Ciudad Juarez and three other municipalities, which altogether sum up to more than 50% of violent deaths in Mexico. The rest of the 2,396 municipalities which form the country have relatively low violence levels.

According to figures provided by the government of Mexico, the battle against organized crime has caused 24,826 violent deaths in the last four years. As it is continuosly said, inside and outside the country, it has turned Mexico in an extremely dangerous country to live. A country that sadly some have said is in “civil war” and that is a “failed state.” This is definitely not true.

Although a number like 24,826 seems pretty high, it is time to put it in context. This number represents a little over 6,000 deaths per year on average. Each year, 20,000 people die in Mexico in road accidents and more than 50,000 because of diabetes. If we look at violent deaths to compare, in the U.S. 6,000 veterans commit suicide every year. So, during the same period, the same amount of persons have died as a consecuence of the U.S. post-war trauma, as the war on drugs in Mexico.

And while there is some exposure about this phenomenon in the U.S. media, it does not reach the same exposure as in Mexico. Here we are in a frenzy of daily information that the only thing it communicates is the presence of violence. Our conversations with family, friends, office, restaurants, are all about violence. We enrol ourselves and enrol others, including foreigners, in the idea that violence in Mexicohas reached unsuspected levels. And there’s no evidence to support that. It is only our perception. We find ourselves filtering and searching all events and news, looking for those that speak of violence. And likewise, those are the news we speak about. It is a conversation, just a conversation.

This has affected the levels of tourism, investment and economic prospects for the country, and it is not supported by real figures, data and facts, it is only a perception. The good news is that we have the power to change that perception. It just takes to take a look at the data and facts.

Ultimately, the best way to combat any violence is to leave the fear that is generating this behind and doing something that makes us confident. Enrol ourselves and enrol others with the fact that violence stops us, it paralyzes us. What would be possible if we focus on facts anda data to make us and others see that we can be responsible for creating an environment to grow and prosper instead of creating a violent space with our everyday conversations? You have this power, do it for north America and in the end you will be doing something positive for yourself and for others.”

Riviera Nayarit Leading Mexico’s Charge

riviera nayarit mexicoRiviera Nayarit, located just north of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, had a stellar year of tourism in 2010. According to the Mexico Tourism Board, the Riviera Nayarit resorts of Nuevo Vallarta and Punta Mita reported a 33.2% rise in occupancy from the year before. This rise was the largest in all of Mexico for 2010.

The rapid expansion and growth in the Riviera Nayarit increased the regions property inventory by 5% in 2010, but the coastline didn’t have much trouble filling the new rooms as visitor arrivals to the area rose 14.3% compared to 2009.

The region’s beautiful coastline, its proximity to the culturally rich beach town of Puerto Vallarta, and its first-class resorts secure the Riviera Nayarit a spot on Mexico’s list of must-visit destinations. Nayarit enthusiasts seem to be spreading the word about the value of the coast as the region reports that 13% of U.S. travelers recognized the Riviera Nayarit brand, which is an increase of 4.3% from 2009.

Also an undoubted factor in the success of the Riviera Nayarit is the safety of the region. Palmasola, an exclusive beachfront villa in Punta Mita, recently reported:

Punta Mita is home to the Four Seasons and St. Regis resorts and also to nearly 200 Americans who have vacation homes there.  Amongst these are celebrities and some of the countries most successful business leaders.  In the 10 year history of the resort, there have been no safety incidents regarding any visitors to the resort.”

A Note from Journey Mexico – Because Journey Mexico’s main office is located in Puerto Vallarta, we are fortunate to be able to spend time in the Riviera Nayarit on a weekly basis. We would like to add to Palmasola’s comments on the safety of the region and say that the Riviera Nyarit is one of the most beautiful and secure regions in Mexico. Many of our staff currently live in the region and are happily raising families here as well. If you ever have a question about the safety of the area, please email us at ask@journeymexico.com. You can also find more information about safety in the Safety of Mexico section of our blog.

Mexican Hotels Making News for Excellence

Mexican Hotels and Resorts Awarded for ExcellenceContinuing its longstanding tradition of offering outstanding resorts and hotels, several properties in Mexico have recently been awarded by major international media publications for their excellence.

AAA Five Diamond award – Two Mexican properties were recently awarded the prestigious AAA Five Diamond award. With this addition of The La Blanc Spa Resort in Cancún and Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort Riviera Maya, Mexico now has a total of fourteen AAA Five Diamond locations – more than the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Canada combined.

About the Award – “Representing the upper echelon of the hospitality industry, AAA Five Diamond Award winners make up just 0.27 percent of the 60,000 Diamond Rated and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. As demonstrated by so few properties attaining this level of quality and service, the guidelines for AAA Five Diamond status are stringent, ensuring consumers a truly memorable experience at a AAA Five Diamond establishment.”

Travel + Leisure’s Word’s Top Hotels – The Four Seasons of Mexico City was recently awarded as one of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Top 25 Hotels for 2011.

About the award – “Travel + Leisure’s annual compendium of the best hotels around the globe features winning properties from New York to New Zealand. Honing in on these captivating places is no easy task. That’s why T+L looks to the ultimate critics—our readers—to rank their favorite hotels in our annual survey. The results are always surprising.”

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2011 – Several of Mexico’s resorts and hotels made Condé Nast Traveler’s 2011 Gold List in the categories of “Best Rooms” and “Best Design.”

About the list – “The 17th annual Gold List is the ultimate annotated guide to the word’s finest properties and cruise lines, as elected by more than 25,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers.”

President Calderón on the Safety of Mexico

President Calderón on Safety of Mexico

Mexico's President Felipe Calderón on the Safety of Mexico

While on the “Royal Tour” of Mexico with Peter Greenberg, Arnie Weissmann of Travel Weekly was able to interview Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderón, about the safety of Mexico. Below are some of President Calderón’s stand-out quotes from the interview:

  • “Most of the troubles we have are with gangs fighting other gangs. They are not attacking or disturbing tourists.”
  • “Mexico has more than 2,500 municipalities, and 80% of the problems are focused in 80 municipalities. Consider the rate of homicides per 100,000 people. Mexico has about 15 homicides per 100,000 people. Jamaica has about 60. Guatemala and El Salvador are closer to 70.”
  • “Some cities in United States, like Washington, D.C., Baltimore and New Orleans, have more homicides per 100,000 people than Mexico; Atlanta is about the same. And there are states in Mexico — Yucatan, Campeche, Tlaxcala, Queretaro and even Quintana Roo — that are as safe as many regions in Europe.”
  • “In addition to our policy fighting criminals, we are improving the institutional conditions of the police and attorney general offices in the whole country, and we are paying special attention to those areas that people visit the most.”
  • “Ciudad Juarez has a problem, and we are dealing with that.”
  • “In general, tourist arrivals from other countries grew more than America, on average, with the exception of some European countries, though that is probably more related to their economic situation than anything else. Canadians increased about 25% from 2009 to 2010, and Brazil grew about 94%. But even tourism from America grew about 15%.”
  • “I’m trying to bring my kids to all those places unique to Mexico. For me, that includes the amazing phenomenon of migration of animals: the monarch butterflies in Michoacan and Estado de Mexico or the whales in Baja California Sur.”
  • “The government’s effort is not exactly a war on drugs in the old sense, like the American war on drugs coming from President Reagan. We are fighting any kind of expression of organized crime in Mexico, not only those related to drugs.”
  • “Our purpose is to restore the authority and to re-establish in Mexico strong institutional frameworks in order to enforce the laws. Our main goal is to make Mexico a rule-of-law state, where the law is enforced and anyone — visitors or citizens — will live in order, following the law, with a strong government supporting and defending the rights for everyone.”

The full interview can be found at Travel Weekly

Ask JM: 11 Days in Yucatan

Todays Ask Journey Mexico question comes from Sara who will be flying into Cancun but will have 11 free days to explore the Yucatan Peninsula. She is interested in visiting Uxmal, the flamingoes at Celestun, Merida Carnival, Campeche, and the campsite in Calakmul. She is also interested in Ek Balaam, the Rio Lagartos, and Bacalar but is not sure if she will have time to include them all.

In this webisode of Ask Journey Mexico, Director of Operations Matteo Luthi gives his opinion about what Sara will have time to see and what she can’t miss!

To submit questions of your own, please email ask@journeymexico.com

Mexicana Airlines Returning to the Skies

Mexicana Airline Returning to the SkiesAfter shutting down its services last August and filing bankruptcy, Mexicana Airlines is believed to be returning to the skies this summer. According to a press release on the airline’s website: “Operations will begin with seven aircraft and eleven routes [and will increase to] forty aircraft and more than forty routes in the second half of the year.” The sooner Mexicana can begin services, the quicker they can again plug the holes in service currently being filled by other companies such as Continental, American, Aeromexico, and VivaAerobus.

According to Travel Weekly, the new Mexicana routes are likely to include “San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Havana as well as the Mexican cities of Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancun, Oaxaca, Tuxtla Gutierrez and Veracruz.”

PC Capital is the investment firm that has bailed Mexicana Airlines out of bankruptcy and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), whose booking services are used by most travel agencies to book airline tickets, has said that so long as Mexicana is able to pay the required deposit, they will be welcomed back into the IATA system.

New Archeological Zone Opened in Colonial Mexico

New archeological site opened in mexicoAfter nearly ten years of research and restoration to the site, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History has opened a new archeological zone in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. The site was originally created by the Otomi culture who thrived in the region from around 540 to 1050 AD.

The Otomi site is of great archeological importance containing several structures of religious and astronomical importance. One area is called the “House of the Thirteen Heavens,” which was constructed according to certain astrological paths so that on the 17th April and the 25th of August, the sun passes directly over the “gateway” of the building. Also included in the House of Thirteen Heavens is a pyramid, 15 meters in height, atop which sits the “Red Temple,” containing mural paintings of still visible today.

Another area of this new archeological site contains a circular structure, 22 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters high, called la Casa del Viento or the “House of Wind,” containing what is believed to be a shrine to Ehécatl, the god of wind.

new archeological site in mexico

Photo via www.unonoticias.com

Journey Mexico, a leader in cultural and archeological tours in Mexico, is excited to add an additional day to their Colonial Heartland trips to share this new site with their travelers. Journey Mexico commented that because of its proximity to cultural gem San Miguel de Allende, this new archeological site makes a perfect day excursion for travelers interested in learning about Meso-American culture first-hand.

During the inauguration of the site, the governor of Guanajuato, Juan Manuel Oliva, remarked that this new zone is the sixth archeological site opened in Mexico during the current administration, illustrating how Mexico continues to offer travelers cultural experiences previously unknown and unseen by current civilization.

Matteo’s Moments: The Valley of the Monks in the Copper Canyon

Matteo's MomentsIn this Matteo’s Moments, Matteo takes you to the Valley of the Monks at Creel in the Copper Canyon. Coveted by hikers and mountain bikers worldwide, the Valley of the Monks takes its name from the large, vertical rock formations created millions of years ago through volcanic eruption and erosion.

President Calderón Walking the Walk

President Calderon Gives Royal Tour

President Calderón gives Peter Greenberg a Royal Tour of Mexico

Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderón, rung in the New Year by declaring 2011 to be the year of Mexican Tourism. Just a few weeks later, he embarked on a tour of his country with CBS Travel Correspondent, Peter Greenberg, to showcase the safety and rich travel opportunities in Mexico.

Greenberg, one of the most influential figures in international travel, has traveled several countries with their heads of state and has dubbed the trips a “Royal Tour.” Previous Royal Tours have taken Greenberg through Jordan, New Zealand, Peru and Jamaica – each resulting in a significant increase in tourism to the country.

Details and reports from the tour have yet to be released, however, along for much of the tour was Arnie Weissmann of Travel Weekly who has reported in his article titled President Felip Calderón, Tour Guide that he was impressed by “how fortunate the U.S. is to have a country as interesting, as rich in unique attractions and with such warm people so nearby to us [in the US].” Weissmann went on to say, “I was struck by how all that I saw was so completely disassociated from the media reports of sporadic violence that keeps some Americans from going there,” illustrating the importance of fact checking and contextualizing the sensationalized reports that have been flooding out of the US Media over the past few years.

Between the obvious commitment of President Calderón, the dedicated work of Minister of Tourism, Gloria Guevara, and the encouragement of trusted figures in travel like Peter Greenberg, Mexico seems ready to live up to Calderón’s declaration and take its seat atop the list of international travel destinations for 2011.