Discada is one of the tastier highlights of our Copper Canyon hiking tours. In this webisode, Matteo explains the basics of a true mountain discada.
Romantic Valentine’s Day Specials in Mexico
As temperatures in the US and Canada continue to plummet, there’s no better way to heat up your Valentines Day than by booking a romantic getaway in Mexico. Journey Mexico has compiled this collection of special Valentine’s Day promotions for you and your special someone. To create an unforgettably romantic Valentine’s getaway, contact Journey Mexico today!
Valentine’s Day Specials:
Maroma Resort & Spa
Coconut palms, pointed palapas and authentic Mexican flavors: Maroma offers luxurious living just steps from one of the world’s finest beaches. Enjoy the Mayan Riviera’s most elegant resort with our Pure Escapism Offer.
Valentine’s Day Promotion Includes:
- Complimentary upgrade at time of booking
- Welcome cocktail upon arrival
- Daily a la carte breakfast
- One snorkeling trip to the second largest reef in the world (per person, per stay)
- Wake up morning coffee service in room, daily
- Access to the fitness center
- In-room, high speed Internet
Rate: $425 per night (a saving sof up to $500 per night)
Contact Journey Mexico for more details
Imanta Resort
Imanta Resorts Luxury Hotel and Signature Lots embodies a singular concept: the harmonious interaction of natural beauty in magnificent places with environmentally sensitive architectural design, bringing the individual charm of each site fully to life.
Valentine’s Day Promotion Includes:
- Daily breakfast
- Romantic dinner
- Romantic turn down service
- Two 60-minute spa treatments
- One night free of charge (minimum stay of 3 nights)
Rate:
$6,200 per night for the Casona Jaguar (Maximum 6 adults: ideal for 2 couples), 3 rooms -2 master suites & 1 standard room. 10,000 square ft. Full kitchen, grill, beach, and pool.
$1,400 per night for the Oceanfront Casa (Maximum 2 adults), 2,500 square feet with private pool.
Contact Journey Mexico for more details
Las Alamandas
Las Alamandas’ “Valentine’s Special” sets the stage for a romantic getaway to Paradise Imagine yourself at Sunset on a deserted beach or in the privacy of your villa’s terrace… and let the magic of nature’s unspoiled beauty create the mood for romance with this special offer created especially for couples.
Valentine’s Day Promotion Includes:
- 4th night in suite complimentary
- Welcome cocktails upon arrival
- Tropical fruit platter & beautiful bouquet of flowers in suite
- Complimentary bottle of champagne in suite with chocolate strawberries
- Candlelight Dinner for two on the beach with a heart shaped cake
- Bottle of wine & plate of cheese at our beautiful Sunset Point on the night of your choice
- Couples massage performed En Suite or under a shady palapa beside the ocean
- Romantic montage in suite the night of your choice with candles and flowers
- Daily Continental Breakfast in our Oasis, Palapa Beach Club Restaurants, or in the privacy and comfort of your suite
- Use of all facilities: Fully Equipped and Air-conditioned Gym with ocean views, Lighted Tennis Courts, Beach Volleyball, Half Basketball Court, Croquet, Lawn Chess, Mountain Bikes, Horseback Riding on the beach, Kid’s Club, Art Gallery, and more!
Rate: $445 per night
Contact Journey Mexico for more details
Villa Montaña
Villa Montaña is a gorgeous colonial style boutique hotel that sits atop a tranquil hilltop overlooking the city of Morelia, known as the aristocrat of Colonial Cities, and its breathtaking Baroque Cathedral. Cottage style rooms and suites intermingle amid gardens and multi-level pathways to form an exclusive “mini-village” – the perfect setting for a romantic getaway.
Valentine’s Day Promotion Includes:
- Third night free of charge
- Welcome cocktail upon arrival
- Continental breakfast for two
- Basket of fresh fruit in your room
- 1 city tour
- 1 Swedish massage in spa per stay
- 1 Hot Stone massage in spa per room
- Sauna and Steam in spa
Rate:
$420 per night for a Standard Room
$530 per night for a Junior Suite
$620 per night for a Master Suite (1 Bedroom)
$780 per night for a Master Suite (2 Bedrooms)
Contact Journey Mexico for more details
Mexico Engages International Stakeholders at Tourism Convention
This article is a Press Release from the Confederation of Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Mexican President Felipe Calderon Declares 2011 the Year of Mexican Tourism; While Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism Praised International Stakeholders at National Tourism Convention
Mexico’s third annual National Tourism Convention kicked-off yesterday in Mexico City. The convention is organized by the Confederation of Mexican Chambers of Commerce (CONCANACO SERVYTUR), presided by Jorge Dávila Flores. This year’s event is the first to bring together national and international stakeholders in Mexico‘s tourism industry, as well as government, and academia. Special guests include Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism Gloria Guevara Manzo. Industry speakers include Royal Caribbean Cruises Vice President of Government Relations for Latin America Michael Ronan; and Softec Mexico’s Associate Director Gene Towle.
President Calderon declared 2011 the year of Tourism at the convention’s inauguration. The President also announced he would sign a National Tourism Accord in February. These are among several actions that will promote international tourism and investment.
The Secretary of Tourism noted that Mexico is one of the top ten tourist destinations in the world thanks to national and international stakeholders. “But we have potential for further growth… and it is essential that government, legislators, the private sector and academia align efforts towards common actions,” she said.
The magnitude of the 2011 convention is the brainchild of Mr. Davila Flores, who, as president of CONCANACO SERVYTUR, encourages positive engagement of tourism-related issues. Mr. Davila Flores promotes the “Let’s speak and act positively for Mexico” slogan. He aims to motivate the nation’s private sector to build on the country’s positive attributes. “It is important to support a framework that encourages diversification, improves training and service quality,” he said.
The President mentioned that Mexican tourism grew by 10% in 2010. Mr. Davila Flores noted that tourism directly generates 2.5 million Mexican jobs and 5 million indirectly. Canada and the United States represent the largest source of international tourists for Mexico.
Sustainable Tourism in Mexico
A dedication to conservation and sustainable tourism has always been a core element of the Journey Mexico philosophy. We are honored to have had the opportunity to work with organizations like Pro Peninsula, COBI, and IMAC to help build towards a sustainable future in Mexico, and we are excited to see the Green Living Project and the Mexican Tourism Board showcase some of wonderful eco-efforts and programs in motion by documenting the initiatives in a series of beautiful videos. Below is the trailer for the project. You can find more videos from the Green Living Project at their Vimeo Page.
Sustainable Tourism in Mexico Trailer from Green Living Project on Vimeo.
Notes from the 2011 Virtuoso Luxe Report
Once a year, the leading luxury travel network, Virtuoso, surveys its 6,000 member travel advisers in the United States and Canada about trends in travel and publishes the results in their annual Lux Report.
Below are some highlights from the report pertaining to travel to Mexico in 2011:
- International trips of 8 days or longer and international trips of 6-7 days were the top two types of leisure trips that clients are booking for 2011
- Mexico ranks number five in the top 10 international travel destinations for 2011
- Mexico ranks number seven in the top 10 most popular family destinations for 2011
- This year’s travelers are clearly looking for “unique, hands-on experiences that inspire a personal connection and will build lasting memories,” such as visiting local artisan workshops in Izamal, Yucatan; preparing, chocolate, corn, and chili dishes from raw ingredients to finish products with the indigenous community members of Oaxaca, and working to protect the sea-turtle population of the Baja Peninsula with the fishermen of local villages.
- Travelers and families are looking to add adventure travel to their trips
- The number one reason people are traveling this year is because they are “seeking authentic experiences in new destinations“
Matteo’s Moments: Kabah
New Flights to Mexico
Yesterday, Virgin America launched their new non-stop flights to Cancun, Mexico from Los Angeles International Airport. In typical Virgin fashion, the much applauded airline put together a special inaugural flight by partnering with VH1 for a special, in-flight Top-20 Countdown show called “Countdown to Cancun,” which was hosted by the Goo Goo Dolls and will air on January 29th at 9am. Read more at Virgin America’s Press Release.
Beginning March 3rd of this year (pending Mexican government approval), United Airlines will begin daily flights between Los Angeles and Guadalajara. Earlier this month, United added an additional flight to their existing service between LA and Mexico City.
“Within the first six months of this year,” according to spokeswoman Sai Irene Sanchez Correa, Volaris (known as a low-cost airline) will launch flights between Guadalajara and Fresno Yosemite Airport in California.
As interest in traveling to Mexico continues to rise, more flights to Mexican destinations are expected to be added by several more airlines before the year’s end.
Pescado Veracruz
In this webisode of Table Talk, Zachary Rabinor of Journey Mexico and Carmen Porras of El Arrayán discuss Pescado Veracruz, or fish “Veracruz Style,” which is an extremely popular dish in Mexico.
Ask JM: Two Weeks in Yucatan
Welcome to the first webisode of our new series, Ask Journey Mexico, where we will be fielding questions about all things Mexico including, food, cultures, adventure, safety, geography, logistics, lodging, luxury, and more!
Today’s question was taken from the Lonely Planet forum, Thorn Tree. If you have any questions about travel in Mexico or Mexico in general, please email them to [email protected].
Peter Greenberg Comments on the Safety of Mexico
Peter Greenberg is one of the most trusted and influential figures in international travel. For decades, Greenberg has reported, edited, and produced for major media outlets such as: NBC’s Today, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC’s Good Morning America, America Online, and Men’s Health magazine. Greenberg runs a website, PeterGreenberg.com, and a radio show called Peter Greenberg Worldwide through which he speaks to international travel enthusiasts around the world.
Greenberg also runs a column on the AARP‘s website called Ask Peter Greenberg, on which he recently fielded a comment sent to him titled: “Is Mexico Safe for Travel?” Greenberg subtitled his response “Don’t believe the hype, but do be aware of your surroundings” and went on talk about how, yes, there is violence in Mexico but that the majority of the reported violence is focused in a few border areas, far removed from popular tourist destinations like Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Maya (largely echoing our thoughts on the matter found in our Journey Mexico Statement on Violence and Safety).
Below are some of the stand-out quotes from Greenberg’s Response:
- “The fact is tourism to Mexico is up 20 per cent this year, and that includes 5 million Americans!”
- “Danger is usually limited to border cities such as Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juarez”
- “Take a look at a map, and you’ll see how far the resort towns are from the border”
- “Resorts are fully aware of the negative perception of Mexico as of late, and are doing their part to tighten security and make guests feel safe.”
- “That doesn’t mean you should leave your common sense at the door.”
- “Mexico continues to be a cost-friendly destination for American travelers, and there are great experiences to be had down there. Be smart, don’t be governed by fear, and you’ll have a good time.”
For the full article, visit “Is Mexico Safe for Travel.”
2010 Holiday Travel to Mexico Up from 2009
This article was written by Gay Nagle Myers and has been re-posted from Travel Weekly.
Tourism officials in Mexico’s resort destinations of Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya on the Mexican Caribbean coast and in Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco on the Pacific coast reported that holiday traffic was up from a year ago.
Acapulco Mayor Jose Luis Avila Sanchez said hotels in that city were nearly full over the Christmas-New Year period.
Cancun’s hotel occupancy rate was running at 77% in December, compared with 51% at the same time last year, according to Rodrigo de la Pena Segura, president of the city’s hotel association. Segura said that the holiday period was expected to top out at 85% occupancy.
For all of Mexico, the number of foreign visitors and domestic travelers was expected to total 16.1 million throughout the month of December.
Tourism revenue in Mexico’s resort areas increased 7.1% from January through October 2010, compared with the same months in 2009, according to the Mexican Tourism Ministry. Total visitor spending for that 10-month stretch amounted to $9.8 billion, helped in part by numerous low-cost tropical packages flooding the marketplace.
“Safety is a problem only in some parts of Mexico, and crime has not affected the major tourist areas of the country,” said Miguel Torruco Marques, president of the National Tourism Confederation. The NTC projected that the overall visitor count for 2010 would total 22.4 million foreigners, a 4.7% jump from 2009.
American Express reported that air travel to Mexico grew 6% in 2010 compared with 2009.
Robot Explores New Tunnel At Teotihuacan
Here’s an interesting update for fans of archeological travel: archeologists have successfully deployed a camera-armed robot into the ancient tunnel running under the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan that was discovered earlier this year.
The tunnel, built over two thousand years ago 14 meters below surface and believed to run over 100 meters in length, leads to three sealed chambers, which, once opened, scientists hope will contain the burial sites of the areas ancient rulers and unlock longstanding mysteries about their fascinating culture.
While the robot was able to successfully explore a section of the tunnel, there still remains much rock and debris to be removed before archeologists will be able to explore the tunnel themselves. This robotic exploration of the tunnel marks only the second time in a world history that a robot has been used in archeological research. You can learn more about this recent achievement here.
Table Talk: A Tasty Holiday Treat from Mexico
Do you already have your Holiday menu set in stone? Check out this week’s webisode of Table Talk with Journey Mexico & El Arrayán, where Zach and Carmen discuss Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding), a tasty Mexican dessert perfect for a festive table!
Be sure to let us know how your versions of Arroz con Leche turn out in the comments below!
Mexico City Testimonial
The following is a testimonial from Joseph Gandolfo of The Travel Center/AMEX
Descending into the Mexico City airport, you immediately get the feeling this is going to be a nightmare to navigate. The urban sprawl can be seen in all directions, with even the surrounding mountains seemingly unable to contain it. Fortunately as we arrived and exited passport control and customs, Matteo [Luthi] from Journey Mexico was there to greet us, and to put us at ease.
From that moment we were in great hands, all those connected with Journeys Mexico; the drivers, guides, those who planned our itinerary behind the scenes, all were professional, informative and friendly.
This being my very first visit to Mexico City, I was astounded at all it has to offer. This is a city with European sensibilities, yet with a definite pounding Latino heart under its skin. We were guided through a maze of streets, some bustling with vendors and shoppers as colorful as any outdoor casbah, then drove down elegant boulevards lined with brownstones, villas, restaurants, bars and sophisticated boutiques whose familiar names adorn storefronts in all modern metropolitan cities. This is the ZOCALO, or the cultural heart of the city, also a U.N. designated World Heritage site (1987).
We visited the main square, the Frida Kahlo Museum, the Cathedral and had only scratched the surface.
The Anthropology Museum was a highlight of the city tour as it continued the following day. We were all in awe of the incredible beauty of the displayed artifacts and all agreed we could have spent an entire day learning about the Mayas and Aztecs as well as the other lesser known civilizations that occupied this geographical location throughout the centuries.
Perhaps the most impressive site of all is located about 30 miles to the northeast: the staggering pyramids and ancient abandoned metropolis of Teotihuacan. The long, wide Avenue of the Dead, and the monolithic Pyramid of the Sun as well as the Pyramid of the Moon rise to the sky leaving you to imagine what a glorious civilization this must have been.
Without our guides and the help of Journey Mexico we would never had be able to see so much and cover so much ground as efficiently as we did in such a short time. The MAPTA group is thankful and appreciative for all their help.
JOSEPH E. GANDOLFO
THE TRAVEL CENTER/AMEX
More Positive Information about Mexico
Kenneth Kiesnoski of Travel Weekly wrote an article on Monday titled: “Mexico Tourism Board Focuses on Positives in Webinar,” which provides a nice re-cap of the second webinar from the Mexican Tourism Board in less than a month titled: What do 23 Million People Know about Mexico that You Don’t.
Below are some highlight points from the Kiesnoski’s review:
- Increases in airlift, improvements to infrastructure, and continued development of accommodations have driven an 18% year-over-year increase in air arrivals to Mexico in 2010, despite widespread reports of drug-related border violence.
- A recent Funjet Vacations survey found that 94% of clients returning from Mexico expressed satisfaction and 97% were committed to a repeat visit.
- Cancun expects to see 12% growth in international air arrivals this holiday season, Los Cabos 22%, and Puerto Vallarta 18%, according to the Mexico Tourism Board.
- Mexico now boasts 164,000 five-star hotel rooms and more AAA Five Diamond properties than Hawaii and the Caribbean combined.
- Airlift, temporarily depressed earlier this year by the demise of Mexicana, is rebounding, as well. There are now 294 daily flights from the U.S., offering 44,100 seats. Alaska Airlines increased seats by 24%, US Airways by 23% and American by 5%, and Virgin America announced two new routes.
Obama Congratulates Mexico for Climate Summit Success
US President Barack Obama congratulated his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon on the success of the climate summit in Cancun Saturday.
Mexico managed the negotiations in a way that allowed the agreements achieved at Cancun to build on the Copenhagen accords of last year, the White House quoted the president as saying.
In a telephone call to Calderon, Obama said the deal struck in Mexico advances the effort to address climate change, the White House said.
The compromise reached by more than 190 countries in Cancun includes a package of new measures to help poor countries combat warming.
Journey Mexico December Newsletter
Hi everyone! The Journey Mexico December Newsletter went out last week, and you can view it in its entirety online here.
Mexico’s President Highlights Adventure Tourism in Mexico
Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderón, spoke at the recent United Nations Climate Conference in Cancun where he highlighted adventure tourism as one of the most significant “game-changing” opportunities for tourism to Mexico for 2011. He was quoted as saying: “Adventure travel is key to the preservation of habitat and culture. Mexico has to become the champion of adventure travel.”
The President also commented on the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS), which will be held in Chiapas, Mexico and sure to be one of the most important and sought after conferences of the year. The ATTA is the largest international network of adventure travel companies and organizations in the world and their choice to host their 2011 conference in Chiapas speaks volumes to the adventure travel opportunities in Mexico.
For more information about attending the 2011 ATWS, go to www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com or email [email protected]. To register now, at the early bird rate, go to www.adventuretravel.biz/store/atws2011eb. To experience some of Mexico’s most exciting adventure opportunities while in Mexico for the conference, contact Journey Mexico!



