Journey Mexico Number 13 on Inc 5000 List

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Inc 5000 Journey MexicoFor the second year in a row, Journey Mexico made Inc. Magazine‘s Inc 5000 list. In Spite of the Swine Flu scare, a struggling economy, and the unrelenting media coverage of violence in Mexico, Journey Mexico has achieved a three-year growth rate of 77% and is ranked number 13 in the Travel Industry on the 2010 Inc 5000 list.

The 2010 Inc. 500 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2006 to 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. The companies of the Inc. 500 represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at www.inc.com/500.

JM Bids Farewell to our Summer Intern Monica

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Journey Mexico was fortunate to have a great intern, Monica Marchak, working in our Puerto Vallarta office this summer. Monica currently attends Western Washington University and has been living with her aunt and uncle here in Vallarta for the summer. In addition to interning at Journey Mexico, Monica has also been studying Spanish at her aunt’s school, The Spanish Experience Center.

Monica quickly adapted to her new environment, and some of her work can be seen in many of our new trip pages as well as our new villa and hotel profile pages.

Although her internship is finished, Monica’s summer is far from over. From Mexico, Monica will be traveling to New York and then to Bordeaux, France. From all of us at the Journey Mexico, happy travels and thanks for a great summer Monica!

Journey Mexico Villa and Hotel Visits

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Journey Mexico at Garza Blanca Preserve Resort and Spa

Journey Mexico at Garza Blanca

Journey Mexico has been busy expanding our website it include partner villa, hotel, and yacht profiles (It’s still a work-in-progress, but you can view several locations that have already been entered by clicking on the View Villa Profiles button on our Experiences > Villas page.)

Over the past two weeks, several members of the Journey Mexican team have been visiting newly added partner locations here in Puerto Vallarta. Last Friday, we took a full tour of the gorgeous Garza Blanca Preserve, Resort, and Spa and had a wonderful lunch in the hotel’s restaurant Blanca Blue. Resort general manager, Miguel Andres Hernandez, was kind enough to dine with us as well as give us a tour of Garza Blanca’s award winning wine selection.

Yesterday, Vanessa Cole and Shannon Beston of Journey Mexico partner Vacation Villas of Mexico led us on a tour of several beautiful villas in downtown Vallarta. We have to give special thanks to Raquel Brooks of Casa Tabachin and Yvonne Kalman of Casa Yvonneka for welcoming us into their lovely properties and for the delicious hors d’oeuvres, lunch, and conversation. Check back shortly to view profile pages with photos and videos of both Casa Tabachin and Casa Yvonneka!

Mexico’s New Minister of Tourism – The New Woman in Charge

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Zachary Rabinor and Gloria Guevara

JM President, Zachary Rabinor, with Minister of Tourism, Gloria Guevara

Mexico’s new Minister of Tourism, Gloria Guevara, was not looking for a public office, it came looking for her!  A high powered executive for arguably one of the most influential companies in the travel industry, Sabre Travel Solutions, Ms. Guevara was hard at work connecting buyers and sellers of travel when she got the call from the President of Mexico and was wooed away from the private sector to a patriotic role for the future of her country.  Since her first day in office, Guevara has shown that she is a mover and that her plans for Mexico’s tourism industry will re-shape the way that Mexico is viewed as a destination in the world.

Since taking office, Guevara has secured a $35 million budget for a media campaign to shed new light on Mexico as a prime destination for cultural tourism. The theme of the campaign is “Mexico: The Place You Thought You Knew,” and the ads (view below) are intended to reach 50% of North Americans. She and her team have also outlined ten culturally significant routes of travel called the “Rutas de Mexico,” which feature many of Mexico’s 31 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Guevara holds a master’s degrees in Marketing from the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City and Business Administration from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Her career in the travel industry began in customer service and sales at Sabre where she steadily worked her way to the top of the company as she eventually held the position of chief information officer for parent company Sabre Holdings.

We at Journey Mexico are thrilled to have a like-minded, business savvy advocate in this important role and can’t wait to see what other new and creative ideas the Mexico Tourism Board launches under her watch.

Ancient Tunnel Found Under Mexican Pyramid

Posted by & filed under Culture, News.

Teotihuacan temples

Teotihuacan

Fans of archeological travel will be excited to learn that scientists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have recently located an ancient tunnel that leads to several sealed chambers below the Temple of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan in Mexico City.

These chambers are located approximately 12 meters below the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and were sealed 1,800 years ago by the inhabitants of Teotihuacan themselves. Archeologists believe (and hope) the chambers contain the tombs of the ancient rulers of Teotihuacan, sacred sites that archeologists have not yet been able to locate.

Scientists working on the site hope to excavate the tunnel under the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and breech its underlying chambers within the next three months. More information about these developments can be found at eTurboNews.

Teotihuacan has long been a staple of Journey Mexico trips to Mexico City, and this recent development in the mystery of what lies beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent is just the latest example of how Mexico continues to offer opportunities to literally discover fresh pieces of history. To plan a trip to Mexico to see these ancient wonders with your own eyes, contact Journey Mexico today!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mexico Awarded Two New UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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Mexico's New UNESCO World Heritage SitesMexico was recently awarded two new UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and Prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca.

The addition of these two cultural sites gives Mexico 31 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in total, putting Mexico even further ahead of all other Latin American countries.

The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, also known as The Silver Route, was an important trade route running north out of Mexico City, through the Colonial Heartland, and across the Copper Canyon region and into the US. From the 16th to the 19th century, this route was used to transport valuable loads of silver from the mines of Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and San Luis Potosí to the US. The route is also significant because it opened communication between Mexican cultures and the native American cultures of what is now Texas and New Mexico.

The prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in Oaxaca are incredibly important as they contain rock art depicting the evolution of the pre-historic man from nomadic hunter-gathers to skilled, communal farmers. Seeds found one of these caves dates back to 8000 B.C. and is considered to be the earliest known evidence of domesticated plants on the continent of North America.

For more information about visiting these UNESCO World Heritage Sites, contact Journey Mexico today!

4 Reasons to Vacation in Mexico Right Now!

Posted by & filed under Media, Newsletters and Promotions.

Didn’t have a chance to get away this Summer? Don’t worry, here are four reasons to vacation in Mexico before the year’s end.

Facial Massage1. Value-Added – As Laura Del Rosso points out in her Travel Weekly article, increased competition in resort areas have many resorts offering incredible, and often unbelievable, value-ads to vacation packages.

Ceiba del Mar on the Riviera Maya is offering unlimited spa treatments including facials, massages, and more with their three-night, Unlimited Spa Package. This Mexican vacation package is priced at $1,680 for two people, including accommodations, and runs through December 22nd. Contact one of our travel planners to take advantage of this vacation package today!

Mayan Pyramid at Chichen Itza2. Less Crowds – The busy season for travel to Mexico begins in Nov/Dec, so booking a vacation before then usually yields exceptional opportunities to view Mayan Pyramids and other archeological sites with little or no crowds. Gazing at something spectacular like the pyramid at Chichen Itza in relative silence with no one but your family and friends adds an indescribable element to the experience.

Mexican dancers3. Mexico’s Bicentennial – September 16th mark’s the Bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence.   What is always a season of celebration will undoubtedly reach historic proportions this year, and there’s no better place to celebrate the Bicentennial than Mexico’s Colonial Heartland. Plan your vacation to Mexico now and come join in the festivities!

Grupo Habita Hotel Lobby4. A New Wave – A movement of modern, retro, chic, and artistic boutique hotels has begun in Mexico. If you would love to vacation in Mexico but want to try something different and new, building a trip around these locations is an excellent way to add a modern twist to an unforgettable trip. The photos below say it all.

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You can find 10 more reasons to vacation in Mexico here.

Travelocity’s Battle of the Destinations

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Travelocity has been running a weekly competition between popular destinations to vacation in Mexico called “Battle of the Destinations.” Travelocity’s Gnome travels to each of the winning destinations and then posts photos at the end of the week.

The first competition was between Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and the Riviera Maya with the Riviera Maya taking the win.

The second week put Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City against each other with Monterrey coming out on top.

Week three was a slaughter as Mazatlan dominated Ixtapa, Acapulco, and Cancun.

This week’s battle was another landslide as Oaxaca triumphed over Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and Puebla.

The Battle of the Destinations website is in Spanish, but it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s going on even if you don’t understand the language. The site isn’t very clear, however, about how long these competitions will last. Maybe someone could clarify in the comments of this post. If the winners do eventually face off, you should see much closer results but after taking the 8th spot on Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best cities list, I’d say the culturally rich Oaxaca is the city to beat.

Journey Mexico on The Mexico Report

Posted by & filed under News, Things We're Proud Of.

Journey Mexico on The Mexico ReportSusie Albin-Najera recently wrote an excellent article titled “A Transformational Journey Through Mexico: Experiencing The Trip of a Lifetime,” which has been published on The Mexico Report.

The article takes a look at the history of Journey Mexico and also includes an interview with JM Founder and President Zachary Rabinor.

A big thanks to Susie from all of us at Journey Mexico for doing such a great job on the piece!

Time to Plan for the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival

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Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2010 LogoThe Riviera Maya Jazz Festival celebrates it’s 8th season this November after drawing more than 50,000 visitors last year. In preparation for this year’s Jazz Festival, the Riviera Maya is offering a special preview event on September 4th in Tulum. The free concert includes internationally famed artists Eddie Palmieri, India, and Araya – Orta Latin Jazz Quartet. To plan a trip to for this event, be sure to contact one of our expert planners today!

This year’s Riviera Maya Jazz Festival will be held from November 25th-28th. More information about the event and artists, visit The Riviera Maya Jazz Festival 2010.

Underwater Sculpture Park in Cancun

Posted by & filed under Nature, News.

Photo via Jason deCaires Taylor

Artist and environmentalist, Jason deCaires Taylor, has entered the final stages of an incredible project designed to alleviate pressure on the natural reefs of Cancun, Mexico by attracting both marine wildlife and human tourists to a currently barren area of sea-floor, which will soon become a natural reef of cement sculptures.

In early 2011, over 400 sculptures made from a special cement neutral in PH and made to foster coral growth will be lowered into the shallow waters off the coast of Cancun. A handful of test sculptures have already been submerged and have shown incredible rates of growth from colorful algae, coral, and other marine-life.

Below is a video interview from Travel + Life Magazine with Taylor about the project. For more information about the underwater sculpture park, visit Jason deCaires Taylor’s website and the Wandering Educators site. You can also find another video here.

Conde Nast 2010 Travel Specialist

Posted by & filed under Condé Nast, News, Things We're Proud Of.

Conde Nast Traveler World's Tops Specialists CoverConde Nast Traveler Magazine has chosen Journey Mexico president, Zachary Rabinor, as one of the World’s Top 135 Travel Specialists for 2010. Zach’s segment of this prestigious list can be found on page 115 of Conde Nast Traveler‘s August 2010 Issue, which began hitting news stands last Friday.

Conde Nast’s World’s Top Traveler Specialists list is run by award-winning, world travel expert and “The greatest consumer advocate a traveler could ever have,” Wendy Perrin, the Consumer News Editor for Conde Nast Traveler. Wendy also runs an excellent travel resource at www.cntraveler.com, keeps an informative and fun blog called the Perrin Post, and dominates on Twitter with over 12,000 followers. According to the article, Wendy hand picked this year’s 135 Travel Specialists from more than 10,000 applicants, making it more difficult to be included than getting accepted to Harvard!

Zach and Journey Mexico have also been included as a Destination Specialist in Truth.Travel‘s “Find Your Perfect Travel Agent” search feature. At Truth.Travel, you can read Zach’s profile, search for user comments, and read more about how Conde Nast Travel Specialists are chosen.

Be sure to pick up the August issue of Conde Nast Traveler today!

New Mexico TV Ad

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Mexico Vacation TV AdJourney Mexico is excited about the release of the tourism board’s newest television ad promoting Mexico Vacations to Baja California and Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

To create a trip to Mexico to experience the activities and visit the places in this video, contact one of our expert trip planners today!

*Update 7/21/10 – This TV ad is a part of Mexico’s Minister of Tourism’s new ad campaign designed to reach 50% of North Americans. More information about this new campaign can be found at Travel Weekly.

Mexico 2nd Stop on Red Bull Cliff Diving Tour

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Cliff Diver in Yucatan at Red Bull World Series

Photo - Ray Demski / Red Bull

Yucatan, Mexico was the site of the second stop on Red Bull’s 2010 Cliff Diving World Series. If you haven’t seen or heard anything about this Red Bull Series, check it out at their website. Red Bull has definitely succeeded in making the sport of high diving more exciting by adding exotic locations. The event in Yucatan was held at the Ik Kil Cenote, which is often visited on Journey Mexico trips to the Yucatan.

Cenotes are natural wells that are exposed after surface limestone above the wells collapse. These natural pools are prevalent in the Yucatan Peninsula and some other regions of Central America. Some ancient Mayan cultures used cenotes as part of sacrificial rituals. Today, cenotes offer picturesque locations to cool off, go for a swim, or have lunch while vacationing in Mexico. Below is a video from the Red Bull Cliff Diving event at the Ik Kil cenote in Yucatan.

Mexico Has Two of Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Cities 2010

Posted by & filed under Guanajuato & San Miguel Allende, News, Oaxaca, Travel + Leisure.

Mexico took two spots on Travel & Leisure‘s 2010 World’s Best Cities List, tying Italy for most cities on the list. Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende in the Colonial Heartland was named the World’s 4th best city of 2010, and Oaxaca finished shortly after on the list as the 8th best city in the world. This year’s World’s Best Cities List will (I believe) be printed in the September issue of Travel & Leisure.

La Parroquia

San Miguel de Allende – With its small town charm, breathtaking architecture, and lively culture, it’s no wonder San Miguel de Allende was awarded the fourth spot on this year’s World’s Best Cities list (and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). One glance at the city’s Parish Church, La Parroquia, and it’s no question that San Miguel de Allende is a must stop on any cultural vacation in Mexico. Check out this video of guests on a Journey Mexico vacation walking the streets of San Miguel with a band of local musicians.

Oaxaca – This laid back metropolitan city also retains a small town charm with its tiny streets and rows of colonial buildings. With its thriving art scene, lively nightlife, and world-class restaurants, Oaxaca most certainly deserves the title of the World’s 8th Best City of 2010.

As the world has begun to open its eyes to the wealth of opportunity for cultural travel experiences in Mexico, Journey Mexico has been hand crafting custom itineraries designed to provide unforgettable trips to both San Miguel Allende and Oaxaca for years. To take advantage of our expertise and build the trip of a lifetime, contact our expert planners today!

New Mexican Cookbook From Diana Kennedy

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(AP Photo/Miguel Tovar)

Heralded as the authority on Mexican Cuisine, Diana Kennedy is set to release her second Mexican cookbook Oaxaca al Gusto this Fall. This new cookbook comes four decades after her first release, The Cuisines of Mexico, which has become an essential in the library of any international chef worth their salt. Oaxaca al Gusto focuses on the traditional cuisines of the different cultures within the state of Oaxaca, an area known for its savory dishes.

Diana Kennedy, now 87, is quite the character: smart, tough, funny, and one hell of a cook. But in addition to being personally distinct, she is also highly decorated. She has received the equivalent of knighthood in Mexico with the Congressional Order Of The Aztec Eagle award and has also been honored by the UK a Member of the British Empire award for furthering cultural relations with Mexico. A wonderful portrait of Diana Kennedy can be found in Martha Mendoza’s article at the Associated Press.

Copper Canyon Needs Support For Dental Missions

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Copper Canyon Mexico Dental VolunteersI just came across this organization of Dentists in Lonely Plane’ts Mexico Travel Forum, and they seem to be doing some great things in the Copper Canyon region of Mexico. The organization consists of a group of Dentists who voluntarily dedicate their time to improving the oral health of the community members local to the Copper Canyon. The focuses on cleaning, removing infected teeth from those in pain, and educating community members on how to care for their teeth.

The volunteer group has posted the following in the Lonely Planet forum:

“Here are the dates for upcoming dental missions to the Copper Canyon. We need translators, dental personnel and general helper outers. There is a small fund to help out a bit with expenses for an experienced dental assistant.

September 29 to October 11
November 3 to the 15th
February 2 to the 14th
March 2 to the 14th

The cost not including transportation to Tucson should be about 800 dollars. For more info go to www.dentalvolunteermissions.com”

Hiking trips to the Copper Canyon have been a prominent aspect of Journey Mexico services since its inception, and interacting with local community members is a big part of what makes these hiking trips so special. We are always pleased to see people offering to help the members of the Copper Canyon community and if you know of anyone with dental expertise who may be interesting in doing some voluntourism, please forward them this post.