First of 69 Cruise Ships in 2015 Arrived in Port Yesterday

by Maureen Dietrich

8 Jan 15 

mazmessenger.com

 

The first cruise ship of 2015, the Grand Princess with 2,830 passengers and 1,100 crew members, arrived in port yesterday at 6:07am.

According to the Sinaloa Secretary of Tourism press release, 69 cruise ships carrying a total of 165,000 tourists will dock in Mazatlán this year.

This is double the number from 2014 when 35 cruise ships arrived in port increasing the city´s economy by 110 million pesos.

(from Noroeste)

Turistas festejan el fin de año aquí

debate.com.mx
 Por Leticia López

Mazatlán, Sinaloa.- Un cierre de año positivo dejó el arribo doble de cruceros a la ruta del pacífico mexicano.

Pese a la recomendación negativa que las navieras hicieron sobre los riesgos de pasear por la ciudad, de no usar sus paseos precontratados, los extranjeros bajaron, caminaron, compraron, se tomaron fotos y hasta bebieron en la machado y zona dorada para empezar a festejar desde temprano la bienvenida del Año Nuevo.

Lo mejor está por venir, aseguró Rafael Lizárraga Favela, subsecretario de turismo de la Sectur Sinaloa, ante la programación ininterrumpida de los 69 arribos de buques turísticos para el 2015, a iniciar desde el próximo miércoles 7 de enero.

El funcionario estatal calificó al año de significativo por el regreso de los cruceros, además de tener hoteles llenos por la gran afluencia de turismo nacional e internacional que cerrará con broche de oro el 2014.

“Esto apenas empieza porque será un 2015, donde no se van a interrumpir los arribos de cruceros, en todos los meses, lo cual es muy bueno y positivo para los prestadores de servicios turísticos”.

Viene la consolidación.

Lizárraga Favela detalló que la temporada de cruceros que termina distribuyó aproximadamente 110 millones de pesos  entre toda la cadena de prestadores de servicios, comercio y empresarios turísticos. “Apenas empezamos la consolidación en materia de cruceros”, agregó.

Sobre todo porque de la agenda calendarizada para el 2015 buscarán convencer al resto de las navieras que faltan de volver, de que Mazatlán se está renovando y capacitando para presentar una oferta turística mayormente competitiva, abundó.

El mazatlán seguro.

Sobre la alerta de seguridad emitida por Estados Unidos contra Baja California Sur, el funcionario dijo desconocer la mala recomendación, pero confió en que serán los propios pasajeros quienes se den cuenta de que Mazatlán es amigable y seguro.

“Mazatlán está muy bien y nuestro destino seguirá mejorando porque está volviendo con fuerza y tuvo un excelente año”.

Mazatlán está lleno ahora, por los residentes que han llegado, los nacionales que vienen a celebrar el año nuevo y los cruceristas que le están dando un buen cierre de oro, describió el funcionario.

Adelantó que la Secretaría intensificara la capacitación e innovación del sector turístico para que Mazatlán esté listo al desarrollo y crecimiento de la actividad y las inversiones.

Además de preparar la promoción de Mazatlán en FITUR.

Airport Celebrates Passenger No. 755,000

 by Maureen Dietrich

17 Dec 14 

mazmessenger.com

 

The 755,000^th passenger to arrive at Mazatlán’s Rafael Buelna airport this year was greeted yesterday afternoon with a celebration of balloons, confetti and gifts from stores within the terminal.

The surprised recipient of the celebration was Ana María Ramírez Arellano, a resident of Mazatlán, who had just returned from a vacation in Mexico City.

Administrator of the airport, José Luis Villanueva, told media 731,000 passengers passed through the airport in 2013 and although they were celebrating the 755,000^th yesterday this year was not yet over and he expected to exceed 760,000 by the end of December. 

(from Noroeste)

Repunta número de visitantes a Mazatlán

periodicoviaje.com

Julio Birrueta, director de la Oficina de Promoción del destino, informó que el puerto registra un aumento en de 23 por ciento en el flujo de turistas nacionales, esto debido a diversas acciones realizadas en favor del sector turístico, entre las que destacan la llegada de cruceros y la apertura de la autopista Mazatlán-Durango. Debido al buen repunte se incrementarán rutas aéreas.

por Redacción el Lunes 15 de diciembre de 2014 a las 14:35

Con la apertura de la autopista Mazatlán-Durango, el flujo de visitantes se incrementó en 34 por ciento.

 

 

El puerto de Mazatlán, Sinaloa, registra un aumento en de 23 por ciento en el flujo de turistas nacionales, esto debido a diversas acciones realizadas en favor del sector turístico, entre las que destacan la llegada de cruceros y la apertura de la autopista Mazatlán-Durango, entre otras.

Julio Birrueta, director de la Oficina de Promoción de Mazatlán, dijo que la llegada de cruceros ha contribuido a incrementar el número de visitantes extranjeros y se registran 35 llegadas, además de que ha reactivado de manera importante la actividad turística y comercial en los pueblos aledaños al destino, cuya única fuente económica hace algunos años era la agricultura.

Así, el reciente arribo del Crown Princes llevó al destino tres mil 102 turistas, además de visitas, recorridos y rutas turísticas hacia los pueblos El Quelite, Copala, Malpica y Concordia, informó.

Agregó que el turismo nacional ha venido incrementando su participación en los últimos dos años al representar el 70 por ciento del total de visitantes.

Esto, dijo, debido principalmente al incremento en el número de congresos y convenciones nacionales, así como al mayor flujo de visitantes de negocios y de turistas provenientes de estados aledaños.

Asimismo, con la apertura de la autopista Mazatlán-Durango, el flujo de visitantes se incrementó en 34 por ciento desde los estados vecinos en los últimos 12 meses, dada la mejor accesibilidad al destino y la reducción en el tiempo de manejo.

Los habitantes de Durango, Zacatecas, Coahuila y Nuevo León son los que más visitan en cada oportunidad el Puerto de Mazatlán, sobre todo en puentes y fines de semana, temporadas de alta ocupación que más se han visto incrementadas.

Abren rutas aéreas

En cuanto a las líneas aéreas, se espera en este mes llegadas internacionales de Delta Airlines proveniente de los Ángeles, California; además Westjet aumentará en 10 por ciento sus asientos con aviones de mayor capacidad y Sun Country duplicará su número de vuelos.

Así también Aeroméxico anunció dos nuevos vuelos desde el puerto de Mazatlán y Los Mochis hacia la ciudad de Tijuana, Baja California, con inicio de operaciones desde el 20 y 21 de diciembre.

Ante el crecimiento de la demanda turística al puerto, recientemente se inauguró en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Mazatlán “Gral. Rafael Buelna” la ampliación y remodelación del edificio terminal que incluye el crecimiento de la zona del ambulatorio y documentación de pasajeros y reconfiguración de espacios en sala de espera nacional.

Así también se construyeron áreas comerciales y de servicios, se incrementaron los servicios sanitarios, se reubicaron las oficinas administrativas, se modernizó la fachada principal del edificio terminal, así como dos nuevos pasillos telescópicos de última generación y una posición adicional en plataforma remota.

'Arman' agenda turística para 2015

LILIANA ZAMORA

noroeste.com

04-12-2014

 | 

12:12 PM

MAZATLÁN._ Con el objetivo de armar la agenda en materia turística para 2015, representantes de la región noroeste de la Secretaría de Turismo participan en el Foro Regional para la Presentación y Análisis de las Propuestas de Ordenamiento Turístico Sustentable.

La idea es aterrizar las acciones que emprenderán en favor de esta materia, explicó Maribel Chollet Morán, quien es la delegada de la región noroeste.

En 2014 el Gobierno federal apoyó 70 proyectos turísticos; 19 de estos fueron para Sinaloa con una inversión de 53 millones de pesos.

La región noroeste integra los estados de Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Durango, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa y Zacatecas.

Cruise Ship Passengers Praise El Centro

by Murry Page

20 Nov 14 

mazmessenger.com

 

Passengers from the cruise ship Crown Princess that was docked in Mazatlán yesterday said that El Centro was their favorite spot. The passengers said the area was calm and the people were very friendly.

Of the 3,800 passengers it was estimated that 30 percent of those that disembarked chose to spend their time in El Centro.

They favorably commented on Plaza Machado, the Cathedral, and strolling down the Malecón.

Rafael Rivera López, a well-known tour operator, encouraged local vendors not to increase their prices when the tourists request products or services. He said that tactic just hurts the city in the long run.

Rivera López also said that security for the passengers should not be reduced; noting that Acapulco is now experiencing what Mazatlán experienced a few years back and that could have a ripple effect on the city.

(from El Debate)

Sectur: ’14 best year for Mexican tourism

Monday, 01 September 2014 01:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thenews.com.mx

Sectur: ’14 best year for Mexican tourism

Central Bank reports record surplus in sector’s balance

BY SUZZETE ALCÁNTARA

The News

MEXICO CITY – The Tourism Secretariat reported the first half of 2014 as the best in the history of tourism in Mexico.

Bank of México (Banxico) reported the number of international tourists in Mexico during the first half of 2014 exceeded 14.2 million.

Foreign exchange earnings from international visitors also recorded a historical high reaching $8.4 billion, which has never been observed in the first part of any past year. Tourism balance showed a surplus of $4.9 billion, a record amount for a period between January and June.

The number of international visitors increased 2.8 percent compared with the first half of 2013, reaching 39.4 million visitors.

According to Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA), the number of air passengers increased 9.7 percent during the first half of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, reaching 24.1 million passengers.

The arrival of passengers in domestic flights exceeded 15.3 million people, representing a 9.1 percent increase compared to the 2013 January to June period. The number of domestic flights increased 5.4 percent.

International flights recorded 8.8 million passengers, equivalent to a 10.7 percent increase compared to the first half of 2013. This result was accompanied by a 7.3 percent increase in the number of international flights.

According to nationality, air passengers from the United States registered the largest share with 56.5 percent of the total, followed by Canadians with 15.3 percent and from Latin America, Brazilians with 2.1 percent, said The Interior Secretariat (Segob).

“Mexico has everything it needs to become a global tourist destination,” said President Enrique Peña Nieto.

“We are restructuring the institutional framework to ensure effective implementation of state government programs aimed at promoting our national tourism development plan.”

More tourists are coming from Colombia, Brazil

Mexico a holiday hot-spot for Latin Americans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexico News Daily | Monday, August 18, 2014

 

Travelers from Colombia are flocking northwards to enjoy their vacations in Mexico, according to figures released by National Immigration Institute (INM).

In the first six months of the year the number of visitors from Colombia was 124,033, an increase of 27% over last year, making it the fifth most important source of foreign visitors. It was previously in seventh place.

Brazilian visitors were also up, registering 139,108, a 6.3% increase, which pushed that country into fourth place from fifth among the top markets for Mexican tourism.

Since 2009, when immigration processes were changed, Latin America has become a gold mine for Mexico’s tourist industry.

Adam Brauten of the tourism consultancy Boutique says Mexico has become “the king” in the Latin American region for the number of Latin American visitors it receives.

The massive increase of Colombians is attributed in large part to improved air connections.

Although Argentina remains among the top 10 countries sending tourists this way, the numbers dropped 13% in the first half of the year, a result of the slowing of its economy, says Francisco Madrid, director of the school of tourism at Anáhuac University of the North.

Venezuela dropped out of the top 10 although visitors from that country were up a whopping 35% to 65,305.

But Madrid forecasts that the numbers from Venezuela probably won’t continue to be as strong owing to the country’s structural problems.

Other countries in the top 10 of sources of visitors are the United States, in first position with 57.6% of the total, Canada with 15% and the United Kingdom with 2.8%.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/tourists-coming-colombia-brazil/#sthash.hatSN8IJ.dpuf

Salt sculptures along Olas Altas

Int’l tourism rising in Mexico

Thursday, 03 July 2014 01:00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thenews.com.mx

BY SUZZETE ALCÁNTARA

The News

MEXICO CITY – Between January and May of this year Mexico recorded an 11 percent increase in the arrival of foreign tourists by air, reported the Integrated Operation System for Migration (SIOM) and the National Migration Institute (INM) on Wednesday.

According to the agencies, there were 5.8 million passengers on flights between January and May of this year exceeding the same time period in 2013 by 575,000.

According to the SIOM, there was an increase of 13.9 percent in the number of visitors from Europe. The UK recorded the highest number of tourists followed by Spain, Germany and Italy.

Travelers from Asia, China and Korea remained at the top with rates of 20 percent, while those from Japan increased 14.1 percent.

The majority of vacationers from South America came from Colombia and Chile, and the report showed a significant increase in visitors from 30.8 and 31.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of tourist from the U.S. showed around a 13.1 percent growth in the month of May with 597,000 visitors coming to the country. According to SIOM there were 83,500 Canadian visitors, which represented an increase of 12.7 percent.

Cruise tourism is also on the rise in Mexico, especially in Quintana Roo this year more than 3 million tourists came to Quintana Roo via cruise ships.

México’s Tourism: Best Performance in 14 Years

by Murry Page

14 Jun 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

According to reports from México’s central bank (the Bank of México or “Banxico,”) during the first four months of this year 9,461,000 international tourists arrived in México; the largest number in the past 14 years. This compares favorably with the 7 to 8 million reported in the past several years, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism said.

The economic impact of these international tourists amounted to $5.758 billion, slightly ahead of the $5.105 billion realized in 2008.

The Ministry of Tourism attributes some of the growth in international tourists to its strategy of promoting travel from Asia and other Latin American countries, instead of relying so much on the United States. In addition to the diversification of its promotional activities the Ministry of Tourism said that the various state agencies involved in tourism have been working together.

(from Milenio)

Things heating up for tourist trade in Mexico

 postbulletin.com 

Friday, May 23, 2014 3:06 pm

Bob Retzlaff

Mexico continues to be a hotspot for tourism — and a favorite among Minnesota travelers — and the Mexican government recently announced a massive spending program to continue the upward surge.

The extensive plans will focus on new infrastructure projects to upgrade roads, ports, telecommunications, water and energy facilities to sustain the country's growth in tourism and travel. All told, the government is expected to invest $315 billion (U.S.) to complete these projects by 2018.

Additionally, the private sector will partner to the extent of $8.6 billion in the construction and improvements of new and existing hotels as well as other public facilities.

Mexico's Board of Tourism expects that these projects will result in the creation of 28,000 direct and 78,000 indirect new jobs, which in turn will lead to an increase in domestic and outbound tourism due to higher incomes.

The investments are said to involve 176 specific projects across the country. In addition to hotel construction and refurbishment, there also will be investment in airport infrastructure, theme parks, marinas, golf courses, healthcare facilities and retirement communities.

All in all, the program will extend to 27 major tourist destinations spread across 17 Mexican states, according to media reports.

Over the last 20 years or so, the Mexican government has taken the lead in funneling billions of dollars in improving the nation's tourism facilities — most notably the actual creation of such sunspot destinations as Cancun, Ixtapa and others.

These measures, partnered with private investors, has boosted Mexico into one of the top venues for international travelers — that figure soared to 24 million visitors a year ago. Tourism now represents some 10 percent of the nation's gross national product and year-over-year increases continue to be reported,despite crime waves and drug wars that have occurred over the past several years. Most of these incidents have not occurred at Mexico's prime vacation areas, located along the Caribbean or Pacific coasts, but in more interior settings.

The areas seeing the biggest increases in tourism are the Riviera Maya and adjacent Cozumel, located in the Yucatan Peninsula. These are generally considered family holiday destinations and offer a wide range of activities. Historic Mayan ruins also are nearby.

Cancun and its beaches along the Caribbean comprise Mexico's longtime No. 1 attraction and last year hosted 4 million visitors, up from 3.6 million the year before.

Cancun boasts 14 miles of beaches — rated some of the best in the world and which we have enjoyed several times. Some of the activities there include art exhibits, golf, shopping at ritzy malls, theme parks, zipline experiences and others.

Its Maya Museum, which opened a year and a half ago, is said to be world-class. Its complete collection contains more than 3,500 pieces although only a tenth of the collection is displayed at any one time.

Another acclaimed site is the Underwater Museum of Art, a series of 500 life-size sculptures that lie on the seabed floor in the waters off Cancun.

Mexico is one of the favorite destinations for Minnesotans, according to a recent survey among Travel Leaders travel agents. As a international destination for this year, Cancun was rated No. 1 and the Riviera Maya No. 4, and Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific coast was rated No. 5.

Most airlines, most particularly Delta along with Sun Country, offer air-hotel packages that have proven to be extremely popular, especially during Minnesota's winters.

In its efforts to boost the country's tourism, the Mexican government organized promotional campaigns in key tourist source countries in an attempt to improve its image as a safe tourism destination.

Popular campaigns included "Mexico: The Place You Thought You Knew", initiated in 2010 to attract 50 million international tourists annually by 2018. With such initiatives, Mexico aims to become one of the world's top five tourist destinations.

Sectur seeking US tourists

Monday, 26 May 2014 01:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thenews.com.mx

BY SUZZETE ALCÁNTARA

THE NEWS

“In an effort to generate more internal revenue, Mexico is seeking to attract more tourists from the United States,” Secretary of Tourism Claudia Ruiz Massieu said.

The secretary took advantage of a meeting with officials from 14 Mexican consulates in cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Washington and New York to inquire about tastes of various demographic groups in order to further develop markets of appeal.

“The goal is to establish a closer relationship with them so that they may become active partners in the building of our national brand, as well as in helping to attract more tourism, thus generating more revenue,” said Ruiz Massieu.

The initiative is part of the National Infrastructure Program created by President Enrique Peña Nieto, which entails significant investment in the tourism sector.

“We want to stimulate more tourist spending, but we also want to make investment in the tourism sector an attractive option, all with the end goal of promoting economic and social development,” she said.

During the meeting, the directors of the Tourism Board of Mexico, ProMéxico, the National Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur) and the National Brand made presentations about how to further promote investment and international business relations.