'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.

Mexico to have 13 new highways

Friday, 28 November 2014 00:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thenews.com.mx

Mexico to have 13 new highways

By the end of 2014 there will be 13 new highways in Mexico, said Communications and Transportation Secretary Gerardo Ruiz Esparza on Wednesday in Quintana Roo.

The federal government set out to build 46 new highways at the beginning of Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration. There are 26 highways being built that will be completed before the president’s tenure ends.

These works are part of the implementation of the new telecommunications law, which has already proven to be advantageous to society.

Ruiz Esparza and Peña Nieto inaugurated on Wednesday the Nuevo Xcan-Playa del Carmen highway. By December this year, the Salamanca-Irapuato highway, with an investment of 1.2 billion pesos ($93.7 million), the Mazatlán bypass, with an investment of 1.8 billion pesos, the Guadalajara-Colima highway, with an investment of 500 million pesos, and Chihuahua western bypass will be completed, with a 6.4 billion peso investment.

Once those projects come to an end, they will add to the 700 kilometers of new highway infrastructure that has been built in the first two years of Peña Nieto’s administration with an investment of 55 billion pesos. By the end of his tenure, there will be more 3,000 kilometers of new highways.

On Friday, members of the federal government organized a round table for the Mexico Connected program. It is composed of representatives of civil society, scholars and infrastructure experts who will decide in which public spaces in Quintana Roo install broadband Internet.

The aim is to provide all public elementary, middle and high schools in Quintana Roo with Internet access. The program also includes Internet services in universities, clinics, hospitals, libraries and public parks. It is estimated that between March and December 2015, Quintana Roo will install broadband Internet in all the aforementioned spaces.

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.

On Site at Tianguis: Mazatlan Tourism Head Talks Big Changes

May 8, 2014  
By: Meagan Drillinger
travelagentcentral.com 

 

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What a difference two years can make, especially when it comes to tourism in Mazatlan. As part of the 39th annual Tianguis Turistico, Travel Agent sat down with Secretary of Tourism for the state Sinaloa Francisco Manuel Cordoba Celaya who filled us in on all the positive changes happening in Mazatlan.

It was just four years ago that five cruise lines pulled out of the destination due to rising safety concerns. Mazatlan, for all intents and purposes, was not a safe city for tourists in Mexico. Today? That is not the case. In the last two years crime has dropped by 90 percent, making Mazatlan one of the safest destinations for tourism. In fact, four out of the five cruise lines have already returned (Azamara Club Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruises and Princess Cruises). For the 2014/15 season these ships will bring 200,000 tourists to Mazatlan. 2013 saw three million tourists to Sinaloa, with 2.5 million visiting Mazatlan.


But the biggest news out of the destination is the new Durango highway which is slated to be completed in the next few weeks. This highway will cut the trip from the airport to the city by 40 minutes, down from an hour to 20 minutes.

Undeveloped land is also being bought up and built upon by the acres. By 2015, the area around the convention center will be fully developed, as will the property by the marina. A Spanish hotel group, which the secretary would not name, has also promised to construct a 250-room hotel along with residences and a boutique plaza.

In terms of airlift, since 2011 airlift is up 35 percent in terms of seats. Frontier Airlines will also return to the destination, and Delta is expanding its service.

Fonatur is also planning to invest $60 million this year, and $200 million from 2015-2016 in Playa Espiritu, a new beach development that is supposed to outpace Cancun. The first hotel will open in December, and to follow will be a marina, golf course and more hotels. There is no name yet for the hotel opening in December, but it is a $30 million investment.

“Things are looking good for Mazatlan and Sinaloa,” says Cordoba Celaya. “Sinaloa has always been an agricultural state. Tourism how now become the strongest economic force. It has overtaken agriculture. it is the biggest generator of new employment and investment.”

Mexico Plans to Invest Nearly $14 Billion in Tourism Industry, President Says

laht.com

MEXICO CITY – Mexico plans to invest 180 billion pesos ($13.8 billion) in tourism infrastructure to turn the country into a global power in the industry, President Enrique Peña Nieto said.

“Mexico has everything necessary to become a tourism power at the global level,” the president told industry leaders gathered at the 39th Tourism Fair in the Caribbean resort city of Cancun.

Travel agency representatives, tourism industry executives and officials from all levels of government listened as Peña Nieto discussed Mexico’s advantages in terms of natural beauty, cultural offerings and historic sites.

“Today, Mexico is the No. 2 tourism destination in the Americas and the only Latin American country that ranks in the top 25 most-visited nations in the world,” Peña Nieto said.

The government plans to pursue a three-pronged strategy to develop Mexico’s tourism infrastructure.

The beaches and colonial districts in the country’s main tourist destinations will be renovated, and the “magic towns” program will be expanded to 100 locations, the president said.

New offerings will be developed at Meso-American heritage sites, with sustainable areas being created in Chichen Itza, Palenque, Calakmul and Teotihuacan, while convention centers and 20 new public parks are built at Mexican beaches, Peña Nieto said.

The third element in the strategy is to modernize and refurbish Mexico’s ports and airports to make them more attractive for arriving tourists, the president said.

Mexico welcomed 23.7 million foreign tourists in 2013, generating revenues of more than $13.8 billion, Peña Nieto said.

U.S. State Department: Tourism in Mexico on the Rise

Report reveals more U.S. citizens travelling to Mexico as Mexican government improves security conditions in popular destinations

By Hannah Bender, PropertyCasualty360.com

 propertycasualty360.com

May 7, 2014 

Summer is quickly approaching, and Mexico is one of the most popular getaway destinations for U.S. citizens. Millions of U.S. residents travel to Mexico every year for tourism, study and business, and according to the U.S. state department, more than 150,000 cross the border every day, and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico estimates that the number of American citizens currently living in Mexico is in excess of one million, and growing.

With the tourism in Mexico on the rise, a recent report from the U.S. Department of State claims that the Mexican government is committed to improving security conditions in most of the country, in order to create a climate that encourages the U.S. population to regain their confidence towards travel and investment activities in Mexico, despite recent histories of crime and drug-related violence. The report also observed that “The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. visitors or residents based on their nationality.”

The report claims that resort towns and tourist destinations in the country generally do not see the levels of drug violence and crime reported in the border region or along major trafficking routes.

Improved conditions in the country are reflected in the results of Mexico insurance purchased by Americans, according to MexiPass, a managing general agent and underwriting manager that has monitored risk exposures of American interests in Mexico for the past 25 years.

“The demand for insurance products for Mexico, such as tourist and resident auto policies, homeowner’s insurance, boat insurance, and commercial policies is very active, and the frequency and severity of losses to American Policyholders in Mexico has been decreasing steadily over the past 12 months” said Jose A. Cacho-Sousa Jr., MexiPass product manager.

Because Mexico poses unique challenges in protecting persons and their assets, typical Mexican insurance products can be inadequate or it can be difficult for agents to interpret policies and provide their clients with the correct coverage. As a result, MexiPass has developed products that are similar to U.S. policies.
“This is what we call Mexican Insurance, the American Way,” Cacho-Sousa said.

MexiPass International Insurance provides a variety of commercial and personal insurance products by developing unique partnerships with Mexican insurance companies, making it simpler for insurance agencies to cater to clients’ travel needs.

Tourism Surpasses Agriculture as Most Important Economic Activity

by Maureen Dietrich

21 Mar 14 

mazmessenger.com

 

For the first time in the history of Sinaloa, tourism has surpassed agriculture as the most important economical activity in the State, producing 13.4 percent of the gross domestic product compared to 12 percent by agriculture which was affected by severe climate conditions recently.

The statistics were presented by Sinaloa Secretary of Tourism, Francisco Córdova Celaya, who said tourism must be taken seriously as the leading economic earner.

In 2013, Sinaloa holiday destinations received approximately three million tourists of which two million visited Mazatlán, 500,000 Culiacán and the rest distributed in El Fuerte, Cosalá, Los Mochis and other Sinaloan destinations.

The Secretary announced that this year’s tourist promotion will concentrate on attracting groups and conventions during the off-season summer months when hotel reservations fall to 30 percent. The goal, he said, is to bring at least a half million conventioneers to Sinaloa. 

 (from Noroeste)

Interactive Museum Project Begins to Take Shape

by Maureen Dietrich

 8 Mar 14 

mazmessenger.com

The location has not been decided but the two options on the table are Marina Mazatlán and Av. Del Mar.

Proposed and executed by business entrepreneurs, an interactive museum in Mazatlán requiring a 400 million peso investment was presented yesterday to State and municipal authorities.

Ernesto Coppel Kelly, President of Grupo Pueblo Bonito, is in charge of the project including attracting private investors.

At the press conference yesterday were Mayor Carlos Felton, Secretary of Tourism Francisco Córdova Celaya and Marinela Servitje, president of the firm Sietecolores hired to create the museum concept.

Sietecolores has created some of the most important interactive museums in Mexico. For Mazatlán, the firm has proposed a bilingual, self-sufficient and attractive museum with large digital maps, big screens, international exhibition spaces and areas dedicated to the history of Mazatlán including a shrimp boat open to the public to explore.

Coppel Kelly told reporters the size has not yet been defined but they will know in six months once the business plan is completed which alone is costing investors 15 million pesos. Nor is the location decided but the two options on the table are Marina Mazatlán and Av. Del Mar.

With the official name of “Museo Mazatlán, Lugar de Encuentros,” a multi-coloured deer logo has been designed to reflect the city´s image.

The museum is expected to be financially self-sufficient by renting out commercial spaces and providing guided tours.

(from Noroeste)

Sectur lands Mexican tourism

Tuesday, 21 January 2014 00:10
BY ROCÍO ZAYAS
The News


Tourism Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu began a three-day visit to the International Tourism Fair in Madrid on Monday, where she told Spanish businessmen that tourism is an important pillar for the transformation of Mexico, adding that the country is open to investment and the business opportunities that it brings with it.

According to Ruiz Massieu, tourism in Mexico is growing in a sustained manner and is positioning itself as an important catalyst of economic development for the country.

Tourism, she said, “is strategic for the Mexican government, because we are convinced that it promotes, like no other sector, the dynamic growth of the economy, the creation of quality and will doubtlessly be a fundamental element for meeting the stated goal of transforming the country.”

Ruiz Massieu said that the positive trends seen in Mexico’s principal tourism indicators confirm that the federal government’s new vision is providing results and putting the industry on the right path.

As of Nov. 2013, Mexico’s tourism sector saw an 8-percent increase in profits on the same period in the previous year, and though the final numbers for 2013 are not yet in, it’s expected that they will reach $13.8 billion — an unprecedented number in the history of Mexico’s tourism industry.

Ruiz Massieu went on to say that tourism can become a key tool for expanding communication channels with other countries such as Spain.

Fonatur Plans First Hotel at CIP Playa Espíritu

by Maureen Dietrich on 14 Jan 14
mazmessenger.com

530 million pesos have been budgeted for the mega tourism development.

The Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (Fonatur) plans to construct the first hotel at the site of the CIP Playa Espíritu in Teacapán by the end of 2014, said delegate Joel Amarillas López.

He announced yesterday that 530 million pesos have been budgeted for the mega tourism development, which is a significant amount for what he considers to be one of the most important tourist developments in Mexico with an area double that of Cancún.

They are going to work very hard in 2014, said Amarillas López, to construct the foundations of the hotel to begin (to attract) commercial interest. Many are interested in this project which received an historic Fonatur budget, he told media.

At the same time, they will begin complementary infrastructure projects such as roads, equipment for a water treatment plant and storage tank.

The hotel will be managed initially by Fonatur with the idea that later it will attract investors interested in purchasing it.

(from Noroeste)

UN to help out with tourism fair

Friday, 08 November 2013 00:10

 
After meeting with United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai, Quintana Roo Gov. and National Governors Conference (Conago) Tourism Committee President Roberto Borge Angulo said that the two agreed that the UNWTO would help organize the 2014 Mexican Tourism Fair, which is to be held in Cancún.

Carlos Vogeler, regional UNWTO director for the Americas, also participated in the meeting where Rifai expressed his organizational support for the Mexico Tourism Fairs and other events to be held in Quintana Roo.

According to Rifai, Quintana Roo has played a fundamental role in promoting tourism in Latin America thanks to its international campaigns and its high number of visitors — just last year, he said, 17.5 million tourists visited the state.

Borge Angulo thanked Rifai for his decision to support the state’s tourism industry.

“To consolidate Quintana Roo as a region with many destinations and increase the number of tourists who visit us, we need the support of the most important international organization on tourism issues: The UNWTO,” Borge Angulo said.

Borge Angulo went on to say that his working visit to London, where he is heading up the Quintana Roo delegation in the World Travel Market (WTM), will provide many other benefits for the state. During the first two days of his visit, he added, advertising for tourism in Quintana Roo was purchased on one of London’s signature double-decker buses, promoting destinations like Cancún and Riviera Maya.

“This bus will circulate for three months with advertising for the Underwater Museum,” Borge Angulo said. “It will be an important way to promote destinations in Quintana Roo, particularly Cancún, where the next Mexican Tourism Fair will be held.”

Quintana Roo can expect not just a successful winter tourist season, but also a 2014 where tourism growth will continue, he added.

THE NEWS

Mexico budget airline orders 52 Airbus A320 worth $5.1 billion

The shadow of an Airbus logo is cast on a curtain in Finkenwerder near Hamburg in this October 30, 2009 file photo.

Credit: Reuters/Christian Charisius/Files

By Tomas Sarmiento

MEXICO CITY | Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:10pm IST
 

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican budget airline VivaAerobus has ordered 52 Airbus A320-family jets from Airbus (EAD.PA), an official at the European planemaker said on Monday, in a deal with a list price of $5.1 billion.
Of the order, 40 are for the A320neo model, Rafael Alonso, Airbus Executive Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, told reporters in Mexico City. The 40 A320neo planes have a combined list price of $4 billion alone.

Airbus said VivaAerobus, which has previously used Boeing (BA.N) aircraft, had also ordered 12 A320ceo, with a combined list price of $1.1 billion.

The first plane will be delivered in April 2014, VivaAerobus Chief Executive Juan Carlos Zuazua told a news conference.

The defection to a new supplier, first reported by Reuters in June, follows a bitterly fought contest as the Mexican low-cost carrier becomes the latest to compare the newest fuel-saving models offered by both planemakers.

The deal marks a breakthrough for United Technologies (UTX.N) unit Pratt & Whitney, whose engines compete with GE/Safran (GE.N)(SAF.PA) venture CFM to power A320 jets.

The arrival of a new generation of jet engines boasting double-digit percentage gains in fuel efficiency prompted both Airbus and Boeing to revamp their medium-haul, narrowbody models and triggered a worldwide battle for market share.

VivaAerobus, which launched in 2006, is a venture between Mexican transport company Grupo IAMSA and the family behind Irish low-cost airline Ryanair (RYA.I).

Monterrey-based VivaAerobus, whose existing fleet comprises 19 Boeing 737-300 aircraft, operates 51 routes in Mexico and two to the United States, according to the company.

VivaAerobus currently has about 12 percent of the market for flights in Mexico and just one percent of the market for international flights.

(Additional reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Simon Gardner)

Sectur Offers New Credit Program for Hotel Improvements

The object of the program is to construct 700 new hotel rooms in Mazatlán.

mazmessenger.com

At a press conference on Wednesday, the Sinaloa government, the financial group Banorte-Ixe and the Sinaloa Secretary of Tourism (Sectur) presented a credit program specifically for construction of new hotel rooms and remodeling of existing hotels in Mazatlán.

The object of the financial initiative, titled “Programa de Apoyo Financiero para Incrementar la Oferta Turística de Mazatlán y de Sinaloa,” is to construct 700 new hotel rooms, ten percent more than currently available, which will house 400,000 additional tourists annually and generate an additional 1,200 million pesos for the hospitality industry.

The 200 million peso project presented to businessmen and heads of Mazatlán´s hotel associations establishes that initially it will be offered to the 50 businesses associated with the two local hotel associations, motel owners and tourism companies, and others in Sinaloa.

The loans will start at 500,000 pesos to a maximum of 9,500,000 pesos at an 11 percent annual interest rate to be paid off in three years and must be applied for between September and December of this year.

It is expected that 50 hotels and tourism companies in Mazatlán will benefit from the financial loans in the first stage of the program.

 (from Sectur press release)

Hilton Hampton Hotels Interested in Investing in Mazatlán

President of the Federación de Cámaras Nacionales de Comercio (Fecanaco), Guillermo Romeo Rodríguez, said yesterday that last Wednesday he met with Hilton Hotel representatives in Mexico City who confirmed their interest in investing in Mazatlán.

The project would consist of 209 rooms on eight levels and include a restaurant.

The hotel representatives, said Rodríguez, are in the process of planning and market research. The project would cost approximately 215 million pesos and generate 188 direct and 750 indirect employment opportunities.

(from El Debate)

8.63 Billion Dollars Invested Into Mexico Tourism Industry

Enrique Peña Nieto

Sat, Aug 24th, 2013
theyucatantimes.com

President Enrique Peña Nieto announced an investment of 8.63 billion dollars to improve the Mexico tourism sector, which is the third most important income of the Mexican economy that has suffered declines in revenue since the Calderon administration due to the global financial crisis of 2009, the H1N1 influenza in the same year, and a negative public image of the country regarding violence.

The investment will come from the National Tourist Business Council (CNET), a body composed of 15 chambers and national associations from all branches of the industry, of which they represent 96% of the tourist activity in the country.

The amount announced by Peña Nieto will be used in carrying out 176 projects such as hotels, timeshares, airport infrastructure, restaurants, theme parks, golf courses, marinas, clinics and retirement communities.
The investment will extend to 17 states with 27 tourist destinations, 11 are cities and 16 are beach related. According to Peña Nieto, this investment will result in 28,097 direct jobs and 77,619 indirect jobs in those 17 states.

At eight months after taking office, the President of Mexico has installed the Tourism Cabinet. The Secretary of Tourism, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, showed encouraging figures. In 2012, Mexico produced 23 million foreign tourist visits and an economic impact of 12.6 billion dollars.

Peña Nieto complemented this report by informing that from January to June 2013, Mexico received an increase of 8.1% by air over the same period last year, also in the first half of 2013, the foreign exchange earnings from international visitors totaled 7.1 billion dollars, which is an increase of 7.2% over the same period in the previous year.

The outbreak of influenza H1N1 and the negative image of Mexico brought on by the scourge of violence contributed to scare visitors away from the country. The Secretary of Tourism in 2009 barely survived the intentions of former President Felipe Calderón to “disappear it” for the sake of public savings.

Pena Nieto explained that the announced investment will be applied in better environments, he appreciated the confidence of the business sector and he expressed his commitment to Mexico to be “once again a world tourism power.”

Peña Nieto highlighted that “The tourism industry generates a balanced sustainable development; it generates jobs especially for young people and women. It is also a safe route to the prosperous Mexico we have set as a national goal.”