Is Oscar Fitch out?

Oscar Fitch, who has headed the National Tourism Promotion Council — also known as the Mexican Government Tourism Office — since 2007, reportedly has submitted his resignation to President Felipe Calderon. This has not been officially confirmed. The organization Fitch has directed is responsible for promoting Mexico as a tourism destination.

Last year tourism declined sharply as a result of the worldwide recession, the flu scare last spring, and the thousands killed (none of them tourists) in the battle against organized crime. Fitch is scheduled to appear before the Senate this week to discuss the situation. Rumor has it that this is why he has resigned.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

On the (Nayarit) Riviera

The Mexico Cup Regatta starting Feb. 27 kicks off what is being called a Nautical Extravaganza along the Nayarit Riviera just north of Puerto Vallarta. Most will be centered around the new marina, now the largest in the country. The regatta goes on for two weeks, during which the Latin American Boat Show will take place March 11 to 15 while beach volleyball championships will go on the first week of March, with Brazil and Spain taking part as well as the USA and Mexico.

Along with its big marina, the Nayarit Riviera includes four championship golf courses, innumerable hotels with spas, luxury resorts and others far from luxurious. The Riviera stretches for nearly 200 miles along the Pacific above Puerto Vallarta. An additional 230 hotel rooms are scheduled for completion in the area this year.

Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Tianguis date confirmed

The annual Tianguis Turistico trade show will be held, as it always has been, in the Acapulco Convention Center, this year April 25 to 28. The dates were confirmed by Tourism Minister Rodolfo Elizondo, who many are betting will no longer have that job when April rolls around.

And who will be inviting the press? At the moment, the Mexican Government Tourism Office has no agencies handling public relations abroad. According to columnist Lourdes Mendoza, who writes a weekly column in the financial section of several newspapers around the country, the president has authorized the National Tourism Promotion Council, which controls the MGTO, to appoint agencies without bothering about bidding. This, Mendoza commented, is highly illegal.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Monarchs losing their kingdom

The number of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico annually continues to decline, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The insects flutter down from Canada every winter, finding a temporary home in forests straddling the states of Mexico and Michoacán. They have become a major tourist attraction.

Roads have been constructed to improve access, but these roads also are used by loggers who illegally cut down trees. According to some reports, the woodlands have been diminished by 62 percent. The Wildlife Fund, however, notes that climate changes also account for the smaller number of butterflies that arrive.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

member of the Society of American Travel Writers

From Copenhagen to Cancun

The next international conference of climate change begins Nov. 29 in Cancun and not Mexico City as originally programmed. Although not given as the official explanation for the change, avoiding traffic snarls caused by expected protests was certainly one reason. But perhaps more important, President Felipe Calderon did not want the capital — governed by a rival party — in the world spotlight. Cynics, however, maintain that Cancun is an odd choice. In less than 40 years it has changed from a remote and isolated wilderness area to the most successful tourism development in the country. In the process, ecological considerations have been ignored. Debaters can argue over whether the sacrifice was worth it.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

El Dorado County loaded with California history, beautiful landscapes and charm

Framing the Teahouse at VikingsHolm on Lake Tahoe.

I just returned from an eight-day stay in South Lake Tahoe and the gold and wine areas of El Dorado County.

I can tell you that gambling is down on the Nevada side of Tahoe, but skiing is up at Heavenly, the second largest ski resort in the country behind Vail, Colorado. Harrah’s, Harvey’s, Mont Bleu and Horizon are feeling the economic crunch.

To say casino action was dead during the day would be an understatement. Gambling picked up at night but still way down from the days prior to the economy tanking in 2008.

Skiing was excellent at Heavenly — even on the foggy days. Moonlight snowshoeing at Camp Richardson was a real treat as was a helicopter photoshoot I experienced with HeliTahoe. I rode in a 2004 Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter, one of the safest and quietest in the industry.

We flew around the Lake and hovered above mountain peaks. For prices and tour times, go to www.heliTahoe.com.

I had a spectacular meal of perfectly-cooked lamb chops at Cafe Fiore, a quaint, romantic and cozy little restaurant that seats about 20.

Moving on to the heart of El Dorado County, I stayed at two totally different, but equally as comfortable and hospitable, B&Bs.

I stayed two nights at Coloma Country Inn, only a short walk to Sutter’s Mill and discovery of gold in California by James Marshall on Jan. 24, 1848 (photo at right). This is where it all began for California. A year and a half after Marshall’s discovery, California became a state.

Innkeepers Craig and Marjorie Sanborn (www.colomacountryinn.com) made me feel like I was family. And my two breakfasts’ were as good as it gets. What I couldn’t eat, Johnny, the B&B’s resident dog, did.

Coloma Country Inn is rustic, with a warm, down-home ambiance. My first morning, I hiked the historic trail, which was a short walk from Craig and Marjorie’s place. I passed the Olde Coloma Theatre, the James Marshall Monument, a Catholic cemetery behind St. John’s Church, with gravestones dating back to the early 19th century; Marshall’s cabin and Pioneer Cemetery.

El Dorado County also has more than 85 wineries, producing a number of award-winning wines. The area is rich in history and offers a diversity in the landscape that reminded me a great deal of my birthplace in New England.

When it comes to running the rapids, the American River is one of the most popular in America.

Placerville is a great old gold rush town named after the placer gold deposits found in its river beds and hills in the late 1840s. Its 19th century downtown architecture reflects Placerville’s historic past. My other B&B stay was at Lucinda’s Country Inn (www.lucindascountryinn.com) in Fair Play. This is a modern B&B with quality amenities. The inn is surrounded by wineries, with many of the varieties offered during a nightly wine reception in the great room that is warmed on chilly days by a wood-burning fireplace. There are 20 wineries within a seven-mile radius. Hospitality is provided by innkeeepers Daryl and Cindy (Lucinda) Sullivan. They built this place themselves — along with their son — and they did a remarkable job. Ask for a tour. It will blow your mind.

More for Huatulco

During the next three years, nearly two billion pesos will be invested in the Huatulco Renaissance Program. Huatulco is one of the five original mega-developments initiated by Fonatur in the 1970s. Cancun is the most successful of these, while Huatulco has “not lived up to its promise.” At present, Huatulco has an inventory of 2,487 rooms and, according to Fonatur, resorts reported a 92 percent occupancy rate during the final week of 2009.

Now the aim is to improve overall infrastructure, increase marina capacity and expand the airport runway so that large jets from Europe can land.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers