Bad start for 2011

Earnings from international tourism during January declined 7 percent according to figures released by the central bank. That is, earnings were 7 percent less than in January, 2010. The biggest decline was registered along the border, an area especially affected by battles between drug smugglers with each other as well as with the military and with police. The number of vacationers spending at least one night in Mexico declined by about 3 percent as did their spending. The only positive figures related to spending by cruise ship passengers. In spite of these figures, the Tourism Ministry announced that international vacation travel was up by 1.7 percent.

And the Banamex Financial Group, owned by Citibank, is predicting that 12.4 million tourists will arrive this year, an increase of nearly 5 percent over 2010.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River

Thousands of sandhill cranes take off in the early morning on the Platte River in Kearney, Nebraska. About 650,000 sandhills spend about six weeks (late February to early April) here before making their 10,000-mile migratory trek to Canada, Alaska and Siberia. I spent three hours in a blind this morning (March 14, 2011) to get these pictures. It is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen.

It snowed last night in Kearney and it was about 27 degrees in the blind but worth my fingers and toes falling off. The only thing to compare with it in all my travels is the Galapagos Islands.

The sandhills spend the day in the cornfields fueling up for their migration north. When they finally head north they will ride the thermals and go about 350 miles a day. I think that’s how the old joke started — “I just flew in from Kearney and boy are my arms tired!”

Ecology matters

Environment plays an important part in whether American baby boomers will opt to buy a retirement home in Mexico, according to a study issued by the International Community Foundation, as reported in the newspaper Reforma. Environmental matters are being much discussed these days in light of stricter regulations protecting mangroves along the coasts.

Mangroves are considered a defense against flooding and hurricane damage, but developers argue that the new regulations may cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. The Community Foundation, for its part, says that concern about over-building, inadequate trash collection and pollution prevention may discourage potential buyers from acquiring real estate in Mexico.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

More flights

Mazatlan may have lost cruise ship visits, but American Airlines´ American Eagle has announced it will start flying to the Pacific port in June from Dallas. AA also plans a route to Morelia. Using smaller aircraft, American serves several destinations in Mexico from DFW as does Continental from Houston and Delta from Atlanta. Spirit has applied to commence service from Fresno. Low-fare Mexican carrier Volaris has been expanding its U.S. route structure, too, and now serves Fresno, Oakland, Las Vegas and Chicago (Midway). No word yet in whether Mexicana Airlines will ever return to the skies.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

London travel Tips

Traveling to London? Here are some tips to make life easier across the pond.

1. Be very careful when crossing the road. The Brits drive on the right side. In the U.S., we look left when crossing the street or road. In London, you look right first. I had two friends killed crossing the road in England. One was a CEO of a large newspaper chain and the other was a former sports editor for a Copley newspaper. I almost got wiped out in London when I looked left crossing an intersection on Piccadilly.

2. Bring a packable umbrella. If you already didn’t know, it rains a lot in London.

3. Eat fish and chips at least once. It’s an English staple. The food in London used to terrible but not anymore.

4. Keep a lot of one pound coins and 50 pence pieces (half pound) with you for tips, cabs, buses, public restrooms, etc.

5. Everything is expensive. There are no bargains.

6. Don’t eat at an American fast-food chain no matter how tempted and even though there is one on every block.

7. Pack lightly. No one is going to see you two days in a row except maybe the doorman at one of the high-end hotels.

8. Learn the public transportation because no one is going to give you directions. The Underground is great and reasonably priced.

9. Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is at 11:30 a.m. daily spring to fall. It’s 11:30 a.m. every other day fall to spring.

10. London coffee is strong but good.

11. Must sees. Harrods Department Store in Knightsbridge. Don’t, however, expect friendly service. Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, the ornate Albert Memorial (Queen Victoria’s tribute to her husband), Tower Bridge, Tate Modern Museum, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the world-famous British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Churchill’s War Room and the Natural History Museum.

12. Take a stroll in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Shop on Bond Street, ride the London Eye, take a cruise down the Thames to Greenwich and see a play in the theater district.

13. Purchase a London Pass. You will save a lot of money. There are one-, two-, three- and six-day passes. Go to www.londonpass.com.

14. Great places to stay (but expensive). The Ritz. My favorite London hotel. It has Old-World class, perhaps the best afternoon tea in London, a stunning dining room with superb cuisine and great doormen. The Dorchester, one of the world’s best hotels. The Berkely (pronounced Barkley). It’s a short walk to Hyde Park and the Blue Bar is SRO at cocktail time. The Kensington Hotel, next door to Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens. Cliveden Townhouse in Cadogan Gardens has been refurbished to be as wonderfully opulent as its sister property, Cliveden House in Taplow, Berkshire (another one of my favorite places and a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle). When I last stayed at Cliveden Townhouse it was Faulty Towers but the room, with its fireplace, was loaded with charm.

— Stan Wawer

Carnival spoils the Carnaval

The annual pre-Lenten Carnaval ended in Mazatlan last night with the disturbing news that Carnival cruises will be avoiding the port until it is convinced that its passengers will be safe while ashore. Mazatlan is in Sinaloa, a state notorious for drug running. A Canadian tourist — not a Carnival passenger — was wounded when caught in cross fire last month and three passengers reportedly were robbed. While cruise ships remain only a few hours in port, passenger spending benefits the local economy and Carnival will be missed. Worse, other cruise lines may follow its example.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Numbers up

Competitively, Mexico now ranks 43rd among 139 countries listed by the World Economic Forum. This is an improvement over 2009, when Mexico ranked 51st. Improved services, attractive prices and effective advertising were mentioned as reasons for the improvement. Holding the country back are corruption, poor policing and overall insecuririty. On Monday various criminal gangs carried out 58 executions around the country in what are called a “settling of accounts.” Acapulco saw an especially violent weekend. No tourists have been affected by any of this, but tour operators confirm that the situation has customers giving second thoughts to any Mexico holiday.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers