Tianguis figures

While speculators speculate about where the next Tianguis trade show will be held, it would seem many do not really care. Attendance at the last such event dropped to an all-time low, with ony 850 potential buyers showing up, compared to 1,183 registered in 2010. The number of negotiating appointments fell from 21,600 in 2008 to 17,000 last March. Apparently the Tourism Ministry was counting on a change of venue to improve these numbers, but such a change now appears unlikely for 2012.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Iberostar buys Cancun Hilton

Spain’s Iberostar has purchased the landmark Cancun Hilton and plans to close the 426-room property in August, reopening it in December after extensive renovations. Iberostar will be the third flag to fly over the resort, the only Cancun hotel with its own golf course on the premises.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Foreign Residents

According to the 2010 census figures, about 21,000 American citizens who are more than 60 years old live in Mexico. In total, Mexico has 961,000 foreign-born residents, nearly double the number in 2000. Most are from the United States, 57 percent under 15 years old. It is assumed these are the children of returning migrant workers.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Texas asked to revise warnings

Rodolfo López-Negrete, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board, accompanied by assistants, met with Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrada this week to request that travel warnings about Mexico be less vague and more specific.

“Eight out of 10 tourists go either to major beach resorts or to Mexico City, none of which have proven to be dangerous to visitors,” one of the López-Negrete team explained.

Texas in March officially cautioned its citizens about travel to Mexico, where some areas have been plagued by violence.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Journal reports

Reports of crime and violence in Mexico are keeping tourists away, according to an article in The Wall Stret Journal. While tourism is down, Mexican authorities have been blaming this on economic conditions abroad while reporting that travel from countries like Brazil and Russia is up. The Journal quoted several industry leaders as saying that the perception that Mexico is dangerous is keeping vacationers away.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Supreme Court gets Tianguis Case

Municipal authorities in Acapulco have appealed to the Supreme Court over the decision to make the Tianguis Turistico an itinerant event. The court has ruled that until a decision is reached, the Tourism Ministry may make no announcement regarding the venue for 2012. Months may pass before the court makes a ruling. Earlier, 18 destinations had applied to host the Tianguis. A decision was to be announced later this month.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Green hotels

Mexico now has 44 hotels that qualify as “green,” according to international standards. While the United States has about 1,000 more, Mexico is easily the leader in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rodrigo Cobo, general director of Travelocity in Mexico, is among those promoting greater ecological sensitivity in the hospitality industry.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers