FEATURE MEXICO
Mexico has to battle bad news about
drug wars, but the violence is largely confined to major cities close to the US border which are far from the southern resorts used by UK visitors. The country’s combination of world-
class resorts and fascinating ancient culture is helping to boost appeal, and air capacity to Mexico City is increasing after being in short supply after Mexicana’s collapse last year. Tailor-made and adventure operators
are doing well, with highlights including tours of colonial cities, the scenic Copper Canyon railway in the north, and diving off the Baja California peninsula. Journey Latin America’s increased
focus on family holidays shows that family appeal is not limited to all-inclusive resorts, with plenty of options for a more adventurous and cultural trip. Movies set in Mexico are now well
known in the UK. These include Apocalypto (highlighting the bloody rites of the Mayans), Frida (artist Frida Kahlo) and the road movie Y Tu Mama Tambien. The Mayans and Aztecs present a fascinating glimpse of ancient cultures, but more contemporary culture is now coming into the spotlight as well. The typical all-inclusive customer flying to Cancun may see little culture on a pre- tour, but creative agents have lots of opportunities to sell to customers who want to experience more.
Rosewood San Miguel de Allende's Luna Bar; the Mayan architecture of Chichén Itzá is a day trip from Cancun
What’s New Air Europa launches a new route from Madrid to Mexico City on June 2, operating four weekly flights with Gatwick connections and more through a code-share deal with Aeromexico. Return fares are from £627. Air France will operate three weekly flights from Paris to Cancun from
October 21, with UK connections. This boosts total Air France-KLM capacity to Mexico to 27 flights a week, including 10 to Mexico City by Air France, seven by codeshare partner Aeromexico, and seven from Amsterdam by KLM. BAs' Gatwick-Cancun service now flies three times weekly.
AM Resorts plans to open three new
Pacific coast properties: Secrets Huatulco this summer, then Secrets Vallarta Bay and Now Amber Puerto Vallarta in April 2012. Fourteen of its existing properties are in Mexico, with Secrets (adults-only) and Dreams being its main all-inclusive brands.
"Agents should use global brands, such as Four Seasons and Rosewood, to connect different regions of Mexico"
Cosmos Tours and Cruises’ new
seven-night Mayan Trail escorted tour costs from £1,295, with one-week extensions to the Mayan Riviera from £290. New from Journey Latin America is Canyons and Kayaks which combines Mexico City with the Copper Canyon railway and kayaking in Baja California. Also new is the Colonial Cities and the Pacific Coast self-drive tour. TUI UK will introduce more flexible options for winter 2011-12 including seven-, nine-, 10-, 11-, 14- and 21-night durations in Mexico. Thomson Couples has added the H10 Ocean Maya, Cancun. Rosewood Hotels has opened its third property in Mexico in San Miguel de Allende, a pretty colonial town near Mexico City. The new Cancun Underwater Museum
has more than 400 life-size concrete sculptures, with marine life now becoming established. It is in Isla Mujeres and expects 750,000 visitors a year.
Tourism Talk MANUEL DIAZ CEBRIAN
Regional director for Europe and UK, Mexico Tourist Board
“We know from tour operators that Mexico is selling well, reaching numbers similar to 2008. The most popular region continues to be the Yucatan Peninsula due to its combination of culture, history, nature and diverse tourism infrastructure. "Despite not having the resources to launch a nationwide marketing campaign in 2010 we are forecasting similar figures for the end of 2011, reaching over 300,000 UK visitors to Mexico. BA is operating at 90 per cent occupancy on its three weekly flights to Cancun, adding around 84,000 passengers to Mexico each week.
www.sellinglonghaul.com • May 2011 29
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