MEXICO CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The number of international tourists reaching Mexico by air experienced a 35.2 percent increase in June 2010 compared with the same month last year marking an impressive first half of the year for the Mexico tourism industry.

During the same period, 818,278 tourists from different nationalities visited Mexico, versus 605,435 who visited in June 2009. Of those, some 573,016 travelers arrived by air from the United States, representing a 23.7 percent growth over June 2009. Even more impressive are the 41,184 tourists that arrived from Canada; 21,322 more than in June 2009 – a whopping increase of 107.4 percent.

“We feel these numbers are evidence of the strength and quality of Mexico’s destinations,” said Mexico Secretary of Tourism Gloria Guevara. “Despite all that’s going on in the world today, the traveler knows he or she can come to Mexico and find unique vacation experiences offering not only our famous sun and beach destinations, but the chance for archeological, culinary and artistic experiences as well. Mexico is the only place on the earth where you can experience all that in a single trip.”

Increased Flights

This increased demand for Mexico by American travelers has been reflected in a handful of important new flights to Mexico. AeroMexico, Mexico’s largest transcontinental airline, announced the beginning of its new Monterrey-Miami service effective on June 28, and its new Monterrey-Houston route, which became effective on July 5.

The airline also included summer service between high-demand routes, such as Mexico City to Miami, New York, Orlando and San Antonio; Merida to Miami; Monterrey to San Antonio; Los Angeles to Aguascalientes and Bajio; Chicago to Durango and Guadalajara. In November 2010, British Airways is slated to begin operating the only direct flight between London and Cancun, for which it has already begun selling tickets. Meanwhile, China’s Hainan Airlines will begin flying directly to Mexico City. Other airlines such as US Airways and Frontier Airlines have also created new routes to Mexico, such as US Airways’ Charlotte to Los Cabos and Charlotte to Puerto Vallarta; and Frontier’s San Francisco to Los Cabos; San Francisco to Cancun; and Los Angeles to Cancun. Meanwhile, Virgin America has announced their intent to launch new non-stop services from San Francisco to Los Cabos and Cancun, as well as from Los Angeles to Cancun.

More Hotel Rooms

Secretary of Tourism Gloria Gueva Manzo recently announced that hotels in Mexico have experienced substantial growth throughout the country. The number of available hotel rooms in Mexico has increased 4.6 percent during the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2009. According to the Datatur System, this growth was recorded in 56 of the 70 destinations that are monitored by this department.

Of those 70 destinations analyzed by Datatur, room availability jumped from 310,391 to 323,916, registering an increase of 13,525 rooms now available for foreign visitors. In these 70 destinations, the number of hotel rooms occupied during the first six months of 2010 was 11.3 percent higher than in the same period of 2009.

This increase in hotel rooms is widespread across Mexico. For example, from January – June 2010, Morelia saw a growth of 19.3 percent in hotel room availability and a 30.2 percent increase in hotel room occupancy compared to January – June of last year. Likewise, Huatulco saw a 9.6 percent growth in hotel room availability and 15.4 percent growth in hotel room occupancy, while Merida experienced a 5.9 percent growth in availability and 6.6 percent growth in occupancy during these same months.

Cruise Ship Passengers on the Rise

Cruise travel is also booming, witnessing the number of American cruise passengers in the first four months of 2010 increase 6 percent compared to 2009. The rise in Canadian cruise passengers was a healthy 9 percent compared to the same time last year. Today, Mexico has a repetition rate of 95 percent among cruise passengers arriving in Mexico.

Last year, Mexican ports received 5 million cruise passengers. This year, the ports expect to receive nearly 6 million. In fact, some carriers want to increase their presence in order to accommodate the larger demand of cruises into Mexico. In 2009, cruise tourism alone generated an economic spillover into Mexico of 500 million dollars, despite the economic crisis and influenza.

Hotels in Cancun have dropped prices anywhere from 18-25% in the last two months

(PRWEB) Miami, FL  July 14, 2010 — “Hotels in Cancun have dropped prices anywhere from 18-25% in the last two months” According to Juan Palacio –CancunHotels.com C.E.O. ”You can find a great 4 stars hotel with free Wi-Fi internet and breakfast for $180 (per night) when a few months ago that same room can easily cost $275 (night)” says Palacio.

For example The Meridien Cancun Resort and Spa is offering a one deluxe room for $183 per night

• ($263 regular price) for this summer, The Grand Melia Cancun is offering rates as low as $150 per night ($192 regular price) also available all summer long, and all inclusive resorts like the Royal Solaris Cancun Resort, Marina and Spa are offering special rates as low as $152 per night for the summer months.

Hotels aren’t the only travel component that got cheaper when traveling to Cancun, AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. announced yesterday a huge sale for travel to the airline’s Caribbean destinations including Cancun with special low fares. Some Sample Fares:

• Atlanta – Cancun                 $70
• Baltimore/Washington-Cancun        $85
• Bloomington, IL – Cancun         $95
• Milwaukee – Cancun                 $95
• Rochester, NY – Cancun             $95

These special fares are available for purchase until July 15, 2010, and are good for travel from August 25, 2010, through October 21, 2010. Like all AirTran Airways fares, prices included in this sale are available for one-way travel and do not require a roundtrip purchase or an overnight stay .

Cancun has been in the news these days with celebrities like Angelina Jolie that recently was in the Riviera Maya promoting her latest movie “Salt” or with Mexico’s top broadcaster Televisa announcing on Monday it is interested in providing telecommunication services at an airport the government plans to build in the area.

• For full prices and details please visit www.cancunhotels.com, prices subject to change without prior notice.
• For details on Airtran prices visit Airtran(dot) com

Read the instructions at Registering a Mexican cellphone with RENAUT – San Felipe Life.

Cancun Hotel Zone beach facing south before sand replacement (Anita Brown)

View south standing on same boulder, after sand replacement. (Anita Brown)

Before: Taken from Plaza Forum balcony looking north in Cancun Hotel Zone. (Anita Brown)

After: View from the Plaza Forum balcony facing north in Cancun Hotel Zone. (Anita Brown)

Lisa Brand, 34, and Tommy Barnes, 36, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, have already earned more than $2000 from three X-rated movies.

They plan to make four more to raise cash for a beach ceremony in Cancun, Mexico, next June.

The pair, who have four children, have played a photographer and lingerie model who strip for sex, and also appeared in a threesome and spanking scene.

via Porn to pay for dream wedding Weird News – The Mercury – The Voice of Tasmania.

via Free family flights to Mexico on AeroMexico – Deals- msnbc.com.

via Investment Property News from Mexico: Quintana Roo Bans Plastic Bags.

Officials hope to convince tourists that travel there is now safe

TULUM, Mexico – The last time Bud Olson visited Mexico, he ended up in a hospital with kidney stones and missed the ancient Mayan ruins in the seaside town of Tulum. So when he heard that swine flu was sweeping through Mexico just weeks before he was to return this year, the 43-year-old Seattle resident and his friends threw all caution to the warm Caribbean breezes and went anyway.

His reward? No lines, great service, empty beaches –- and lower prices.

“There was no one at our resort,” said Olson’s friend, Penny Moeller, 44. “The service was spectacular. But it’s a shame for the economy.”

Some of the promotions being advertised:

Flu-free guarantee: Several hotel chains in Cancun are offering a free vacation a year for three consecutive years if guests come down with swine flu within 14 days of their departure and can produce the blood tests to prove it.

Free insurance: Mexico City is offering tourists free health insurance.

Package deals: Expedia Inc. says average price of vacation packages to Cancun in which a flight and hotel are booked together has dropped 26 percent compared to last summer.

Continue reading.

“Mexico is home to 10 percent of the Earth’s species and this wealth of diversity is important not only for Mexico’s ecosystems, but for the people here who depend on these resources for their social, economic and physical well-being,” said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts. This is the largest private financial commitment from an individual ever made in support of conservation and sustainable development in Mexico,” said Omar Vidal, director of WWF-Mexico.

“This alliance between the private sector, NGOs and government is exactly the kind of partnership that WWF sees as the model for transforming the way we conserve our special places and balance the needs of people and nature around the world,” Vidal said. The work of the alliance will include efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, develop comprehensive water management policies, strengthen civil society, develop innovative financial mechanisms, and invest in local sustainable economies.

“This alliance also underscores Mexico’s rising leadership in global negotiations on the design of new financial mechanisms to help developing nations confront and adapt to climate change,” Roberts said. An assessment of the major issues and recommended actions was developed based on consultation with more than 100 government and civil society experts across the selected regions.

The six regions – the Gulf of California, Chihuahuan Desert, Mesoamerican Reef of Mexico, the Monarch Butterfly Region, and the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca – collectively represent 30 percent of the country.