The tourism industry weekly update due to coronavirus COVID-19
October 9, 2020
2021: The tourism industry status due to coronavirus COVID-19
August 26, 2021Covid-19 cases in Mexico
Update to December 30rd
New cases per day: 12,099
CConfirmed: 1,401,529
Suspects: 398,867
Deaths per day: 990
Deaths: 123,845
Update to December 29th, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
A Covid-19 mortality decrease is expected by vaccinating older adults
- Covid-19 deaths would be reduced by 80 percent after vaccinating older adults.
- This was said by the president of Mexico after clarifying the vaccination strategy, which, according to one analysis, starting vaccination with this sector safeguards the integrity of this sector by being one of the risk groups
- He also indicated that by the first quarter of 2021 all older adults will be vaccinated, which will give prompt attention to the rest of the Mexicans.
Local Tourism
Celebrate the New Year on beaches in Acapulco is forbidden
- The governor of Guerrero, Héctor Astudillo, announced that he will not be allowed to celebrate to the new year on the beach, as is traditionally done in Acapulco. This as part of covid-19’s actions to prevent contagion.
- It was reported that from this Tuesday, actions on the beach strip will be strengthened, which must be closed from 19:00 hours until 06:00 hours the next day.
Riviera Maya hotels do not reach expected occupancy
- The destination’s hotels reached just 30 per cent occupancy despite the expectation of about 60 per cent.
- In December, the Riviera Maya barely reached 29.3% daily average; peak of 34.5% on December 20.
Cancun and Los Cabos are awarded at the 2020 Gay Travel Awards
- Of the 22 categories that make up the Gay Travel Awards 2020, Mexico’s destinations stand out in six of them.
- In the fifth edition of the awards focused on LGBTQ tourism, Cancun and Los Cabos were among the most awarded Mexican destinations.
- According to the manager, the director of GayTravel, the awards inspire other companies and brands around the world to follow their spirit of inclusion and constantly improve their comforts, security and service levels.
Guanajuato, one of most sought after for romance tourism
The state of Guanajuato was present at the World Romance Travel Conference (WRTC) – Love Mexico, which was attended by wedding planners and national and international travel agents.
In the event, market from the United States, Canada, Turkey participated; and cities in the Mexican Republic such as Yucatan, Cancun, Mexico City, Jalisco, Guadalajara, Veracruz and Aguascalientes, showed interest in knowing the offer of Romance de Guanajuato.
Tourism Industry
CDMX hotels suffers 5% occupancy and definitive closures
- After the return to confinement, hotels in the country’s capital have been some of the businesses with the most impacts.
- The president of the CDMX Hotel Association, Rafael García, noted that at the end of this year, the hotel occupation will not exceed even 5% and will be consolidated as one of the worst years in tourist history.
Airlines
Aeromexico pilots willing to “freeze” their pay
- In the absence of agreements between the airline and the pilots, the Union Association of Air Pilots of Mexico made an alternative cost reduction proposal that will be submitted for approval.
- Among other things, savings of 22% for four years are proposed, including “freezing” wages during this period.
Global Information
A Covid-19 contagion in US despite vaccine is reported
- A nurse working in the emergency services of San Diego, California, tested positive for Covid-19 just days after being vaccinated against the disease.
- The health worker received the first dose of the vaccine prepared by Pfizer and BioNTech on December 18.
- As confessed by the affected person himself, the only side effect he suffered after being inoculated with the vaccine was pain in his arm.
Covid-19 cases in Mexico
Update to December 28th
New cases per day: 6217
Confirmed: 1,383,434
Suspects: 399,138
Deaths per day: +40
Deaths: 122,426
Updated to December 27th, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
Covid vaccination continues in Mexico City
- Following the arrival of the second batch of Pfizer vaccines, the third day of covid-19 vaccination in the El Vergel military field in Iztapalapa, continued this Monday.
- Medical, military and civilian personnel, was appointmentd shortly before 10 a.m. in the eight modules arranged by the Ministry of National Defense.
- With this Monday, three days of vaccination have already been added up to the 24th and continued on 27 December. The 42 thousand 900 doses that have reached the country since last Wednesday will continue to be applied as planned.
Local Tourism
Quintana Roo will remain at yellow in epidemiological traffic light at year-end
- Governor Carlos Joaquín González, reported that, from Monday, December 28, 2020 to January 3, 2021, the epidemiological traffic light will be yellow, both in the south and in the north.
- The governor reported that hospital occupancy is 17 percent overall and nine percent in intensive care beds. He also said that, to this day, 28 people are intubated in the entity.
Hotel occupancy in Cancun decreases
- During the last days of the year, the hotel occupancy of the destination has decreased from 76 thousand 848 tourists on December 17 to 73 thousand 321 to 23 December.
- According to data from the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Islas Mujeres Hotel Association, in the week leading up to Christmas, Cancun stopped receiving 3,527 visitors, against all expectations.
Transfer of customers to hotels with the exceeded occupation is asked
- Quintana Roo Tourism Secretary Marisol Vanegas recommended hotels to exceed 60 percent occupancy, transfer their surplus to other hotels for a good general year’s close.
Riviera Nayarit boosts its luxury offering
- The destination offered an outstanding participation in virtuoso Travel Week Latin America, Brazil & Caribbean, which this year was held in a virtual way.
- The world’s largest luxury travel conference was held this December 9 and 10, and Riviera Nayarit participated in business appointments with 40 advisors from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
Tourism Industry
Tourist destinations await uptick: Concanaco-Servytur
- Concanaco-Servytur president, José Manuel López Campos, reported that the country’s beach destinations expect an uptick of more than 40 percent in its hotel occupation for Christmas and the new year.
- López Campos explained that expectations are positive, as in some places of beach there was last month an occupancy of between 15 and 32 percent, a figure that is expected to increase in some cases to 63 percent.
The first “green credit” for the hotel sector in Riviera Maya is formalized
- BBVA Mexico formalized the first loan linked to sustainability indicators in the country’s hotel sector for $51 million with Grupo Hotelero Valentin, of the Riviera Maya.
- With this support, the Group will improve the performance of its four main environmental care initiatives, such as the use of electricity, which hopes to reduce its total consumption by 30%.
- It will also maintain actions for the proper management of water, reduce the use of PET products in its facilities and commit to the care and protection of the sea turtle in the Riviera Maya, BBVA said.
Airlines
Interjet owes millions to workers at last
- Fifty Interjet employees are suing the airline for unjustified layoffs or refusal to pay fines, reaching more than 11 million pesos.
- Of the total claims, approximately 70 percent were filed for unjustified layoffs and the remaining 30 percent for those who demand settlements that were paid after they submitted their resignation.
Global Information
New strain spreads in countries in Europe and Africa
- The new strain of Covid-19 was detected in Norway in two travellers from the United Kingdom, days after similar cases were identified in other Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Denmark.
- In Denmark, some 40 cases of contagion with the new strain have been reported in the following days. Jordan also detected two cases of people infected with the new variant, Health Minister Hathir Obedidat announced.
- Portugal, whose daily contagions continue to drop, detected several cases of the variant in travelers who arrived in the Madeira archipelago. In addition, another variant of coronavirus, other than that detected in South Africa and England, but which “shares some mutations” with the latter, was discovered in Nigeria.
December 23rd Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 7,511
Confirmed: 1,333,426
Suspects: 401,836
Deaths per day: 897
Deaths: 119,495
Update: December 22nd, 2020, 7:00 pm
First vaccines against Covid-19 coronavirus arrive in Mexico today
- Marcelo Ebrard, Minister of Foreign Affairs reported that the first batch of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines against the Covid-19 coronavirus arrives today before noon at the Mexico City International Airport.
- He announced that the vaccination process of the population will begin on December 24, it will be universal, free and voluntary.
- The first to receive the doses will be medical and military personnel.
Local Tourism
Acapulco and Ixtapa Zihuatanejo on yellow alert
- The governor of Guerrero, Héctor Astudillo Flores reported that Acapulco, Chilpancingo and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo will turn yellow at the state epidemiological traffic light, to support the state’s tourist and economic reactivation.
- “There is a epidemiological traffic light division in Guerrero, one part is on orange and another on yellow like Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Chilpancingo, because their numbers allow it,” he declared.
Cancun maintains flights with England
- According to Darío Flota Ocampo, director of the Quintana Roo Darío Tourism Promotion Council (Consejo de promoción turística de Quintana Roo, CPTQ), Cancun will continue to receive flights from the United Kingdom despite a new strain of coronavirus.
- In this regard, he stated: “Since this is a decision of the federal government, British Airways flights will continue to arrive to Cancun on a 332-seat flight, they arrive four times a week in Cancun, this arrival of these passengers is due to keep these days”.
United States Consulate will reactivate operations in Cancun and Playa del Carmen
- Through the official Twitter account of the United States Consulate in Mérida, it was announced that, from January 4, 2021, it will resume its operations (three days a week) in Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
Travel Industry
Arrival of foreign tourists drops 44% due to pandemic
- According to the Ministry of Tourism, the arrival of international tourists will close 2020 with 25 million visitors, as opposed to the 45 million registered in 2019, when a record number was registered in the influx of vacationers from the United States, Canada, UK, Brazil and France, mainly.
- Faced with the 44 percent drop, the country will lose 20 million tourists from international markets.
Mexico could reach 3rd place in foreign tourists, despite pandemic
- According to reports from the Ministry of Tourism (Secretaría de Turismo, Sectur), the drop in international travel caused by the Covid-19 pandemic could make the country to reach third place in the ranking of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
- This according to the behavior of tourism at a global level during the third quarter of 2020 and the preliminary results of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.
- The countries that register the most international tourist arrivals at the end of the year are Italy with 27.5 million travelers, France with 25.2 million and Mexico with 25.1 million.
Asetur highlights strategic axes for the reactivation of tourism
- Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos, Minister of Tourism in Oaxaca and president of the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (Asociación de Secretarios de Turismo de México, ASETUR) announced that they are working in a strategy based on three strategic axes: the reactivation of the sector, biosecurity and tourism promotion.
- “In this winter holiday season, the highest priority is the protection of the health of visitors and tourism service providers,” he commented.
Airlines
Volaris will operate with a new IATA code
- To strengthen connectivity between Mexico and the United States, the airline and Cross Border Xpress (CBX), the pedestrian bridge that connects the Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) with San Diego, will operate with the TJX code, assigned by IATA.
- Jorge Goytortua, CEO of CBX, stated: “This new IATA code and its technological implementation allow us a new innovative way to connect both countries. Passengers no longer must purchase their CBX ticket as an additional service when flying to Tijuana. Now they just must choose TJX as their destination, making their trip much easier and more efficient”.
Global Information
WHO experts will meet for new strain of Covid-19
- The European group of the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet to begin working on a plan to face the new variant of the coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom.
- Pharmaceutical companies reported that they are working on analyzing the effectiveness of their doses against this new mutation. BioNTech reported that it is “very likely” that these drugs will tackle this new strain of coronavirus.
December 21st Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 6,870
Confirmed: 1,320,545
Suspects: 401,293
Deaths per day: 335
Deaths: 118,202
Update: December 20th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico could cancel UK flights due to new strain of coronavirus Covid-19
- The country’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said that the closure of flights from the United Kingdom is being analyzed, due to the new strain of coronavirus that spreads quickly in that country.
- He added that the final decision will be made by the Ministry of Health and will not act politically but with technical elements.
- Several countries in Europe have already canceled flights from England.
Local Tourism
Los Cabos increases connectivity with the United States
- The destination will increase air connectivity with new routes from key markets in the United States, to boost the tourist and economic reactivation for holidays.
- On Friday and Saturday, the arrival of American Airlines flights from New York, Austin and Sacramento were confirmed. Also, starting in June, JetBlue will have daily departures to Los Cabos from New York and Los Angeles.
Cancun airport close to breaking March record
- The Cancun International Airport announced that its operations have recovered and the demand to travel to the Mexican Caribbean is increasing.
- The operations scheduled on December 19 broke the record of 400 daily operations, reaching 480, very close to those registered on March 22 (485).
- Of the total, 242 were arrivals: 86 were national and 156 internationals.
Puerto Vallarta reinforces promotion with travel agents
- The Public Trust for Tourism Promotion and Advertising of Puerto Vallarta (Fideicomiso Público para la Promoción y Publicidad Turística de Puerto Vallarta) organized meetings in the main cities of the country with travel agents and business partners, in order to train them on the destination’s tourist offer and biosecurity protocols.
- More than 120 travel agents from Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City received this training.
Cancun: increases to 80% maximum occupancy allowed
- The Tourism Ministry of Quintana Roo authorized hoteliers to increase maximum occupancy from 60 to 80 percent, until February 21.
- Licenses to increase capacity will be given to those who have the Health Protection and Prevention Certification for Tourist Facilities (Certificación en Protección y Prevención Sanitaria para Instalaciones Turísticas, CPPSIT).
Travel Industry
AMLO will sign an agreement to avoid privatization of the Mayan Train
- The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared that he will sign the Mayan Train operating agreement to guarantee that the work cannot be privatized.
- He reiterated that strategic projects in the southeast of the country seek to promote economic development and infrastructure. In addition to jobs, better living and working conditions.
- Confirmed the fulfillment of the commitment to finish 14 kilometers on section 1 Palenque-Escárcega.
Reservations for vacations increase 50%
- According Despegar México, since November travel agencies have noticed an increase in the search for destinations and more than 50% of the number of reservations for holidays.
- “We have certainly observed an increase in interest and motivation to travel for the holidays, and we noticed this during the “Buen Fin” (similar to Black Friday), where more than 50% of the reservations correspond to trips from the first week of December until the second of January”, declared Alejandro Calligaris, Country Manager of Despegar in Mexico.
Construction of a toll bridge in the Nichupté is approved
- The Congress of Quintana Roo approved, by majority, the realization of a Public-Private Partnership for the construction of a toll bridge over the Nichupté Lagoon.
- The work will be carried out under the Public-Private Partnership format, and will cost more than 4670 million pesos, of which 2 billion will be contributed by the Federal Government.
- It is an 8.6-kilometer toll bridge, from the old Control Tower in Bonampak and Rodrigo Gómez to the height of the Ritz Carlton hotel in the Cancun hotel zone.
Airlines
Aeroméxico reinstates Boeing 737 to flights to Cancun
- After the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) issued the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX equipment for its return to commercial operations, Aeroméxico managed the necessary tests to reintegrate this aircraft into its operations.
- The teams had modifications in their operating system, so it was necessary to submit their pilots to all the necessary training to fly these planes.
- The airline began operating the Mexico City-Cancun route and, later, it will add other destinations such as Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tijuana.
Global Information
European Union authorizes Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine
- The European Medicines Agency approved this Monday the vaccine against covid-19 developed by the Pfizer / BioNTech alliance, authorizing the start of vaccination campaigns among its 27 member countries.
- The regulatory authority, located in Amsterdam, decided to advance the decision on the vaccine, due to the pressure received from some states, such as Germany.
December 16th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 1,228
Confirmed: 1,267,202
Suspects: 389,966
Deaths per day: 801
Deaths: 115,099
Update: December 15th, 2020, 7:00 pm
AMLO asks citizens not to leave the house until Christmas Eve
- Due to the increase in infections and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 in Mexico City, President López Obrador reiterated the call to the citizens of the capital not to leave their home until December 24 or only for the most essential.
- The president reiterated his policy of “forbidding to prohibit”, since it is not about stopping economic, commercial or recreation activity, but about “taking care of ourselves,” he said.
Local Tourism
The Nichupté Bridge goes to Cancun
- With an investment of 4 thousand 455 million pesos, the Nichupté Vehicular Bridge in Cancun is preparing to obtain authorization to start the tender for its construction.
- The work is estimated to be completed in 2 years and it is expected to operate through tolls for the next 28 years.
Travel Industry
AMResorts recognizes travel agents
- AMResorts organized its first Amazing Agent Celebration at the Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya.
- The event recognized 77 of the best performing and leading AMResorts travel agents in the United States and Canada, where there were courtesy trips and lodging at resorts.
- The event included a reception, executive panel, resort activities, immersive outdoor excursions, and a socially distanced gala.
Travel agents regain traveler confidence after pandemic
- The president of the Metropolitan Association of Travel Agencies (Asociación Metropolitana de Agencias de Viajes, La Metro), Benjamín Izquierdo, said that, despite being a very hard year for the tourism industry, for travel agencies it represented regaining the trust of customers.
- Within the framework of La Metro’s annual results conference, Izquierdo highlighted the importance of travel agents during the pandemic and in the face of new ways of acquiring trips such as OTAs or online purchases, which did not always respond to their customers.
- He said that the travel agents are the right-hand man of the client, their obligation is to be up to date with the policies and everything necessary so that the client can have a pleasant experience before, during and after their trip.
Disney Destinations opened Instagram exclusively for travel agents
- The multinational launched a page on the social media with exclusive content in Spanish and English totally aimed at the tourist trade.
- There, travel agents will be able to access exclusive Disney Destinations videos, tutorials and tips, as well as specialized tools.
- In this way, agents are expected to connect and stay updated with everything that happens at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney Cruise Line.
Airbnb launches 5 highway routes
- In alliance with the Federation of Tourist Associations (Federación de Asociaciones Turísticas, FEMATUR) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the company launched five road routes through different regions of the country to encourage the flow of travelers.
- As part of the “México por Tierra” initiative by WWF, the routes were created to promote safe, responsible and sustainable travel, including protected natural areas and local communities and are constituted as follows:
- Paraísos del Caribe:Holbox – Cancún – Puerto Morelos – Playa del Carmen – Cozumel – Akumal – Tulum – Muyil – Sian Ka’an – Bacalar – Mahahual.
- El Corredor del Jaguar:Tuxtla Gutiérrez – San Cristóbal de la Casas – Lagunas de Montebello – Bonampak – Palenque – Palizada – Calakmul.
- La Ruta del Sol:CDMX – Tepoztlán – Atlatlahucan – Cuautla – Cuernavaca – Xochicalco – Tequesquitengo – Taxco – Xalitla – Acapulco.
- Joyas del Pacífico:Guadalajara – Tequila – Talpa de Allende – San Sebastián del Oeste – Boca de Tomatlán – Puerto Vallarta – Sayulita – San Blas – Mexcaltitán – Mazatlán – Las Labradas.
- Maravillas de la Península:Mérida – Izamal – Yaxunah – Valladolid – Ek Balam – Ría Lagartos; Mérida – Uxmal – Hopelchén – Campeche – Champotón.
Airlines
Aeroméxico increases weekly flights to Canada
- The airline celebrates 10 years of landing in Montreal, its first destination in Canada with the increase to 5 weekly flights on the route.
- Currently, Aeromexico offers 3,800 weekly seats to the three destinations that fly to Canada from Mexico City (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver).
Viva Aerobus already adds 15 new routes from Mexico City
- The airline received the Tourist Safety Stamp (Timbre de Seguridad Turística) granted by the CDMX Government Tourism Ministry for compliance with the prevention and hygiene provisions, to take care of the health and well-being of its passengers and collaborators.
- Carlos Mackinlay, the head of Ministry of Heath (Secretaría de Salud) in Mexico City, recognized the work that Viva Aerobus has done to provide a safe and reliable air transport service.
Global Information
UK vaccinates nearly 140,000
- In the first week of launch of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the country has vaccinated almost 140 thousand people.
- This was announced by Minister Nadhim Zahawi who oversees the vaccination program. He said that the number will increase, hundreds of PCNs (Primary Care Networks) have put into operation.
December 14th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 8,608
Confirmed: 1,250,044
Suspects: 397,078
Deaths per day: 249
Deaths: 113,953
Update: December 13th, 2020, 7:00 pm
AMLO asks not to go out for 10 days due to Covid-19
- The president of Mexico called on the population to stay at home for the next 10 days, to go out only for what is essential to reduce COVID-19 infections.
- The president added that from December 14 to 24 the streets are filled and, although work is being done to expand hospital capacity, “we do not want anyone to get sick, or for anyone to lose their life,” he said.
- He reaffirmed his trust in people because when wake-up calls have been made to take care of ourselves, there has always been a response in general.
In CDMX the beds are running out due to Covid
- Mexico City currently has a hospital occupancy of 83%, and 71% in intensive care, so it would be considered “alert” due to lack of available beds in the event of a health emergency, reported the Ministry of Health.
- Until yesterday, the city has 13 beds from the highest recorded peak of hospitalizations, registered on May 21 and 2,419 from exceeding the installed capacity in public and private medical centers.
Local Tourism
Cancun customers reject more tourist taxes: Citrón
- The representative of the hoteliers of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres has stated that the large wholesalers and tour operators from Canada, Europe and Latin America are against imposing new tax burdens on foreign tourists
- Through several letters, he warned that it is not appropriate to increase the tax burden on foreign tourists.
- For his part, the president of the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes), that in 2021 the prospects are more positive regarding the operation, travel and collection, now that vaccines against the coronavirus have emerged, so it is not appropriate apply new taxes.
London, the fifth European destination to connect with Cancun
- British Airways became the fifth airline to connect Europe with Cancun, after landing yesterday from London with 324 passengers on board.
- After a slow start due to travel restrictions in Europe, the airline will connect with Cancun three times a week with frequencies on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Travel Industry
CDMX, without red traffic light but with paralyzed tourism
- Companies in the tourism sector do not rebound due to capacity limitations and impediments to carry out activities.
- Hotels in the city remain with an occupancy restricted to 30, events in meeting rooms and restaurants are limited to 50 percent, and the gym, pool and spa areas remain closed.
- The federal Ministry of Culture reported that from this Monday, December 14, it will temporarily close its network of museums in the capital to prevent more infections from Covid-19.
Mexico already has a new tourism model, Torruco
- The head of the federal Ministry of Tourism announced that a new model is being promoted and it allows the activity to become a solid tool for well-being and social reconciliation in the country.
- Torruco said that the current one is a tourism model with symptoms of exhaustion such as saturation of destinations, environmental deterioration and the limited social benefit to the host communities.
Wyndham opens its new hotel in Puebla
- The chain closes the year with the opening of the new Wyndham Puebla Angelópolis in the most modern sector of the city, next to offices and the casino in Palmas Plaza, to minutes from the Angelópolis Lifestyle Center.
- All the company’s hotels are part of the “Count on Us” or “Count on Us” initiative, which further raised health and hygiene standards because of COVID-19.
Airlines
Volaris inaugurates new route
- The airline inaugurated its new flight to Cancun from Oaxaca City with three frequencies a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Global Information
The United States begins vaccination against Covid-19
- New York vaccinated an intensive care unit nurse in Queens, its first healthcare worker.
- Sandra Lindsay received the vaccine at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, one of the first epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, and received applause on a live broadcast with the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.
December 9th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 11,066
Confirmed: 1,193,255
Suspects: 388,192
Deaths per day: 800
Deaths: 110,874
Update: December 8th, 2020, 7:00 pm
This is how the Covid-19 vaccine will be applied in Mexico
(Source: El Universal newspaper)
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- The Ministry of Health reported that the plan for the application of the vaccine against Covid-19 will be divided into five stages according to the age of the population.
- The vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German BioNTech will begin to be applied this December like this:
- Phase 1: December 2020 to February 2021
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Health personnel.
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- Phase 2: February to April 2021
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Remaining health personnel and adults over 60 years of age.
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- Phase 3: April to May 2021
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People from 50 to 59 years old
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- Phase 4: May to June 2021
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People aged 40 to 49
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- Phase 5: June 2021 to March 2022
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Rest of the population
Local Tourism
Gala Puerto Vallarta is confirmed for 2021
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- Waiting for conditions to improve for next year, the traditional event Gala Puerto Vallarta – Riviera Nayarit 2021 will be held on May 12 and 13.
- The business meeting in the Mexican Pacific, promoted by the hotel sector and the Tourism Promotion Trusts of both destinations, will bring together the main wholesale operators to negotiate with hoteliers the rates and reservations for the following seasons.
- The realization of this event would represent a sign of recovery in the sector.
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Guanajuato and Guerrero, united in the reactivation of tourism
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- Through their respective Minstries of Tourism, both entities seek to promote trips to Guanajuato-San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato and Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.
- The strategy consists of linking hoteliers, restaurateurs and real estate, in addition to taking advantage of the road connectivity of the destinations.
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Travel Industry
Marriott opens its first long-stay hotel in Mexico
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- The hotel chain announced the opening of the first Residence Inn by Marriott in Mérida, Yucatán.
- The hotel arrives in Mexico to satisfy the need of executives and travelers who are traveling for business or leisure and who are looking for alternative lodging options for long stays.
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Entrepreneurs reject new taxes from 2021
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- Business representatives from the northern zone formed a group to reject the intention of the Quintana Roo government to apply new taxes in 2021.
- Instead, they proposed the government reduces its current spending and reduces the budget assigned to agencies.
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Cancun hoteliers foresee layoffs due to Payroll Tax
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- Roberto Cintrón, representative of the hoteliers of the destination, warned that the collection of 0.35 percent of the Payroll Tax from employers will accelerate the layoffs.
- Cintron was concerned because, he said, those affected will be the workers given the impossibility of maintaining jobs to pay taxes.
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Marine passenger, cruise and cargo traffic falls in Rivera Maya
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- Due to the health emergency and the current economic situation, maritime traffic in the ports of the Riviera Maya, including Cozumel and Playa del Carmen, reported a drop of 64.98% from January to November.
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Airlines
Aeromexico is recognized for its work in health matters
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- The Mexico City Ministry of Tourism awarded the airline the Tourist Security Stamp for complying with official provisions and adopting international standards in health matters.
- Aeroméxico implemented processes, including more than 41,000 deep sanitation procedures for the aircraft, as well as about 22,000 pre-flight medical checks, rapid tests and PCR for ground personnel and crews.
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Sunwing resumes routes from Canada
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- Beginning January 9, 2021, the airline will resume routes from western Canada.
- Its initial program Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary will operate to select destinations, such as Cancun, during the winter season.
- Flights will depart from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton to Cancun on Saturdays beginning January 9, 2021, with additional flight service from Edmonton to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan on Saturdays beginning December 26, 2020.
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Global Information
Pfizer vaccine allergy risk warned
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- Officials from the British public health service have warned that those with a history of significant allergic reactions should not receive the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech for now.
- The warning came after two British National Health Service workers suffered allergic reactions and needed treatment after receiving the vaccine.
- This vaccine is the one that will arrive first in Mexico.
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https://bit.ly/39WwTJu
December 7th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 7,455
Confirmed: 1,175,850
Suspects: 392,301
Deaths per day: 261
Deaths: 109,717
Update: December 6th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico obtains vaccine against Covid</h3
(Source: El Universal newspaper)
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- “If all goes well”, this month will arrive the first vaccines against Covid-19 made by the Pfizer laboratories.
- This was said by the Undersecretary of Foreign Relations for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Martha Delgado, who assured that this December, 34.4 million doses will arrive in the country for 17.5 million people.
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Local Tourism
Cancun hotels will not be able to fill up
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- The Minister of Health released a list of 10 states on alert of reaching the red sanitary traffic light, among which is Quintana Roo.
- The entity was close to going to a green traffic light; however, it could return to red at the National Epidemiological Traffic Light due to a resurgence of infections.
- This represents a strong blow to hoteliers in Cancun and Riviera Maya, that had hopes of obtaining permission to occupy 100% of their rooms during the Christmas season.
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Playa del Carmen hotels exceed reservation levels
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- According to a SiteMinder report, hotels in Playa del Carmen have exceeded last year’s booking volume by reaching 114 percent.
- The platform revealed this is a sample of the latent recovery that the accommodation industry will have during 2021.
- The report indicates that the arrivals of guests to hotels in our country will be more for the next Christmas and New Year period.
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Travel Industry
Hyatt launches its ‘Office for the day’ package
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- The company announced this new package that will allow guests to transfer their business day to more than 400 hotels in more than 100 markets in Mexico, the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and South America.
- With packages starting at $65 dollars, the guest can enjoy a private room from 7am to 7pm, with the comforts of an office, in addition to the amenities and Premium hotel service.
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Reactivation of tourism depends on
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- Industry specialists assured that the great challenge is to generate global actions and policies that allow a more accelerated recovery.
- It is also important to regain the confidence of travelers, through specific actions such as tests at the exit of airports, establishment of tourist corridors, contact tracing and approval of protocols.
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Cozumel and Mahahual, no date for the return of the cruise ships
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- The governor of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquín González, declared that there is still no date for the resumption of cruises to the island.
- Although November 30 was the supposed end of restrictions in the United States, this has been extended to January or until March.
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Airlines
The Mexican airline VLU is born
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- Starting in April of next year, the new VLU airline will start operating in Mexico.
- The general director of the Toluca International Airport, Federico Bertrand Rubio, revealed that everything is planned so that it begins to operate with eleven routes to national destinations, among which are: Tijuana, Culiacan, Mérida, Villahermosa, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Cancun and Monterrey.
- The airline will strengthen and regain the connection that the capital of Mexico had a few years ago.
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Viva Aerobus increased occupancy in November
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- The airline reported an 8% increase compared to October with more than 955 thousand passengers in November.
- The recovery is also reflected in its load factor, which reached 80% in November, one of the highest levels at this juncture.
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Global Information
UK prepares for historic week against Covid-19
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- The British health minister welcomed the “historic” moment that marks the beginning of the vaccination campaign scheduled for next Tuesday.
- The country this week became the first Western country to approve the use of a coronavirus vaccine, after giving approval to the proposal from Pfizer and BioNTech.
- The vaccination campaign will prioritize nursing home residents and workers, medical personnel and people over 80 years of age.
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December 2nd Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 8,819
Confirmed: 1,122,362
Suspects: 400,802
Deaths per day: 825
Deaths: 106,765
Update: December 1st, 2020, 7:00 pm
Vaccination against Covid-19 in Mexico is about to start
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- Marcelo Ebrard, Foreign Affairs Minister, assured this December the vaccination against Covid-19 will begin in our country.
- This, after the United Kingdom authorized the vaccine developed by Pfizer, so that, in Mexico, the regulatory authority already has the corresponding request.
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Local Tourism
This will be the favorite Mexican destination of Canadians
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- According to an Expedia survey, Puerto Vallarta will be one of the preferred destinations in this segment by 2021.
- The connectivity, flights no longer than four hours, the climate and the natural attractions are some of the attractions of the destination.
- While most Canadians will remain sheltered at home, they maintain the desire to travel for the year 2021.
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Riviera Nayarit reopens beaches and increases hotel occupancy
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- Under strict biosecurity measures, since November 30, the destination expanded its opening of beaches and increased the hotel occupancy limit from 30 to 50 percent.
- This was possible thanks to the work between state authorities and hoteliers, as well as the implementation of health protocols that began on July 15 last.
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CPTQ requests a budget to face the loss of tourists
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- The director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo, CPTQ) requested a budget of 629 million pesos for 2021 to deal with the lack of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Currently, the entity faces a loss of 6 million national to international tourists, so the State Congress will decide whether to accept it or to reduce said budget.
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Maya Ka’an receives funding from the UN
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- To promote tourism sustainability in Mexico, the government of Mexico and the Global Environment Facility (Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial, GEF), formalized the start of financing for the Kuxatur project.
- The project for the Integration of Criteria for the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Tourism Sector of Mexico, with an emphasis on ecosystems rich in biodiversity, is the first of its kind in our country and will focus on three strategic states: Quintana Roo, Baja California Sur and Oaxaca.
- The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Tourism in the state, the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo, CPTQ) and Friends of Sian Ka’an, through the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the United Nations Development Program.
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Mexico adds new destinations to the list of Magical Towns
The Minister of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, announced the 11 new destinations added to the list of Magical Towns, which now includes 132. The list included:
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- Isla Aguada, Campeche
- Zempoala, Hidalgo
- Ajijic, Jalisco
- Tonatico, Estado de Mexico
- Paracho, Michoacan
- Mexcaltitán, Nayarit
- Santa Catarina Juquila, Oaxaca
- Tetela de Ocampo, Puebla
- Santa María del íoo, San Luis Potosí
- Maní and Sisal in Yucatán
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Travel Industry
New tourism tax makes Cancun nervous
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- Hotel associations, travel agencies, vacation clubs and businesswomen expressed their concern that the new taxes proposed by the Quintana Roo authorities could be an economic “blow” to the Mexican Caribbean.
- This after, in the tax package for 2021, the collection of 217 pesos (10 dollars) was established for foreign visitors received by the entity for the use of public domain assets.
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Sedetur says they are “duties”, not “taxes”
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- The Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, Marisol Vanegas, clarified that it is not a new tax but rather an instrument called “exploitation” and that this will be paid by the international tourist.
- This after the rejection that the hotel and tourism business sector of the Mexican Caribbean externalized against the new provision.
- Venegas said that the charge will not affect the perception of the destination and that the idea is to be able to reach the exact amount between 300 and 400 million a year to shovel the investment in Covid and other resources.
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Airlines
Interjet cancels all its flights for the fourth day in a row
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- The airline again canceled all its flights, stranding more than 3,500 passengers.
- Interjet has already added 79 cancellations from Saturday to today, which canceled the 17 flights it had scheduled to and from the Mexico City International Airport, with destinations to Cancun, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mérida and Cozumel.
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Global Information
Interpol alert on fake vaccines against Covid-19
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- The international organization on Wednesday warned its 194 member countries about organized crime actions focused on vaccines against the coronavirus.
- Interpol warned of a “potential criminal activity on counterfeiting, theft or illegal promotion of vaccines against covid-19 and flu.”
- The actions, he said, “constitute a significant risk to health, even life” of the victims of these organizations or individuals.
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November 30th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 6,388
Confirmed: 1,107,071
Suspects: 402,703
Deaths per day: 196
Deaths: 105,655
Update: November 29th, 2020, 7:00 pm
150 volunteers vaccinated against Covid, in Nuevo León
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- After almost a week of the start of the application of vaccines against covid in the entity, the State Minister of Health indicated that there have been no serious adverse effects in the volunteers.
- Among the effects presented have been pain and mild fever, which have been tolerated by the volunteers. In addition, he thanked them for their intention to help Nuevo León overcome the Covid health contingency.
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Local Tourism
Destinations get ready for the holiday season
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- The president of the Asociación de Secretarios de Turismo (Association of Tourism Secretaries) said that, through the strengthening of biosecurity actions in airports, ports and establishments, tourist destinations are preparing for the holiday season.
- A campaign will also be promoted to sensitize visitors and service providers about joint responsibility in biosafety issues.
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Puerto Morelos reactivates its craft economy
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- The municipal president Laura Fernández highlighted the positive results that the strategies for the gradual reactivation of this sector have produced for the third consecutive week.
- The mayor made a special mention regarding compliance with sanitary protocols by producers and sellers that will allow the continuation of this activity at the tourist site.
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They seek to mitigate impacts on tourism in Riviera Maya
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- Consejo Directivo de la Asociación de Hoteles de la Riviera Maya (The Board of Directors of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association) met with authorities from the three levels of government to learn about the progress of the construction of the Mayan Train, in its Cancun-Riviera Maya section, and the remodeling of the Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen.
- Toni Chaves, president of the AHRM highlighted the goodwill of the municipal, state and federal government to listen and address the concerns of hoteliers to minimize the damage that may be caused to tourists and businessmen while both projects are being developed.
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Large hotel chains postpone openings in Riviera Nayarit
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- Marriott and Iberostar will postpone until 2021 the resumption of their operations in Riviera Nayarit.
- Marc Murphy, general director of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (Oficina de Visitantes y Convenciones de la Riviera Nayarit) told Expansión that the entity is currently at a permitted occupancy of 30 percent, which is not enough to cope with this year’s crashes and it has affected the dates of some openings planned for this year.
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Travel Industry
There is already a resumption date for leisure trips to France
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- It will be as of December 15 that France will lift the restrictions on personal mobility. Leisure trips will be allowed from December 15, both national and international.
- Although it will be essential to stay informed about the evolution of the pandemic at a global level, those who wish to travel to France should know that from December 15, 2020 to January 20, 2021 a curfew will be applied between 9:00 p.m. 07:00 hours.
- The curfew will only be lifted on December 24 and 31 for the Christmas holidays.
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Baja California Sur presents its biosafety protocols to the United States.
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- The United States Ambassador in Mexico, the United States Consul General in Tijuana, the Minister of Tourism, Economy and Sustainability of Baja California Sur talked about the biosafety protocols that the State Government implements in order to protect the health of employees and visitors.
- Araiza highlighted the certification of the “Punto Limpio” (Clean Point) program that SETUES promotes together with the federal SECTUR (Minister of Tourism), the obtaining of the “Safe Travels” quality seal awarded by the World Travel and Tourism Council, as well as the application of PCR tests in coordination with the state Ministry of Health, to detect positive cases.
- In addition, Araiza mentioned that Los Cabos and La Paz International Airports were accredited in the “Accreditation of Sanitary Measures for Airports” program, operated by the International Airports Council.
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Sustainable Tourism Master Plan QRoo 2030 published
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- The Ministry of Tourism in Quintana Roo presented the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Quintana Roo 2030.
- One of the main results of the document was the construction of a vision collectively regarding how we want tourism to be by the year 2030.
- The vision highlights concepts such as global leadership, conservation and restoration of ecosystems, destination management, visitor management, prosperity and above all a better distribution of the benefits of the activity among its inhabitants.
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Airlines
Interjet cancels dozens of flights for the third time
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- Due to lack of capital to buy jet fuel, the airline stranded its passengers again. This time on its routes from Mexico City to Cancun, Cozumel and Monterrey.
- On Saturday, the airline stopped operating a total of five departure cancellations and five arrival flights. And on Sunday it canceled flights 2360 and 2168 that were scheduled to take off from Mexico City during the first hours and that were destined for the airports of Cancun and Monterrey.
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Air Canada on the brink of bankruptcy
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- The airline, one of the main Canadian tourism broadcasters to the Caribbean, has the destination’s hoteliers on edge.
- Air Canada is valued on the stock market at 6 billion dollars, it could close 2020 losing about four billion.
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Global Information
Moderna will request authorization for its vaccine against Covid in the US and Europe
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- The US company announced it will submit emergency authorization requests for its covid-19 vaccine after full results confirmed its high efficacy (94.1%).
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November 25th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 10,794
Confirmed: 1,060,152
Suspects: 399,130
Deaths per day: 813
Deaths: 102,739
Update: November 24th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico could experience a third wave of COVID-19
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- When questioned about the statement on this issue, the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, responded that it is very difficult to make a scientific prediction because it depends on many factors, especially social ones.
- The question arose after the World Health Organization’s warning of another wave of Coronavirus infections in Europe in 2021.
- Before this, Gatell recalled that, although several vaccines are in their last phase of development, there is still no effective medicine against the disease.
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Local Tourism
The Mexican Caribbean could go to a ‘green light’ at any time
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- After the hard work that the state of Quintana Roo has done to control the pandemic, the epidemiological traffic light could turn green and allow 100 percent occupations in hotels.
- This was said by the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López Gattel, who highlighted the reduction of infections in the last 15 days in the entity as well as the work carried out by Governor Carlos Joaquín González.
- Gatell also made a call to the population not to relax sanitary measures to continue with the control of the pandemic.
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Cancun is surpassed in occupancy by Los Cabos and Vallarta
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- From November 9 to 15, the Pacific coast surpassed the Mexican Caribbean in occupation, according to a Datatur report.
- According to the data provided, both Los Cabos and Vallarta average 55.3 and 45.5 percent, respectively, their occupancy. On the other hand, Cancun remains at 43.9 percent.
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Holbox is recognized as the best destination island in Mexico
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- The World Travel Awards thus distinguished the island that will compete against other select regional winners such as Bali, Bora Bora, Cook Islands, Sychells and the Maldives.
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Travel Industry
Proximity destinations rebound in the preferences of Mexicans
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- According to a study carried out by Expedia Group, destinations that are close and that can be reached by road gain more ground in the preferences of Mexican travelers.
- Destinations such as Cuernavaca, Valle de Bravo, Puebla and Querétaro, have increased in searches and reservations.
- The same happens with other destinations close to major cities such as Guanajuato, Mazatlán, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta.
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UK suspends travel restrictions
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- Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained the process of deconfining the country and to announce his Covid plan for the winter.
- And, although it ended travel restrictions, those traveling to countries not included in the list of safe corridors (including Spain) will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon returning to the UK.
- The objective of the British authorities is to reduce the isolation to 5 days, after a test that certifies that the travelers are not infected.
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Airlines
United increases frequencies to Cancun, Vallarta and Los Cabos
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- The airline confirmed the increase in flights to the three Mexican destinations from the Los Angeles Airport for the winter season.
- United will go from two to three daily flights to Cancun; seven to 10 flights to Vallarta; and from 7 to 11 to Los Cabos all weekly.
- It will also be arriving in Cozumel with a daily flight a week, as well as Manzanillo and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in Mexico.
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The strike is around Interjet
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- After three months of unpaid wages to more than 5,000 employees, the airline faces an imminent strike scheduled for next December 4.
- Interjet has set new payment dates since last October 10 in negotiations with Section 15 of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (Confederación de Trabajadores de México, CTM). And although the employees launched a first strike threat for last October 20, this was not carried out finished.
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Air France took its first group from Mexico
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- The airline transported a group of Mexican tourists from the Mexico City International Airport, (Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México, AICM) to Turkey, with a connection at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.
- The more than 30 travelers followed the airline’s strict sanitary measures at each stage of the journey to combat Covid-19.
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Global Information
China’s coronavirus had a mutation and caused the pandemic
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- After concern about a possible mutation of the coronavirus, scientists confirmed that the one that emerged in Wuhan, China, in 2019 mutated and that this strain is the one that caused worldwide transmission.
- This was reported by The New York Times, which published a report on the mutation that caused COVID-19 through various scientific investigations.
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November 23rd Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 9,187
Confirmed: 1,041,875
Suspects: 391,897
Deaths per day: 303
Deaths: 101,676
Update: November 22rd, 2020, 7:00 pm
Lowering the number of deaths from Covid-19 is priority affirms AMLO
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- The president of Mexico acknowledged that, although the number of infections is increasing, 50% of beds are available in more than a thousand hospitals.
- López Obrador pointed out that, in the new stage of the federal strategy to combat the contagion of coronavirus, it is a priority to reduce the number of deaths.
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Local Tourism
Cancun hoteliers expect a full house for Thanksgiving
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- Due to the destination is preferred by Americans for this November 26 celebration, hoteliers hope to fill occupancy within the 60 percent allowed by authorities.
- The president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association (Asociación de Hoteles de Cancún, Puerto Morelos e Isla Mujeres), stressed that there are properties that, for weeks, have reached the maximum occupancy allowed. He noted that he hopes that the authorities will give the green light to increase the capacity to 100 percent for Christmas.
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7 thousand rooms of the Mexican Caribbean, still without plans to open
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- Quintana Roo still owns 8 percent of the total 107 thousand closed rooms and it is unknown when they will open because concrete plans are lack.
- These occupations were focused on US clients so it will be difficult to fill them, said the president of the Association of Hotels of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres.
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Cozumel and Mérida join forces to reactivate tourism
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- Both destinations signed a cooperation agreement to seek new activities in their tourism promotion.
- Among the activities there would be meetings between travel agencies, tour operators, hoteliers, airlines and shipping companies; as well as the support in the celebration of gastronomic events.
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Travel Industry
ASETUR prioritizes the safe reactivation of tourism
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- The Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (Asociación de Secretarios de Turismo de México), assured that in its period 2020-2021 it will promote national unity, the reactivation of the sector, safety-sustainability and tourism promotion, said the new President of the association Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos.
- He stressed that he will work with the federal Ministry of Tourism, with the Tourism Commissions in the Congress, the Council of Tourism Diplomacy, with the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, FONATUR) and with the business chambers and other stakeholders involved, to promote the development of tourism and take advantage of the opportunities that this activity offers to our country.
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Grupo Posadas will operate four more hotels in Sinaloa
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- Grupo Posadas’ corporate development director, Mauricio Elizondo, said that there are currently four hotels in the chain under construction.
- The four new hotels are added to the four already existing in Los Mochis, Culiacán and Mazatlán. The new properties will be in Mazatlán and Culiacán, as the state is still very important for the chain, Elizondo said.
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Airlines
Interjet suffers from a fleet reduction
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- Having carried out 350 daily operations before the pandemic, today it offers about 26 flights a day that operates with four aircraft.
- Alejandro del Valle, a partner of the company, has confirmed that the company is operating in a limited manner that also prevents a company with more than five thousand employees who threaten to go on strike for non-payment.
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Global Information
EU plans Covid vaccination for December
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- The United States would start a massive vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in mid-December.
- In Europe, Spain and Germany will begin to vaccinate from January 2021.
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November 18th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 1,757
Confirmed: 1,011,153
Suspects: 373,567
Deaths per day: 165
Deaths: 99,026
Update: November 17th, 2020, 7:00 pm
The Covid-19 pandemic is active, but controlled: SSa
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- This was assured by the Minister of Health, Jorge Alcocer Varela, who added that, even though there are states with an increase in infections, the trend is downward.
- He said that the objective is to reduce the number of deaths and to achieve this, the transmission of the virus must be prevented.
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Local Tourism
In Cancun, the tourist recovery is in danger
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- Roberto Cintrón Gómez, president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association (Asociación de Hoteles de Cancún, Puerto Morelos e Isla Mujeres, AHCPM & IM) reiterated that the recent violent events deteriorate the image of the tourist destination with a view to its economic recovery.
- Cintron believes that if the authorities do not guarantee justice, the situation will delay the economic recovery that was planned for the Christmas season.
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Cancun leads preferences for travel in 2021
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- According to Expedia’s annual Travel Trends report for 2021, the destination remains at the forefront of the preferences of Mexican travelers for next year.
- Other destinations that appear in the searches of the Mexicans are Acapulco, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Huatulco, Chetumal, Costa Maya and Las Vegas.
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The Mexican Caribbean, again in travel trends for 2021
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- Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum and Playa del Carmen top the places where Mexicans plan to travel next year.
- This was revealed by Expedia’s Annual Travel Trends Report for 2021 where it was announced that travelers already show interest in medium and long-distance travel.
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Despite Covid, tourists crowd Acapulco beaches
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- Around 199,000 tourists traveled during the long weekend to the three main destinations in Guerrero: Acapulco, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Taxco de Alarcón, reported the state Minister of Tourism, Ernesto Rodríguez Escalona.
- The official revealed that during the weekend an economic spill of 209.4 million pesos was generated. He also assured that the bars closed respecting the allowed hours and those who did not respect it were closed.
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Travel Industry
CNET and Cicotur anticipate a recovery date for tourism
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- The National Tourism Business Council and the Anáhuac Tourism Research and Competitiveness Center (Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turístico y el Centro de Investigación y Competitividad Turística Anáhuac) revealed that reaching the levels that tourism had in 2019 will be achieved at least until 2023.
- According to the new edition of the Panorama of Tourist Activity in Mexico, which collects data from the sector in Mexico and the world, as well as forecasts from the business sector, estimates that at the end of the year there will be a 70 percent drop in international travelers at the level world.
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New way of traveling after the pandemic is revealed
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- The pandemic modified the segments of the tourism market in the world, that is why family groups stopped arriving at the destinations of the Mexican Caribbean. This was revealed by the Executive Director of Strategic Planning of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo (Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo).
- He said that at this time what predominate are walkers as a couple or alone, segments in which an increase of 10 percent is reported in both Mexico and the United States.
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National travelers are already looking to make long trips
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- According to a study carried out by Assist Card, this trend was revealed in domestic tourists who plan their long trips an average of 48 days in advance.
- Some of the most popular international destinations are cities in the United States such as New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Houston; as well as Madrid, Spain.
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Airlines
Volaris and Sectur deliver discount coupons
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- The airline and the Jalisco state secretariat handed out 3,500 discount coupons with a value of 1,000 pesos each, for the entity’s flights and hotels.
- Hoteliers confirmed their participation in these dynamics that promote the promotion of state destinations and the gradual recovery of tourist activity. These coupons can be used no later than March 2021.
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Global Information
Pfizer’s anticovid vaccine achieves 95% effectiveness
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- The pharmaceutical company announced the results of its final phase 3 trial with the company and will therefore request approval for its emergency use in the United States.
- The drug maker said the vaccine’s efficacy was consistent across demographic groups by ethnicity and age, and that no major adverse effects were detected, so immunization could be spread worldwide.
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November 16th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,269
Confirmed: 1,006,522
Suspects: 376,736
Deaths per day: 283
Deaths: 98,542
Update: November 15th, 2020, 7:00 pm
The Minister of Tourism contracted Covid-19
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- On the night of Friday, November 13, Miguel Torruco reported that he tested positive for Covid-19 through his Twitter account.
- Despite the fact that the Minister had participated in work meetings virtually, on November 11 he was at the facilities of the Ministry of Tourism leading meetings with other ministers and businessmen.
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Local Tourism
Cancun achieves occupancy limit for Christmas and awaits green traffic light
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- Destination hotels reported 60 percent full capacity and expect authorities to allow 100 percent close to Christmas.
- Recently, hoteliers had lowered their occupancy forecasts after the increase in Covid cases in Cancun, however this upward trend has returned optimism in businessmen.
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Cancun tourism, alert to riots
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- The destination authorities have made the largest police deployment in its history in the face of violence in the streets and the seizure of a public building by radicals.
- Given the facts, the Ministry of Tourism announced that no travel alert has been launched for these issues and that Cancun maintains its image as a vacation destination intact.
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Travel Industry
WTTC World Summit in Cancun already has a date
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- Authorities revealed that the World Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council will be held from March 24 to 26, 2021 in that destination.
- It will be the first time that the great event arrives in Mexico, which will project the Mexican Caribbean as a safe destination before the whole world.
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Mexican cruise ship set sail in January 2021
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- The Vidanta Elegant set January 19 as the tentative date to set sail from Puerto Vallarta to Mazatlán.
- This is a good sign for the Puerto Vallarta tourism industry, as it would represent the restart of offshore travel in the Mexican Pacific.
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Airlines
The future of Aeroméxico’s services subsidiary worries
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- Companies such as Delta, American, Air Canada, All Nippon Airlines, Lufthansa, Cubana and Korean Air, show concern about the imminent changes in the ground services subsidiary raised by Aeroméxico.
- Some of the directors of the companies see these changes as a possible cancellation of contracts, before which Aeromexico clarified that they are only analyzing the situation and have not yet made a decision.
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Aeromar opens flights between Cancun and Cuba
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- The airline inaugurated its Cancun-Cuba route with five frequencies a week marketed by Viajes Libero.
- Leaving from the Cancun International Airport to, several Cuban destinations such as Havana, Varadero, Santa Clara and Cayo Largo are handled, with frequencies from Thursday to Sunday.
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Government tries that Interjet is not another Mexican Aviation
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- The Minister of Communications and Transportation, Jorge Arganis Díaz, endorsed the commitment to support the airline, although he said that it must fix several internal problems.
- Experts say that the airline is heading for bankruptcy or bankruptcy. Faced with this situation, the government is expected to act immediately and support the airline, otherwise it would not reach the end of the year.
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Global Information
Vaccine will not be enough to beat Covid-19
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- The director general of the World Health Organization warned that the vaccine by itself will not be enough to defeat the covid-19 pandemic.
- “A vaccine is going to complete the other tools we have, not to replace them,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared during the executive council of the agency he directs.
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November 11th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,746
Confirmed: 978,531
Suspects: 366,993
Deaths per day: 617
Deaths: 95,842
Update: November 10th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Covid vaccine trials begin in Oaxaca and Guerrero
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- The states were chosen to initiate phase 3 clinical trials for the vaccine developed by the Chinese laboratory CanSino.
- This was announced by Marcelo Ebrard, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who also reported that in the course of this week 7,000 vaccines and 7,000 more placebos will arrive in the country to begin their application in Aguascalientes, Mexico City, Coahuila, Michoacán and Nuevo León.
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Local Tourism
Police repression could affect the tourist image of Cancun
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- The president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, Roberto Cintrón, said that recent events affect the image of the destination and the economic recovery it has shown recently.
- Citrón referred to the repression of a peaceful demonstration against a femicide with firearm shots by the local police. He said that a bad decision by the authorities could affect the work of months to get the tourism sector afloat.
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Acapulco launches call for support due to Covid pandemic
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- The destination reported a hotel occupancy of just 33 percent in the first weeks of November due to the Covid pandemic.
- The president of the Civil Association “Más por Acapulco” (More for Acapulco), Igor Aguirre Vázquez highlighted the importance of supporting the state of Guerrero, especially the tourism service providers that are “the most affected in this pandemic.”
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Travel Industry
Amazon will sell train tickets
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- The e-commerce giant, in partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, has started selling train tickets in India.
- Although some doubt that it could be a competitor for other OTAs such as Booking or Expedia, the specialized site Hospitalitynet predicted that Amazon could buy from large portals such as Expedia or Tripadvisor.
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Is intended to reactivate meeting tourism in the Mexican Caribbean
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- With a total of 528 business appointments, the 14th edition of the “Mexican Caribbean Business Card Exchange Fam Trip & Trade Show” was held in Quintana Roo.
- The event dedicated to connecting US event organizers with the local industry promotes hotels, attractions, suppliers and destinations in the Mexican Caribbean.
- On this occasion, 21 participants came from Houston, Dallas, St Louis, Las Vegas, New Jersey, Kentucky, New York, California, Tennessee, Michigan and Minneapolis who were shown the infrastructure of the destinations, their suppliers and the experience possessed by the region.
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Best Day bets on beach destinations this “Buen Fin”
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- As part of the Mexican marketing initiave similar to Black Friday (Buen Fin), and with a strong focus on online sales, the company launched the # TuCabezaEstáEnLaPlaya (#YourHeadIsInTheBeach) campaign, its strategy of special discounts in beach destinations in Mexico.
- The offers include discount coupons on online hotel, hotel + flight purchases, as well as promotions on flights with the main national and international airlines.
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The Tianguis Turístico de Mérida is postponed
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- After analyzing the situation due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism and the Governor of Yucatán reported that the event will be held in person from September 26 to 29, 2021 in the city of Mérida.
- The authorities explained that postponing the event will help the participants to be in the best conditions to conduct business in person.
- The new dates were selected according to the calendar of international fairs, which will allow for greater attendance based on this agenda.
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Sectur goes against hosting platforms
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- The head of the Ministry of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, stated that the platforms that operate in the country represent a “huge tax leak” for the country and its tourism promotion funds.
- Torruco said it is time to put order so he will try to apply control mechanisms to companies like Airbnb.
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Airlines
Carlos Cabal Peniche retires as Interjet investor
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- The airline informed that the decision will not affect the capitalization projects to face the restructuring of the airline.
- The company reiterated that Alejandro del Valle is supported by Miguel Alemán Magnani and Miguel Alemán Velasco to safeguard the interests of the company.
- Likewise, he reiterated that the commitments with the authorities, employees, and creditors with which he has dealings to date will be made.
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Sunwing Airlines returns to Cancun with protocols
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- After 230 days of suspension of activities, the airline restarted operations from Toronto to Cancun.
- Peter Nord, the company’s interim medical advisor, traveled on the flight, who will promote sanitation and hygiene protocols.
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Global Information
Russian vaccine against Covid reports high degree of effectiveness
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- According to the first test results, the so-called Sputnik V vaccine would be 92 percent effective.
- The results were obtained in an investigation with more than 16 thousand volunteers 21 days after receiving the first dose of the vaccine.
- The Russian government reported that the vaccine could be massively applied in Russia in a few weeks without specifying a date.
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November 9th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,887
Confirmed: 967,825
Suspects: 364,340
Deaths per day: 219
Deaths: 95,027
Update: November 8th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Seven states in the country at risk of a Covid-19 outbreak
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- José Luis Alomía, director of Epidemiology in Mexico, assured that the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Aguascalientes, Mexico City, Coahuila, Querétaro and Zacatecas presented a regrowth effect.
- Alomía explained that it is called the “regrowth” effect because it increased its epidemic curve with respect to the behavior it had in recent weeks and that the states present an upward trend, surpassing their previous peaks.
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Local Tourism
Fonatur launches tender for parts for section 5 of the Mayan Train
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- After a first tender declared void, the National Tourism Promotion Fund (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo) this time launched a three-part tender for the section of the Mayan Train that will run from Cancun to Tulum.
- Considered the most important of the sections due to its tourist influx, the section was divided into a first route from Cancun to Playa del Carmen; the second runs through the urban area of Playa del Carmen and the third goes from Playa del Carmen to Tulum.
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Trump litigates for hotel land to disembark in Riviera Maya
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- President Donald Trump still faces litigation for 26 plots in the Riviera Maya, in Playa del Carmen, due to an alleged debt related to the Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageant.
- According to versions, the land would be Trump’s gateway to the tourism business in the Mexican Caribbean once his administration ended in January.
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Travel Industry
Half of the world’s airport users willing to travel
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- Due to the level of confidence in biosecurity at airports and airlines, 48 percent of travelers would travel during the next three months.
- This was revealed by the ASQ Global Traveler Survey carried out by the International Airports Council, which also explains that passengers expect new health measures such as the use of mandatory masks for passengers and staff, COVID-19 tests prior to arrival, hand disinfection and a touch-free airport experience.
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San Antonio prepares to welcome Mexican travelers
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- Through a strengthening of health security protocols, authorities and businessmen of the destination will seek to encourage the arrival of travelers from the airport, hotels and tourist sites in this market.
- This was revealed by David González, Director of Communications for Visit San Antonio and Francisco Gallegos, Business Development Manager of this office, who presented the security measures they have implemented.
- Among others they include emergency medical services and TSA as well as the LikeStrike robot, which emits ultraviolet rays that eliminate viruses and bacteria used in areas with high traffic of travelers.
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Airlines
Interjet cancels all its flights to Cancun again
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- The airline canceled its 10 scheduled operations for this Sunday in Cancun: 4 arrivals and 4 departures to and from Mexico City as well as one arrival and one departure to Monterrey.
- So far Interjet has not commented on the matter and it is unknown if they will resume operations this Monday.
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Global Information
Australia starts production of AstraZeneca vaccine
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-
- The oceanic country began producing 30 million doses of the British vaccine, according to Greg Hunty, Australian Minister of Health.
- Australia hopes to start vaccination in March 2021, prioritizing the elderly and healthcare workers.
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November 4th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,250
Confirmed: 938,405
Suspects: 347,696
Deaths per day: 493
Deaths: 92,593
Update: November 3rd, 2020, 7:00 pm
Air Canada returns to Cancun and adds benefits
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- Since last November 2, the airline reactivated the operations of its Toronto-Cancun route with biosecurity measures during each stage of the trip.
- The company also offers improvements in some of its services such as complimentary and prepackaged food, as well as complimentary bar and beverage service.
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Local Tourism
Emergency is declared in 4 municipalities of Quintana Roo
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- Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Solidaridad and Tulum were declared in state of emergency after the passage of Hurricane Zeta that struck on October 26.
- The authorities will receive resources to meet the needs of the affected population.
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Is approved a law for the mandatory use of face masks in Sonora
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- The Congress of the entity approved the creation of the law that requires the use of the mask in public spaces, establishments, offices and public transport.
- Although the law does not apply sanctions to those who violate it, it will be a requirement for the issuance or endorsement of their operating licenses.
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Covid hospitals in Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez are full
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- One hundred percent of the hospitals intended for Covid-19 patients in both cities reported full capacity.
- The seriousness of the situation has forced the state government to decree mandatory confinement from seven in the evening to six in the morning in the 67 municipalities of the state.
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Travel Industry
Iberostar reopens 50% of its hotels in America and the Caribbean
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- The Spanish hotel company announced the reopening of its Iberostar Cozumel and Iberostar Grand Paraíso hotels in Mexico.
- According to the company, the openings bring “true security experiences for guests with the launch of Travel at Ease, which joins the more than 300 preventive measures implemented as part of its How We Care program.”
- The chain announced that it developed a range of services to serve hosted customers who might show any symptoms of Covid-19 during their stay.
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US cruises would be ready to start in 2021
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- Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings extended the suspension of operations until December 31, 2020.
- Although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already provides a “Conditional Navigation Order Framework” that allows cruise ships to return from US ports, it will not be a quick process to most lines.
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The Mexican Caribbean, awaiting publicity in Spanish soccer
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- The renewal of advertising with the Espanyol de Barcelona team will depend on it returning to the first division before the end of the contract that expires in 2021. This was reported by the director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo), Darío Flota Ocampo.
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Airlines
Government asks not to buy Interjet tickets
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- The Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor, Profeco) asked users not to purchase airline tickets after stranding more than 3,000 passengers after suddenly canceling more than 40 flights on October 31, November 1 and 2.
- The company, which has also accumulated serious defaults with suppliers and workers, is “on the verge of bankruptcy”, as stated by the head of Profeco, Ricardo Sheffield in a recent interview.
- The company has accumulated more than a thousand formal complaints and is the only one that has filed a class action in court.
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Viva Aerobus will not charge fees for changes in your tickets
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- The airline will permanently eliminate these charges so that passengers will pay only the fare difference, if any.
- The new policy applies to the Viva Light, Viva Basic and Viva Smart combos and changes in destination, date or time, which can be made up to 4 hours before the flight and can be requested by phone, at Viva Stores or on site airline website.
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Global Information
Americans vote between Covid rebound
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- In some of the states that are likely to decide the presidential race, the largest rallies of Covid-19 are concentrated.
- Last Monday, more than 93 thousand cases of Covid-19 were reported throughout the nation, a sum higher than every day of the pandemic, except last Friday.
- The new weekly records involve more than 20 states, in addition, more than 40 entities observe a growth of known infections.
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November 2nd Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,430
Confirmed: 929,392
Suspects: 354,634
Deaths per day: 142
Deaths: 91,895
Update: October 31th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Increase number of travelers with Covid
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- There was an increase in positive cases from travelers who requested the Covid-19 test. Between June and August, the percentage of positivity increased from 0 to 10 percent, and only last Friday, the total of travelers who took the test before boarding their flights were positive.
- This was reported by the head of the Traveler’s Preventive Care Clinic of the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) Faculty of Medicine, Jorge Baruch.
- Last Friday, 6 travelers underwent the PCR test and the total was positive so they had to suspend their trips.
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Poverty affects the lethality of Covid
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- According to the analysis of death certificates, 90% of those who died from Covid-19 were housewives, retirees or pensioners, public sector employees, drivers, the unemployed, helpers, laborers, artisans, factory workers and people who engaged in repair or maintenance.
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Local Tourism
Nuevo León analyzes applying dry law before the rise of Covid
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- The alternative arises from the increase in mass meetings and mobilizations in the state, identified as the main sources of contagion.
- The state reached 82 thousand 630 confirmed cases, after 618 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours.
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Travelers underestimate risk of contagion in Acapulco
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- Due to the long weekend for the Day of the Dead, tourists filled the most important beaches of the port, which reached an average hotel occupancy of 38.7 percent.
- Although most service providers try to wear masks, bathers do not do the same.
- The governor of the entity highlighted that every weekend outbreaks of Covid-19 appear in Guerrero. He also assured that there is evidence of the growth of infections after the days of greatest tourist influx.
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Tampico will invest 450 million pesos in tourism development
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- Municipal President Jesús Nader asserted that Laguna del Carpintero will consolidate the entity as one of the most attractive cities in the state.
- The municipal president Jesús Nader assured that the new tourist complex will generate jobs, economic benefits and social welfare.
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Travel Industry
Cancun could fill 100% of its rooms
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- The president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, Roberto Cintrón Gómez, pointed out that, by the month of December, the destination could reach its full occupancy.
- He pointed out that the three- or four-star shelters are possibly the first to reach those occupancy levels due to their cost.
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Airlines
Interjet cancels all its flights on November 1 and 2
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- Without disclosing further details, the airline announced the suspension of around 19 flights on the same day.
- The deployment anticipated that all affected passengers would be protected and rescheduled on flights as of November 3.
- Nearby sources indicated that the suspension was due to lack of fuel. Later the airline reported that the pandemic has severely affected airlines in their operations and cash flow.
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Viva Aerobus recovers 100% of its flights in November
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- The airline recovers its total operational capacity from the previous year this November and will offer its customers 109 routes, 96 national and 13 international.
- In order to meet the country’s connectivity needs and market trends, the company has put 20 new routes for sale during this contingency: 13 national and 7 international.
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Global Information
Covid-19 cases in Europe double
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-
- In 5 weeks the region exceeded 10 million total infections. For their part, Latin America and Asia reported more than 10 million total cases in their regions last month. In the United States alone, there are more than 9 million cases, amid a rapidly accelerating outbreak.
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October 28th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,942
Confirmed: 901,268
Suspects: 101,684
Deaths per day: 643
Deaths: 89,814
Update: October 27th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Jalisco presses the red button due to the increase in Covid-19 infections
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- The Governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, will suspend economic, cultural, recreational, social and sports activities, as well as religious activities due to the increase in Covid-19 cases.
- The measure will take effect this Friday, October 30 and will last until November 13. The suspension will be applied from Monday to Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following day, although the project was subject to possible modifications.
- During this period, public transport, and platforms such as Uber or Didi would stop working from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. the next day.
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Local Tourism
Hurricane leaves Cancun with closed beaches and moderate damage
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- The governor of Quintana Roo declared a “white balance” after the passage of Hurricane Zeta, which, when it made landfall in the state, became a tropical storm. However, the beaches remained closed for another day due to heavy rains, strong winds, tides, and high waves.
- Despite this, it was not required to evict tourists from their hotels and the state’s airports are active, as well as the state’s work activities and tourist services.
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“Zeta” devastated several meters of Cancun beach
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- Experts estimate could lose between 15 and 20 meters of beach due to the last hurricane that hit the Mexican Caribbean coast.
- According to the president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, Roberto Cintrón, “we still have to wait for the tide to go out to know the real damage”.
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Travel Industry
Hotels in Riviera Maya, ready to continue receiving tourists
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- After the passage of Hurricane Zeta, the Riviera Maya Hotel Association reported that hotel properties are operating normally. The agency noted that the storm caused damage without consideration to the 135 affiliated hotels.
- Toni Chaves, president of the association, specified that, despite the power cuts, the 34,000 tourists who are currently in the destination were not affected.
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Xcaret announces the reactivation of its parks and tours
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- The group announced that its activities will resume from this Wednesday, October 28 after being closed due to the passage of Hurricane Zeta.
- To guarantee that the people who were affected in their reservation or entrance ticket to the parks and tours by the passage of Hurricane Zeta, Grupo Xcaret launched its Hurricane policy and those affected can reschedule their visit.
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Promote trips for Day of the Dead
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- The states of the Central West Pact for Tourism, promote trips for this holiday of the Day of the Dead, through the campaign “Travel in Short.”
- Representatives from Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí work together to encourage the flow of travelers by road between the six states that add up to 32 Magical Towns and where you can make tours of one to four hours.
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UNWTO warns free fall of world tourism in 2020
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- In the first eight months of the year, world tourism fell 70% compared to the same period last year, the UNWTO reported.
- The drop represents 700 million fewer tourists than the previous year and losses of up to 730 billion dollars.
- The agency indicated that the most affected region was Asia Pacific with -79%; followed by Africa and the Middle East (-69%); Europe (-68%) and the American continent (-65 percent).
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Airlines
Volaris and Viva, less afflicted by the Covid
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- According to experts, ‘low cost’ airlines are better able to weather the crisis thanks to their fares and lighter structure. They could even profit from the situation of their great competitors, who have had to seek liquidity on their own in the absence of aid from the Government and face millionaire debts.
- Volaris and Viva Aerobus concentrated in August more than two thirds of the domestic market and 21% of the international market. Just a year ago, these ‘low cost’ accounted for half of the domestic flights and did not reach 10% of the trips abroad.
- Volaris is already the main airline in Mexico by number of passengers and already operates close to 85% of its capacity. For its part, Viva Aerobus has focused on strengthening national connections and currently already has 97 active routes.
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Aeromexico could lay off hundreds of flight attendants
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- Due to the ruling of a court in the United States, the airline will be able to lay off up to 766 flight attendants and reduce the cost of its labor operations in the medium term.
- The cut will include up to 616 people affiliated with the Aviation Flight Carriers Union Association (ASSA) and up to 150 flight attendants from the Aeronautical Industry Workers Union.
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Global Information
Record of deaths in France by Covid
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-
- France registered 292 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. This is the highest figure since April, up from 258 the day before, the health authorities indicated.
- The country is less than 2,500 cases from exceeding 1.2 million infected since the pandemic began, while the total number of deaths reaches 35,541.
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October 26th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,360
Confirmed: 891,160
Suspects: 102,301
Deaths per day: 181
Deaths: 88,924
Update: October 25th, 2020, 7:00 pm
“Zeta” causes suspension of activities in Cancun
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- With winds of over 100 kilometers for now, Tropical Storm Zeta could become a hurricane and shake northern Quintana Roo these days this week.
- Due to the above, the authorities have decreed the orange alert and the governor of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquín González announced the suspension of work activities in the northern zone starting at 2:00 pm this Monday.
- According to information from the National Meteorological Service and the National Hurricane Center, in the next few hours, the hurricane would hit Quintana Roo entering through Cozumel and Playa del Carmen around 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Monday.
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Local Tourism
PAHO asks not to travel by plane and postpone vacations
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- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) contradicted the International Air Transport Association (IATA) about the almost zero risk of contagion of covid-19 on an airplane and recommended avoiding flights and non-essential travel due to the increase in infections and deaths in America.
- The above represents a setback to the efforts of airlines and destinations to reactivate the tourism industry, which, in the case of Mexico, have been key in allowing the return of US tourism.
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Xcaret announces measures against tropical storm Zeta
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- Grupo Xcaret announced the suspension of operations in its parks and tours on Monday and Tuesday; October 26 and 27, due to the arrival of the Zeta storm and with the aim of safeguarding the well-being of its visitors and collaborators.
- Those who had planned to visit the parks and tours during these dates, Xcaret reported that they work to offer the best alternative to those who were affected in their reservations or park tickets.
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Cancun: the most trusted “Beach Destination” in Mexico
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- Readers of Selecciones Reader’s Digest Mexico magazine chose Cancun as the most trusted brand in the “Beach Destination” category. The more than 400 thousand readers evaluated the effort, dedication and quality of the destination to generate and maintain trust in consumers.
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Travel Industry
WTTC supports rapid Covid tests at European airports
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- Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), supported the implementation of rapid tests of Covid-19 to passengers at European airports.
- The measure, Guevara considered, is correct because in recent months, the WTTC has proposed a rapid and profitable exit test at airports around the world. She stressed that, in recent council investigations, the tests would have a positive effect on airports to revive international air travel.
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“Tianguis of Magical Towns” in danger due to the increase in Covid
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- Scheduled to be held from November 26 to 29 in San Luis Potosí, the Tianguis de Pueblos Mágicos (“Tianguis of Magic Towns”) will not be held because the city went back to an orange traffic light due to the increase in Covid-19 cases. In addition, the fairground, the original venue for the event, will be converted into a hospital.
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Important that Sectur change the country’s tourism model
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- Tourists consider it important to consider changing the country’s tourism model, and to seek to support the growth of micro destinations, of which there is a variety in the region.
- So they made it known to the Minister of Tourism in Mexico, Miguel Torruco Marqués, who hit on the need to change the tourism model, since he considers it collapsed and in crisis, and above all because it has generated social and cultural inequality in tourist centers.
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Riviera Maya registers its highest occupancy
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- Last Sunday, the Riviera Maya registered 41.06% occupancy, as reported by the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council.
- During the last five days, hotel occupancy has exceeded 34% and the upward trend is expected to continue, according to forecasts by the president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association.
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Airlines
Viva Aerobus suffers almost the same losses per plane as Aeroméxico
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- Both airlines have seen their activity hampered this year, reporting losses in the third quarter of 734 million pesos, in the case of the ‘low cost’, and 2,882 million pesos, in the case of the Mexican flag carrier.
- In fact, what they lost by plane is almost the same: 17.9 million pesos for Viva and 26.4 million pesos for Aeroméxico.
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Global Information
AstraZeneca’s Covid Vaccine Generates Same Immune Response in Young and Older Adults
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- The British pharmaceutical company announced that the trials of its vaccine against Covid-19 gave promising results on an immune response among young adults and the elderly. “The results support the evidence for the safety and immune response” of the vaccine, a spokesman for the group said.
- The vaccine is currently at the level of larger clinical trials (phase 3), that is, the stage prior to its authorization by the authorities.
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October 19th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,119
Confirmed: 851,227
Suspects: 98,184
Deaths per day: 108
Deaths: 86,167
Update: October 18th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Ssa: Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak could begin this week
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- Ruy López Ridaura, Director General of the National Center for Preventive Programs and Disease Control, reported that an increase in cases of Covid-19 coronavirus is expected this week, which could be a resurgence of the virus.
- “It is very likely that at the end of the week this trend (estimated cases) will increase, it is a bit the signal that we have announced since May the possibility of a resurgence”, he commented.
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Local Tourism
Cancun: hotels reach 60% occupancy
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- According to the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, several hotels in the destination already register close to 60 percent, the maximum allowed by the authorities.
- Cancun foresees an increase in tourists due to the increase in flights from Canada, the United States, and the gradual improvement of the European market.
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Cancun estimates 100% occupancy for Christmas
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- Francisco López, Director of Tourism in the municipality of Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo estimates that if the state manages to curb the rates of cases and gradually increases the number of international arrivals, “the chances of reaching occupations of 80, 90 and even 100 percent, they are very viable ”.
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Cancun reopens four beaches after hurricane
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- Marlin, Delfines, El Niño and Las Perlas are four of the seven beaches in Cancun that have already been reopened after the Delta Hurricane. However, they are not operating 100 percent due to the repair and maintenance of the facilities.
- The three remaining beaches (Coral, Ballenas and Chac Mool) continue with the reconstruction tasks to be reopened soon.
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Travel Industry
Potential market, Americans who do not know Mexico
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- According to the “Retos sin precedents” (“Unprecedented Challenges”) panel of the Global Travel forum, tourists from the United States who have never visited the country could be the potential market for tourist destinations due to proximity and cost.
- Dario Flota, General Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo, CPTQ), explained the importance of taking advantage of the proximity to the northern country, as well as the need to add the airlines with more flights to the channels marketing, tour operators, and online agencies to attract Americans.
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SEDETUR launches new App
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- During the participation in the second National Convention of Tourist Protection Service Centers (Convención Nacional de Centros de Atención Protección al Turista, CAPTA), the Ministry of Tourism of Quintana Roo unveiled the new mobile application for tourist care, Guest Assist.
- The project aims to provide support to travelers in the new normal, through a Call Center available 24/7 that will provide information about prevention and health protection measures, as well as some travel recommendations.
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Expedia Group and OMT will collaborate for tourism recovery
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- Expedia Group and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), signed a collaboration agreement, in order to work on actions to promote and recover the tourism sector, such as the exchange of information on travel data and consumer techniques, which help to design joint projects for tourism.
- Ariane Gorin, President of Expedia Business Services, stated “Restoring travel will require an unprecedented level of collaboration in the public and private sectors. So, the work with the organization will allow us to join forces for the reconstruction of the world tourism sector”.
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Hoteliers ask Trump for support
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- Executive Directors of Hilton, Hyatt, Marriot, IHG and Best Western, as well as hoteliers of independent properties sent a message to Trump to request support of funds from the Main Street Loan Program.
- In the letter addressed to the President of the United States, more than 70 representatives requested that “immediate measures be taken to provide an injection of liquidity to the industries most affected by this pandemic, including ours, by fully utilizing the emergency lending authority of the Federal Reserve”.
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Airlines
United Airlines expands connectivity in the Mexican Caribbean
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-
- The airline announced that, in the coming months, it will expand its connectivity from more cities in the United States with the Mexican Caribbean.
- For the winter season, Unites Airlines has scheduled eight new routes and more flights to 19 destinations in the region, with Cancun and Cozumel being the destinations where there will be the greatest increase in flights.
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Global Information
Second wave of Covid-19 begins in Europe
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- The continent added 250 thousand deaths from the virus this Sunday, due to the new wave of coronavirus infections. As a result, sanitary measures have multiplied in the region.
- In the last week, Europe recorded a total of 8,342 new deaths, the highest number in a seven-day period since May.
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https://bit.ly/3m0gq9T
October 15th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,056
Confirmed: 829,315
Suspects: 93,902
Deaths per day: 478
Deaths: 84,898
Update: October 14th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
PAHO gave the country 200 thousand tests for the Covid-19 coronavirus
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- The Pan American Health Organization donated 200 thousand rapid tests to detect Covid-19 coronavirus, which will be evaluated and used only if they present favorable performance results.
- Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, reported: “PAHO announced a donation to Mexico of 200 thousand tests, and for 3 weeks Dr. Alomía has instructed InDre to evaluate these tests (…) The following week we will announce the result of the performance analysis and if it is favorable we will announce the use of this test”.
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Local Tourism
Puerto Escondido closes beaches due to Covid-19 outbreak
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- Due to the reappearance of positive cases of coronavirus, municipal and health authorities of Santa María Colotepec and San Pedro Mixtepec, determined the closure of the main beach of Puerto Escondido, as well as three bays of the destination.
- Likewise, urban mobility will be restricted and the entry to the destination of national and foreign tourists will be limited.
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Cancun hoteliers postpone Travel Mart
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- According to Marisol Vanegas, State Secretary of Tourism, the 33rd edition of the Cancun Travel Mart Mexico Summit, organized by the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, will be postponed until February 2021.
- Even though on previous occasions the event was held at the Cancun Convention Center, the next edition will be held at the Iberostar Cancun hotel.
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Travel Industry
PAHO considers Covid tests and quarantine in travelers unnecessary
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- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) considers tests to detect Covid and quarantines for tourists not necessary, even though these measures have already been implemented in some countries.
- Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies of PAHO stated: “as PAHO, we are very aware of the need for states dependent on tourism to reactivate their economy.” And he recommended “not depending on quarantines or diagnostic tests to resume non-essential travel”
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Mexican Caribbean, recognized by international travelers
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- The Caribbean was recognized by thousands of tourists worldwide in three of the categories of the 33rd edition of Condé Nast Traveler’s “Reader’s Choice Awards 2020”.
- The travel magazine published its list of winners of the best of international tourism. And due to the health emergency, this year the destinations and properties that tourists plan to visit again were recognized.
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Sanitary verification plan begins at airports
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- As of October 13, a new international Aviation Compliance Verification audit scheme came into operation, designed to help sector organizations prepare for the “new normal” and mitigate public health risks.
- Through this plan, the public access standards or requirements of airports, ground services, commercial and cargo airlines will be evaluated.
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Cruises will return until 2021
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- Even though the Mexican authorities already have protocols for the restart of cruise operations, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could postpone the reactivation until 2021.
- In this regard, Marisol Vanegas, Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, stated: “It seems pertinent to have the arrival of cruise ships; however, these actions do not depend on us”.
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Airlines
Aeroméxico stock market takes off after financing is known
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- After announcing the approval of financing of up to 1,000 million dollars (granted by the US Court) to maintain liquidity and continue operating, the airline’s stock indexes rose to the best levels since August.
- Shares of Grupo Aeroméxico rose last Monday with slight fluctuations, which reached 5.06 pesos per unit.
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American Airlines details restart of operations
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- The airline has updated its dates and details to restart the operation of its flights and announced that, starting in November, it will offer pre-flight testing to detect Covid-19 for passengers traveling to Jamaica and the Bahamas.
- Some of the routes planned for October and November are Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cuba, Grenada and San Cristóbal.
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Global Information
WHO recognizes epidemiological traffic light in Mexico
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- Hugo López-Gatell, spoke about the recognition by Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Program of the World Health Organization, to the implementation of the epidemiological traffic light that is being carried out in our country, which is already being replicated in other countries.
- “Mexico has been managing the traffic light system, a system that other countries have already started using. Mexico was one of the first countries in America to use that system and we support Mexico to continue with that system,” said Michael Ryan.
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October 14th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,295
Confirmed: 825,340
Suspects: 93,907
Deaths per day: 475
Deaths: 84,420
Update: October 13th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Covid-19 coronavirus vaccination will take a year
(Source: El Universal newspaper)
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- The federal government announced that, through the National Health System, it plans to vaccinate at least 116.69 million Mexicans in a year, once the vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus is ready.
- About, the government signed three advance purchase agreements for 35 billion pesos for vaccines from international organizations and laboratories.
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Local Tourism
AMLO announces investment in Cancun
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- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced that, as part of the Mayan Train works, urban improvement works are being contemplated for Cancun.
- Likewise, the president announced the investment of 52 million pesos to combat sargassum on the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean.
- After the security assessment meeting in Quintana Roo, the president also reported on the progress in security: “In the case of Quintana Roo an effort has been made, this due to the coordination that exists between the Federal Government and the State Government”.
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Travel Industry
IATA warns that aviation is not reactivated as expected
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- Peter Cerdá, IATA Vice President for the Americas, mentioned that despite the reactivation protocols implemented by the airlines, the sector has not been reactivated as planned.
- “There are many countries worldwide that continue to have their borders closed, and although many have already opened, they maintain strict restrictions such as quarantines”, he added.
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AMLO affirms investment for Cancun and Cozumel
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- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced an investment of 5,187 million pesos by the federal government and the Business Coordinating Council (Consejo Coordinador Empresarial, CCE), in order to carry out two projects in that area of the state.
- The plans are part of a package of 32 projects that are expected to be carried out at the national level during the next year.
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Canadians interested in traveling to the Caribbean
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- According to a study carried out by Sunwing Travel Group, Canadian tourists have expressed interest in traveling to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America at the end of this year, as they usually do in that season.
- The survey revealed that Canadians feel confident in making safe and responsible travel in the beach destinations where the airline operates, which will resume its flights as of November 6.
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Thompson Hotels will offer long stays for work
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- With the aim of joining the “workation” trend that combines the home office with vacations, Thompson Hotels announced the launch of its long-stay program at its three locations in Mexico: Playa del Carmen, Los Cabos and Zihuatanejo.
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Palladium reopens its hotels in Riviera Maya
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- The group announced that all its properties in the Riviera Maya are now operating (Palladium Colonial, Grand Palladium Kantenah, Grand Palladium White Sand and TRS Yucatan Hotel).
- Likewise, it announced that all its activities work under the Palladium Hotel Group Clean & Safe program in association with SGS, and include new cleaning and disinfection strategies.
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Amazon launches new virtual tour proposal
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- The company presented Amazon Explore, a platform that will allow you to book tours and live virtual experiences, led by local guides.
- In addition to guided tours in different cities and historical cultural monuments, the platform will have the option of shopping in stores and boutiques around the world, as well as DIY lessons with experts.
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Airlines
United extends operations in the Mexican Caribbean
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- The airline announced that, starting in November, it will resume operations on more than 30 international routes, which include flights to cities in Asia, Europe and South America.
- United Airlines announced that it will expand its operations in more than 20 routes to the most popular beach destinations in Mexico, such as a new flight to Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, as well as the expansion of its service to Cancun, Cozumel, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.
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Copa will connect 18 destinations from Mexico
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- The airline announced that starting in October it will connect 18 destinations from Mexico through its Hub of the Americas, located in Panama.
- The destinations that will connect with Mexico are Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Brazil; Santiago de Chile; Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena and Medellín in Colombia; among others.
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Delta to retire 383 aircraft from its fleet
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- As part of its fleet reconversion actions, the airline announced that in five years it will retire 383 aircraft. In addition, it announced the reduction of its purchase commitments by more than 5,000 million dollars until 2022.
- Delta Air Lines posted a loss of $ 5,379 million in the third quarter of this year. So, its revenue fell 76 percent to $ 3.062 million.
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Global Information
Russia registers new coronavirus vaccine
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- Vladimir Putin, President of Russia announced that he registered a second vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus, which was named EpiVacCorona.
- “I would like to start with the pleasant information that the Véktor center in Novosibirsk has today registered the second Russian vaccine against the coronavirus: EpiVacCorona (…) As far as I know, we have a third vaccine on the way, that of the Chumakov Center of the Academy of Sciences of Russia “, added the president.
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October 13 Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,542
Confirmed: 821,045
Suspects: 94,049
Deaths per day: 164
Deaths: 83,945
Update: October 12, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Government acquires 116 million vaccines against Covid-19 coronavirus
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- The Government signed an agreement for 35,153 million pesos for pharmaceutical companies to administer the necessary doses to vaccinate 116 million Mexicans against the Covid-19.
- Arturo Herrera, Finance Minister, explained that 51 million doses will be received from Covax, 34 million from Pfizer, 77 million from Astra Zéneca and up to 35 million from CanSino from China.
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Local Tourism
Cancun: foreign tourism does not recover
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- According to data from the Cancun International Airport, the arrival of international tourists to the Mexican Caribbean dropped by 60 percent between January and September of this year.
- September registered a 27 percent drop in domestic tourism, while international travelers maintained a 65 percent drop.
- During this month, Cancun recovered 73 percent of domestic tourism and 35 percent from abroad.
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Flights from 5 key markets will arrive in Cancun
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- Darío Flota Ocampo, Director of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo (Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo, CPTQ) announced that new flights from five key markets will operate in the Mexican Caribbean.
- Flota explained: “By the end of the year we have an increase in flights and new routes from the United States, and we hope that Spain will also announce an opening of its routes. Like the national routes that were pending to open, they will start shortly as is Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi”.
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Cozumel advances in tourism recovery
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- According to Pedro Joaquín Delbouis, Municipal President of Cozumel, after the passage of hurricane “Delta” and the reactivation of the Charlotte-Cozumel air route of American Airlines, the destination is moving towards economic and tourist recovery.
- Delbouis stated: “In record time, thanks to the combined efforts between society and the government, Cozumel is standing up to welcome tourism, therefore, we recognize the support and trust that American Airlines places in the destination; its routes from Dallas, Miami and now Charlotte, will allow us to strengthen overnight tourism, which also translates into a bonanza for service providers ”.
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Travel Industry
Cruises will conduct universal tests to detect Covid
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- During the Seatrade Cruise Global Virtual, Adam Goldstein, Vice President of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and CLIA Global Chair, informed that the cruises will commit to testing passengers and crew, in order to deal with the threat of Covid in the industry.
- Goldstein explained that “It doesn’t necessarily have to be at the port,” he said. “The crew and / or guests can board the ship, but they must have a negative result,” whether they are taken before leaving home or whatever”.
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AMLO foresees recovery in the Mexican Caribbean at the end of the year
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- The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), estimates that by the end of the year tourism activity in the Mexican Caribbean will reach the levels it had before the Covid health emergency.
- “I predict by the end of the year we will almost be in a situation similar to that of before the Covid in Quintana Roo, that is, we will continue to recover (…) As the effects of the pandemic are already diminishing, since there is already a recovery in tourism, which is the main activity of Quintana Roo, little by little tourists are already arriving”, said the president.
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Universal Assistance launches i-Covid
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- The travel insurance and assistance company announced the launch of its new i-Covid service, to provide its customers with information regarding the coronavirus.
- With i-Covid, Universal Assistance will provide information on country entry restrictions, details of airline hygiene protocols and information related to their coverage.
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Airlines
Volaris announces new route
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- The airline reported that, as of December 11, its new Cancun-Oaxaca route will begin operations with two frequencies a week (Wednesday and Friday).
- The above as part of an alliance between the airline with the Oaxaca Ministry of Tourism and Governor, Alejandro Murat Hinojosa, which includes a program to reactivate tourism in the state.
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Interjet without permission to fly to Canada
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- Due to the lack of liability insurance coverage, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) announced that it suspended Interjet’s license to operate international air service in its country.
- The CTA explained that, in accordance with Article 69 of the Canadian Transportation, airlines that have flights to their country must respect this aspect.
- “The licensee (Interjet) has ceased to comply with the requirement of having liability insurance coverage … Accordingly, the license is suspended,” said the agency.
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Global Information
Johnson & Johnson Suspends Covid-19 Vaccine Trials
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- The pharmaceutical company announced the temporary suspension of trials of the vaccine against Covid-19, because one of the volunteers developed an unexplained illness.
- Johnson & Johnson explained its decision to “temporarily pause the dosing of all of our clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine candidates, including the phase three trial,” due to “unexplained illness in a study participant”.
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First death due to Covid-19 reinfection is registered
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- An 89-year-old Dutch woman who fell ill with coronavirus for the second time, died because of the disease that produced a rare form of bone marrow cancer.
- This was one of 25 recorded cases of coronavirus reinfection in the world, making it the first known death from a coronavirus reinfection.
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October 12 Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,175
Confirmed: 817,503
Suspects: 94,182
Deaths per day: 139
Deaths: 83,781
Update: October 11, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Health Ministry confirms first case of coronavirus Covid-19 and seasonal flu
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- The Director of Epidemiology, José Luis Alomía, confirmed that a 54-year-old woman is suffering from coronavirus Covid-19 and seasonal flu, she is stable.
- “Currently, she is in the hospital and she has been reported stable. (…) The laboratory gives the results of different viruses of the viral panel”, said Alomía.
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Local Tourism
The tourist infrastructure of Quintana Roo does not report damages because of “Delta”
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- During the fourth edition of the Tourism Sector Funding Meetings, Miguel Torruco, Federal Secretary of Tourism, assured that the tourism infrastructure of Quintana Roo did not suffer any damage after the presence of hurricane “Delta”.
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Baja California Sur presents actions to recover meeting tourism
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- The Secretary of Tourism, Economy and Sustainability (SETUES), Humberto Araiza, indicated that Baja California Sur implements measures such as quick tests, personal protection and sanitary hygiene in the equipment (masks, antibacterial gel and others) and medical screenings.
- During the World Meeting Forum, the Secretary mentioned that the state is working to obtain certifications such as the H-Distinctive and Punto Limpio.
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Yucatan restarts meeting tourism
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- The Mexican Association of Professionals in Exhibitions, Festivals and Conventions (Amprofec) will hold The New Experience Expo & Congress in Yucatan.
- The format of this event will be a hybrid (face-to-face and virtual) and will be a test for the meeting industry to apply the new protocols needed to reactivate this segment.
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Travel Industry
Tourist service providers are already part of VisitMexico
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- VisitMexico’s platform enabled the free registration of tourism service providers to be part of the site.
- Israel Urbina, VisitMexico’s Director of Routes and Content mentioned that “the page is focused on tourists, so all tourism service providers that offer products and services focused on the traveler can register”.
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MT Expert Club is looking to support travel agencies
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- Mega Travel launched the MT Expert Club campaign, which seeks to support travel agencies in attracting new customers through a blog and social networks.
- Ricardo Romero, Commercial Manager of Mega Travel said: “During the crisis Mega Travel and its commercial partners proved our values in the commercialization, while the big OTA platforms were not up to the task”.
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Airlines
Southwest arrives in Vallarta from Phoenix, Arizona
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- During October, November and December, the direct flight from Phoenix, Arizona will have a daily frequency, will be operated by a Boeing 737-700 with capacity for 143 passengers.
- The Interim Director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Promotion Trust mentioned: “The return of Southwest to the destination confirms the confidence of the North American market to travel to Mexico during the upcoming Winter season”.
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Aeromexico obtains US $1 billion in financing
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- The airline will have definitive access to the US $1 billion financing granted by Apollo Global Management.
- Andés Conesa, CEO of Aeromexico Group said: “The final approval of the DIP Financing (Debtor-in-Possession) is a major milestone in Aeromexico’s restructuring process.
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Global Information
Study reveals that Covid-10 survives on surfaces for up to 28 days
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- According to a study by Australia’s national science agency (CSIRO), at 20°C the SARS-COV-2 virus can survive in paper, glass and stainless-steel banknotes for up to 28 days.
- Shan Riddell, scientist who led the study stressed the importance of cleaning surfaces, sanitizing spaces and washing hands frequently.
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October 8th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,580
Confirmed: 799,188
Suspects: 91,184
Deaths per day: 378
Deaths: 82,726
Update: October 7th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
AMLO: No casualties reported after hurricane “Delta”
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- The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, reported that minor damage was reported in Yucatán and Quintana Roo after the presence of hurricane “Delta”, including problems with the electricity.
- Laura Velázquez, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, said that Cancun’s airport is going to re-establish its services today.
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Local Tourism
Cancun hotel zone receives evacuated tourists again
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- Thousands of tourists who were evacuated due to the presence of hurricane “Delta” are returning to their hotels in Cancun.
- To prevent citizens from accessing the beaches, filters have been installed at the accesses to the hotel zone. This is because the region continues to be on yellow alert for this hurricane.
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“Guest Assist”, the app for tourist’s safety in Quintana Roo
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- The government of Quintana Roo launched the “Guest Assist” application, so that the more than 30 thousand tourists can report their location, find contact information of embassies in case of any problem, among other services.
- Marisol Venegas Pérez, Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo said: “The hotels have special protocols (…), through buses made the safe transfer. They have worked with Civil Protection who are aware of the situation”.
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Los Cabos reports 70% airflow
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- The reactivation of flights to Los Cabos recovered 70 percent of the air market in September, compared to the same month last year.
- The national airflow recovered 80 percent, while the international 60 percent.
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Travel Industry
Xcaret Group resumes regular operations
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- Xcaret Mexico Hotel operates as usual with the safety protocols in accordance with its program Xeguridad 360°, which is active since June 15th this year.
- Lizeth Álvarez, Sales Executive of Xcaret Group mentioned: “(We) carry out an inspection in our facilities and follow the guidelines of the federal and local authorities, we are able to (…) provide experiences in a safe environment”.
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Sedetur supports tourists stranded by cancelled flights
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- Following the presence of hurricane “Delta” in the Mexican Caribbean, the Ministry of Tourism of Quintana Roo (Sedetur) will support tourists stranded by cancelled flights with accommodation and transportation services.
- The government of the state approved the reopening of supermarkets, shops and others.
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Posadas reports few or no damage due to hurricane “Delta”
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- The brand Posadas reported that its properties are in good conditions, so the guests can return to the hotels.
- To support guests who were affected by the presence of “Delta”, Posadas offers several lodging options on change in lodging reservations.
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Cozumel resumes operations
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- The tourist activity in Cozumel has been reactivated after the presence of hurricane “Delta”. The 100 tourists sheltered in Carlos Monsiváis High School can now return to their hotels.
- The shops in the region are operating in accordance with the Strategic Plan for the Economic and Tourist Reactivation of Cozumel, Flea and Municipal Market.
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Airlines
Aeromar, IATA’s new member
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- As of October 1st Aeromar is member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
- Danilo Correa, Aeromar’s CEO Said: “Our proactive participation will help us to improve our service standards and to implement best business practices, for the benefit of the customers and the company; as well as be part of IATA’s initiatives”.
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October 7th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,828
Confirmed: 794,608
Suspects: 91,992
Deaths per day: 471
Deaths: 82,348
Update: October 6th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
One million cases of Covid-19 coronavirus are expected in ZMVM
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- It is estimated that, as in December 31 of this year, the total accumulated confirmed cases of Covid-19 coronavirus in the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico (ZMVM) would reach one million 247, according to the Stanford-CIDE COronavirus Simulation MOdel (SC-COSMO).
- In a statement it explained: “By means of Bayesian techniques, we use the series of incident cases of Covid-19 as objective data to estimate the parameters of the model and with these generate the projections.”
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40% of the Mayan Train track is inhabited
(Source: El Universal newspaper)
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- Documents of the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, Fonatur) expose that in 294 of the 724 kilometers that are already under construction, there are houses next to the rails. Affected residents of Campeche demand that roads be relocated so as not to be exiled from their homes.
- However, Fonatur explains that, for security reasons, there cannot be homes or buildings within 20 meters of the axes.
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Local Tourism
“Delta” arrives in Quintana Roo as category 2
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- According to National Water Comission, (Comisión Nacional del Agua, Conagua) the center of the category 2 hurricane “Delta” made landfall in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo at 5:30 am.
- The meteorological phenomenon, which has been degrading in the last hours, entered the region with maximum winds of 175 km/h and gusts of 205 km/h, which have caused torrential rains in municipalities of Yucatan and Quintana Roo.
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Cancun Airport closes due to hurricane
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- Due to the arrival of hurricane “Delta”, the Cancun International Airport closed its doors and canceled 36 flights. The authorities announced that the airport will be reestablished once the weather conditions allow it.
- The Cozumel airport is also closed. As an alternative, the Merida airport will be available to meet the demands.
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Cancun: Is recognized the evacuation of tourists due to hurricane
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- Roberto Cintrón, President of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, recognized the work of the tourism sector for the effective evacuation of thousands of tourists, due to the passage of Hurricane Delta.
- “My greatest recognition and gratitude to each and every one of you for the effort you put into making our tourists feel safe, welcome and well despite these difficult circumstances, thank you very much,” said Citrón.
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Half of Cancun is left without electricity due to hurricane
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- Carlos Joaquín González, Governor of Quintana Roo, reported that due to the strong winds caused by the passage of hurricane “Delta”, the fall of trees and “poles with electrical power wiring” was recorded.
- In a first report, he declared: “we calculate that 50% do not have electricity; however, much less than expected”.
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Travel Industry
WTTC will participate in meeting with G20 Tourism Ministers
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- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) will hold a meeting – in which more than 40 CEOs of the main international tourism companies will participate – with the Ministers of Tourism of the 20 main powers.
- The meeting is expected to analyze coordination mechanisms that allow the recovery of the sector and that of millions of jobs in the sector, which were lost because of the pandemic.
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Asetur launches #unidosreactivemoselturismo campaign
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- The Union of Secretaries of Tourism Mexico (Unión de Secretarios de Turismo de México, ASETUR), headed by Luis Humberto Araiza, launched the campaign #UnidosReactivemosElTurismo (#UnitedLet’sReactivateTourism) to become an information channel on the process of tourist reactivation in Mexico.
- In addition to sharing first-hand information and promoting responsible reactivation, the special section on its website will have information on certifications, reopening, flights, alliances, and reactivation campaigns.
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Airlines
Interjet and Aeromar cancel alliance
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- The airlines announced the decision, by mutual agreement, to end their codeshare service and possible purchase of shares, for both companies to continue with their independent restructuring plans.
- In this regard, the Trade Union Association of Aviators Pilots of Mexico (Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de México, Aspa), declared that the leasing of aircraft and crew between Interjet and Aeromar has been inoperative because both airlines have not reached an agreement on the payment scheme.
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Global Information
Trump compares Covid-19 to the common flu
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- In his official Twitter account, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, once again underestimated Covid-19 when comparing it to a seasonal flu, even though he recently tested positive for coronavirus.
- “Flu season is coming up! Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!”, he shared on Twitter.
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October 6th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 28,115
Confirmed: 789,780
Suspects: 92,871
Deaths per day: 2,789
Deaths: 81,877
Update: October 5th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Ministry of Health adjusts epidemiological surveillance actions
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- The system counts as positive case to any person who has been in contact with coronavirus Covid-19 patient, without having been tested.
- José Luis Alomía, Director of Epidemiology of the Minitry of Health, mentioned:”Since this new system, it is no longer only possible to have positive cases by laboratory, but also to have confirmed cases by epidemiological association without a sample”.
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Local Tourism
Cancún on yellow alert for storm “Delta”
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- Due to the arrival of the storm “Delta”, the Hotel Association of Cancun and Puerto Morelos have requested that the more than 30 thousand tourists be evacuated to the shelters.
- Roberto Cintron, President of the Hotel Association of Cancun and Puerto Morelos explained that the hotels with shelters can withstand the arrival of a category 4 hurricane.
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The Mexican Caribbean does not have wedding protocols
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- Quintana Roo does not yet have protocols against coronavirus Covid-19 approved to reactivate the wedding segment in the region.
- Marisol Vanegas, Secretary of Tourism said: “Quintana Roo is home to more than 90 thousand weddings per year according to 2019 and the protocol is not yet ready”.
- Currently, Quintana Roo allows events and conventions with a 30 percent capacity in indoor areas and up to 50 percent in outdoors.
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“Recommend Us” launched to boost tourism
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- Luis Alegre Salazar, President of the Tourism Commission in the Union Congress, launched the campaign “Recommend Us” to promote the reactivation of tourism in Quintana Roo and all the country.
- Alegre also commented that the campaign has two phases, the first is to provide excellent service to travelers that visit in Quintana Roo and other destinations, the second will be the recommendation of these places.
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Travel Industry
México Desconocido magazine, in charge of promoting Pueblos Mágicos
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- The Federal Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) has appointed the editorial group of México Desconocido magazine to develop the new website to promote Pueblos Mágicos.
- The website offers a practical guide to all the Pueblos Mágicos, as well as the destination’s attractions, activities, hotels recommendations, restaurants and some tour operators.
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Brand USA resumes tourism promotion in Mexico
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- John Herrington, the astronaut who was the first Native American traveling to the space, participated in the virtual presentation.
- “The United States offers many kinds of adventures tailored to each traveler. The important thing is to preserve that curiosity to explore new places and continue surprising us”, said Lourdes Berho, Regional Director of Brand USA in Mexico.
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Sectur: China is an important market for Mexico
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- Miguel Torruco Marqués, Secretary of Tourism of the Mexican Government, participated in the celebration of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, where he highlighted the importance of tourism in the country.
- During the event, Torruco invited participants to value the protection and preservation of natural resources, social and community well-being inclusion and diversity.
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Airlines
Volaris has positive capacity and traffic recovery
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- The airline operates at 84 percent of the capacity levels it had in the same period last year.
- Enrique Beltranena, Executive President and General Director highlighted that Volaris flew a total of 1.3 million passengers during September 2020. It means an increase of 4.1 percent compared to August 2020.
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Sky Team supports Covid-19 rapid test initiative
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- Delta’s co-founded global airline alliance, Sky Team, supports the initiative by the International Air Transport Associacion (IATA) about rapid Covid-19 testing prior to flight.
- Kristin Colvile, CEO of Sky Team mentioned that the passengers tests will benefit Sky Team’s employees, to the airlines and the travel industry in general.
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Global Information
Donald Trump leaves the hospital and sent a message
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- The President of the US, Donald Trump, was discharged from Walter Reed Hospital and sent a message to the people encouraging them not to be afraid of the disease.
- There are records that at least 12 senior Washington officials have tested positive for the coronavirus Covid-19 in the last week.
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October 5th Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,712
Confirmed: 761,665
Suspects: 85,743
Deaths per day: 208
Deaths: 79,088
Update: October 4rd, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Ministry of Health: There is not a current status of coronavirus Covid-19 recoveries
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- The Ministry of Health acknowledged that it does not have a diagnosis of the health status of the 550,053 recovered people from coronavirus Covid-19 in Mexico.
- Ricardo Cortés Alcalá, General Director of Health Promotion, said: “A specific diagnosis of health status of the people who have recovered is not available now. It seems to me that of these 500 thousand people that we estimate have recovered, it will not even represent 5 percent of those who required some specific rehabilitation therapy”.
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Local Tourism
Storm risk in Cancún
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- Experts from the National Meteorological Service (SMN) announced that there is a tropical storm, number twenty-six, 145 kilometers from Jamaica island, which is moving to the East-Southeast of Grand Cayman and it is approaching to the Yucatan Peninsula.
- Tropical storm “Gamma” will reach the coast of Mexico’s Gulf in the next few days and it could be accompanied by a cyclone that could turn into a hurricane and affect the area.
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US Airlines to increase flights to Cozumel
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- The main airlines that arrive in Cozumel and the General Director of Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council of (CPTQ), Darío Flota Ocampo, have agreed to keep the air routes, as well as to increase the frequencies to Cozumel.
- American Airlines has announced that the reconnection to the island with flights from Miami, Florida & Charlotte, North Carolina will start on October 8 and 10.
- Regarding the national air connectivity, as of October 2nd, Volaris resumed its operation of the Mexico City – Cozumel route with two weekly frequencies.
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Cancún, strengthened destination after pandemic
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- Apple Leisure Group (ALG) recognized that, after the pandemic, Cancun is one of the most strengthened destinations in the Caribbean.
- “We look to the future; we want to keep our collaboration with travel agent’s community (…). We are looking for a change in the destination from now on that has been captured by Mexico and Cancun “, mentioned Alejandro Reynal, CEO of the company.
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Travel Industry
Biden would affect tourism more in the short term in Mexico
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- Joe Biden’s possible victory in the US presidential elections could cause Mexican Caribbean destinations to face additional restrictions on tourism if they continue with high Covid-19 levels.
- One of Trump’s strongest arguments for a position in the presidential race is Trump’s management of the pandemic, as the US reports the 25 percent of cases of infection and deaths from Covid-19 worldwide.
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IMSS certifies 21 hotels of Riviera Nayarit
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- The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) awarded 21 hotels in Riviera Nayarit with the Health Security Distinction, to recognize them as safe places for the return of employees to their activities in the face of coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.
- Some of those certified hotels are Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan, Ocean Brezze, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit; Riu Jalisco, Riu Vallarta and Riu Palace.
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Pueblos Mágicos could lose their appointment
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- The Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) released the National Strategy of Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns), which includes an evaluation scheme to define their viability or the revocation of their appointment.
- “The permanence of Pueblos Mágicos will be carried out by means of an evaluation and follow-up model that allows for the evaluations of planning and sustainable tourism development, it will focus on the national development planning, state standards and with the objective of boost the tourism from the local level”, explained the organism.
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Fematur requests tax deductibility and federal support
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- Juan Carlos Arnau Avila, Vice President of International Affairs of the Mexican Federation of Tourism Associations (Fematur), supports the idea to have temporary help at the federal level, which would allow the tourism sector to face damages due to the pandemic.
- Likewise, he requested the deductibility of restaurant expenses (today it only applies to 25 percent) to extend it to 50 percent or 100 percent in some destinations, to encourage restaurant operations.
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Panama to reopens its borders to tourism
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- From October 12, the county will reopen its borders to international visitors from all the countries with tight strategic health and protocols to keep tourists and local communities safe throughout the territory.
- All travelers that enter to Panama, will be required to submit a negative Covid-19 test, which must be taken no more than 48 hours before.
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DoubleTree by Hilton Mazatlán to open
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- Hilton announced the opening of its new hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Mazatlán, the first brand’s property in Sinaloa and the property number seven in Mexico.
- Jorge Giannattasio, Sr. Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for the Caribbean and Latin America, said: “We are happy to welcome DoubleTree by Hilton Mazatlán as the newest Hilton’s property in this historic beach destination for both locals and tourists”.
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Airlines
Air France returns to Paris-Cancun-Paris route
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- From October 4, the airline will re-establish the route that connects France and the world, with the Mexican Caribbean. It will have two weekly frequencies.
- Last Sunday, Carlos Joaquín, Governor of the State said: “The arrival of Air France flights AF650, at Terminal 4 of Cancun Airport, continues to strengthen our flight program and confirms our commitment to Mexico and Quintana Roo”.
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Viva Aerobus reaches 97 routes in October
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- The airline announced that for this month it will operate a total of 97 routes (86 national, 11 international), that includes the reactivation of flights from Mexico City to Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Campeche, Ciudad del Carmen, Durango and Los Mochis.
- “We already operate 97 routes that promote the responsible reactivation of tourism and commerce, both are essential activities. Also, we add 18 new flights that reinforce our commitment with an accessible national and international air connectivity”, said Juan Carlos Zuazua, Director of the airline.
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Global Information
WHO: 10% of the worldwide population has infected by Covid-19
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- Michael Ryan, Chief of Emergency Services at the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that it is possible that one in 10 people worldwide has already been infected by coronavirus.
- The estimate reaches 760 million people, based on the current world population of about 7.6 billion. It exceeds the number of confirmed cases reported by both the WHO and Johns Hopkins University.
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October 1st Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,053
Confirmed: 743,216
Suspects: 93,350
Deaths per day: 483
Deaths: 77,646
Update: September 30th , 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Hugo López-Gatell: It is important to attend to any symptomatology that presents itself
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- The Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, urged the population to continue with prevention and hygiene measures, such as the use of mouth guards and healthy distance in open spaces.
- The Undersecretary informed that Mexico will participate in phase three of the clinical research of the vaccine against the coronavirus Covid-19 developed by the pharmaceutical company Janssen. This could begin at the end of October.
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Bets on tourists from USA and Canada to reactivate
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- Miguel Torruco, Secretary of Tourism reported that the United States represents 55 percent of total international travelers, while Canada represents 13 percent.
- In a press conference, the Secretary of Tourism mentioned that travelers to these destinations are interested in taking trips of up to four and a half hours of flight time.
- “On October 5th we will announce the strategy to encourage national tourism, which will be based on promoting visits to magical tourism towns”, mentioned Torruco.
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The Mexican Government will pay an advance of vaccines against Covid-19
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- The President of the country, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mentioned that the Mexican Government has 10,000 million pesos to pay in advance for vaccines against the coronavirus Covid-19.
- Some of the vaccine projects considered in this budget are those of AstraZeneca and Oxford University from United Kingdom and those of Moderna, Merck/Themis and Novavax from United States.
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Local Tourism
Cancún celebrates the arrival of the first Eruopean flight to the Mexican Caribbean
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- Darío Flota, Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQR), announced that the flight is being operated by the Lufthansa airline, is coming from Frankfurt and will arrive with 279 passenger.
- Flota also mentioned that the arival of the Lufthansa Gorup’s airline Edelweiss Air is expected, which will arrive in Cancun and will come from Zurich.
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Yucatán resumes international air connectivity
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- On October 8th, the state of Yucatán will once again receive an international flight, which will be from Miami and will be operated by American Airlines.
- Michelle Fridman, Secretary of Tourism Development of the state, said: “The increase in connectivity is a reflection of the synergies and joint work between the air transport industry and the state of Yucatán”.
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Nuevo León announces results during Tianguis Turístico Digital
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- During the Tianguis Turístico Digital, the state of Nuevo León announced that it seeks to promote nature tourism, one of the future trends.
- The Director of the Corporation, Miguel Ángel Cantú, declared: “Our Airlines have increased the number of flights thanks to the reactivation of their routes (…), this benefits the entire tourism sector because it allows us to retake the dynamics that Nuevo Leon had”.
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Travel Industry
IATA calls for rapid testing of Covid-19 before flight departure
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- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) asked the health authorities for rapid tests of Covid-19 before the departure of flights. In this way they seek to avoid quarantines that affect the industry and travel.
- Alexandre de Junia, CEO of IATA, said: “Systematic testing will give governments the confidence to open their borders without complicated risk models”.
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La Metro celebrated 27 years with a virtual ceremony
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- The Metropolitan Association of Travel Agents (La Metro) celebrated its 27th anniversary of representing Travel agents with a virtual ceremony.
- During the evento, Benjamín Izquierdo, President of La Metro, mentioned that in recent months the association has worked together with the Mexican Group of Travel Agencies Associations (GMA) and 12 other associations to reactivate tourism.
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Despegar presents major changes in flights due to pandemic
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- Despegar, Latin America’s leading Travel company, presented a list with 7 important changes in the way to travel by air, due to the pandemic.
- Some of the changes included in the list are: Online check-in, rapid test of Covid-19, les luggage, mandatory use of masks and more domestic flights with les anticipation.
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Airlines
Air Frances includes Cancún in its November-December itinerary
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- For November and December, Air Frances confirmed the route to Cancún and Mexico City from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, until January 3rd, 2021.
- The airline will fly to 170 destinations and will opérate 50 percent of its scheduled flight agenda for the last months of this year.
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Global Information
Moderna’s vaccine could sabe older Covid-19
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- The pharmacist company, Moderna, reported that its experimental vaccine against coronavirus Covid-19 could create neutralizing antibodies in older adults at levels comparable to those generated in younger populations.
- It was also announced that the results of the final pase of the vaccine could be ready in November.
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September 30th, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,446
Confirmed: 738,163
Suspects: 83,306
Deaths per day: 506
Deaths: 77,163
Update: September 29, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
AMLO: Coronavirus Covid-19 strategy to be renewed
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- The president, Andres Manuel López Obrador declared that the health strategy against coronavirus Covid-19 will be renewed and reinforced, which include home visits to detect infections, as is currently done in Mexico City.
- “We have to intensify the home visits to detect the sick, those who may be infected, and convince them to go to the hospitals; [It is] to renew the strategy, to give it new strength and dynamics,” the president declared.
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Bureaucrats may return to office until 2021
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- In order to reduce the transmisión of coronavirus Covid-19 , the Secretariat of Public Function (SFP) announced that health and telecommuting measures in federal agencies could be extended at least until January 4, 2021.
- The SFP informed that the agencies that carry out essentials activities such as Health o the Navy Will be exempted.
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Local Tourism
Mexican Caribbean exceeds recovery expectations
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- In the Mexican Caribbean, levels have been recorded that exceed expectations for the recovery of tourism. Cozumel reached nearly 50 percent of ist hotel capacity, while Cancun already surpasses 35 percent occupancy.
- According to Roberto Cintron, President of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, it is expected to reach an occupancy rate of between 60 and 65 percent in the Costa Mujeres-Puerto Morelos corridor for the next high season.
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Travel Industry
EY introduces new pleasure traveler habits after the pandemic
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- The audit services company presented its study’s results “Habits of Pleasure Tourism”, which analyzed the impact that the pandemic has had on the habits of Mexican travalers habits, as well as the opportunities and challenges to the companies in the sector.
- Juan Solana, Business Transformation and Innovation Partner at EY Latin America North, said: “the pandemic is having an impact on the consumers in general, according to our research, more than half of them are planning to travel this year”.
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The 12th edition of Vallarta-Nayarit Gastronomy will take place in October
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- The destination announced that details of the 12th edition of Vallarta-Nayarit Gastronomy Hybrid Edition, which will take place from October 29th to 31st at the Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Convention Center Puarto Vallarta as its main venue.
- The evento will feature the presence of 27 renowned chefs, 9 sommeliers and mixologists, 6 international chefs, as well as Michelin and Master Chef stars, who will join the evento virtually.
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Airlines
Aeromexico launches new all-inclusive packages
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- Through Gran Plan, the airline announced “Travel Safe and All-inclusive”, its new offer to travel packages that will include air and ground transportation and lodging in 11 destinations such as Acapulco, Cancún, Huatulco, La Paz, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Mérida, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Zihuatanejo.
- Among the other companies that will make up the packages are: Posadas Group, AM Resorts, Presidente Hotels, Iberostar Hotels, Palladium Hotels and Hard Rock Hotels.
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Readjustments to Aeromexico’s staff continue
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- According to the Mexican Aviation Surgeons’ Union Association (ASSA), the airline’s structuring plan recently added 616 surcharge layoffs and included a job rotation scheme for up to one year.
- All thos surcharges who have been readjusted and have permission to do so may return to the company as soon as market conditions are favorable, with the guarantee that their position Will be respected, the union explained.
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American Airlines expands internationa conectivity
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- Carlos Mendoza Davis, Governor of Baja California, mentioned that American Airlines will strengthen air connectivity between the state with Dallas, Texas, Phoenix and Arizona, during December-March and June-August seasons.
- “Baja California Sur is back to the international tourism market; and we are doing it in a strong, firm and sustained way with the reconnection of our capital city and the strengthening of the air connectivity of Loreto with two importan cities of the United States”, the Governor declared.
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Viva Aerobus introduces new routes
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- As parto f the activities of the Tianguis Turístico Digital, the airline announced the opening of the new route Mexico City-Ciudad Obregón.
- “The start of this new route is another step in the process of recovering the state’s tourist and comercial market. We recognize the commitment of Viva Aerobus to strengthen the state’s connectivity and disciplined health protocols. Working together, we give visitors cerainty that La Paz is a safe and reliable destination”, said Luis Humberto Araiza López, head of SETUES.
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Global Information
The world reaches a million of deaths due to Covid-19
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- After eight months since the first coronavirus Covid-19 case was registered in China, this Tuesday the figure of 1,555 deaths due to the virus was reached.
- Worldwide, the curve is on a “plateau” since the beginning of June, with 5 thousands deaths per day, according to oficial figures.
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September 29th, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,400
Confirmed: 733,717
Suspects: 93,953
Deaths per day: 173
Deaths: 76,603
Update: September 28, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Influenza Vaccination Campaign to begin
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- According to the Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell, next Thursday, October 1st, the Health Secretary will announce the beginning of the Influenza Vaccination Campaign.
- Starting with the 40th epidemiological week, which began last Sunday, influenza cases will begin to increase.
- The Undersecretary explained that, due to Winter season, there could be an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus Covid-19.
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Local Tourism
In Mexican Caribbean there are already 40 thousand rooms available
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- After 45 thousand rooms were closed and the occupancy levels of less than 10 percent after the pandemic, Caribbean hotels now have more than 40,000 rooms available.
- Levels have now surpassed 30 percent and it is anticipated that 70 percent occupancy could be reached by the end of the year.
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Campeche rushes to open beaches
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- After being the first state in the country to reach the lowest leve lof risk for coronavirus Covid-19, the opening of beaches in the state will begin, according to Jorge Manos Luego, Secretary of Tourism of Campeche.
- Due to this, the Minister advanced that the hotel occupation could reach up to 40 percent.
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Mexico City introduces Safe Tourism Program
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- As parto of the World Tourism Day and the launch of the Safe Tourism Program, Mexico City received the Safe Travels sea lof approval from the World Tourism Organization.
- Likewise, Volaris was awarded the Mexico City Tourism Safety Stamp by the Government of Mexico City for the implementation of ist Biosafety Protocol and for its recognized work in passenger transportation during the pandemic.
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Ironman 70.3 leaves economic spill of $23 million pesos in Cozumel
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- According to Pedro Joaquín Delbouis, Municipal President of Cozumel, Ironman 70.3 left an economic spill of close to 23 million pesos, which means a direct Benefit for the locals, he explained.
- The ninth edition of this sport evento had the participation of more than 1,300 competitors.
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U.S. Airlines bet on Mexican Caribbean
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- The Cancun International Airport is gradually recovering international air operations and recording an increase in flights from the United States, its main market.
- S. Airlines, such as Sun Country, Frontier Airlines, American Airlines y Southwest Airlines have resumed flights to the Mexican Caribbean, after the easing of mobility restrictions.
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Travel Industry
BestDay reopens selling points in shopping malls
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- The Online Travel Agency announced that it will begin operations of its points of sale located in shopping malls, for which a special program of health and higiene measures Will be implemented.
- Alejandro Calligaris, CEO of BestDay Travel Group, mentioned: “At BestDay we are very happy to reopen our islands in shopping malls (…) we are always attentive to the need of our users and, even when there are habits that have changed, the taste for Travel remains latent”.
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ATELIER de Hoteles: successful opening due to influx of guests
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- After the reopening of some of its properties, the hotel chain announced that ATELIER Playa Mujeres, ESTUDIO Playa Mujeres and ÓLEO Cancún Playa, reached high levels of occupation.
- Oliver Reinhart, CEO of ATELIER de Hoteles, Said: “It is pretty gratifying to have testimonials from guests who express that they fell safer during their stay in our hotels, than in their home towns”.
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Posadas launched medial insurance with Covid-19 coverage
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- The leading hotel operator unveiled its medical and Travel expense program for guests, “Protección VIAJA con Confianza”, which seeks to provide medical coverage, including Covid-19 during their stay.}
- The program’s coverage will include telemedicine service, hotel expenses during covalescence and 24-hour services. Guests Will be able to count on this support through a charge per day of lodging.
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Hotelbeds and NexusTours sign alliance
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- Hotelbeds announced an strategic Alliance with NexusTours to become the preferred provider of tranfers, excursions and personalized local assistance in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
- While Hotelbeds will make available to Nexus more than 60,000 customers B2B from 140 source markets wolrdwide, such as touroperators, airlines, loyalty programs and travel agencies.
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Airlines
Aeromar to connect Cancún with Cuba
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- The airline announced that, in order to expand and diversify its route offering, it Will have flights to Cuba from Cancun starting in November in coordination with Viajes Libero.
- These new flights from Cancun will begin in a staggered manner, starting on November 5th two weekly frequencies.
- Aeromar customers will be able to purchase packages to Cuba’s capital, Varadero and the Keys.
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Global Information
More tan 2,000 Mexicans have died abroad due to Covid-19
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- The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, reported that 2,521 Mexican men and women have died outside the country dur to coronavirus Covid-19.
- The Minister declared: “Unfortunately, Mexicans have died outside our country in this pandemic (..) In the United States there are 2 thousand 505 out of a total of 199 thousand 597 people who have unfortunately los their lives”.
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September 28, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,886
Confirmed: 730,317
Suspects: 82,914
Deaths per day: 187
Deaths: 76,430
Update: September 27, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
17 colonies were adding in red light lists in Mexico City
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- According to the Priority Attention Program, the Government of Mexico City announced 17 new colonies that will change to red light in the epidemiological traffic light for next week, due to the increase in the number of coronavirus Covid-19 positive cases.
- Authorities added that the number of positive cases decreased in other 17 colonies, which allowed them to be removed from the list.
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Local Tourism
Quintana Roo: stays on yellow light
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- State Governor, Carlos Joaquín, annonced that from September 28 to October 4, the entire entity will remain in yellow, although at risk of returning to orange, due to a rise in the number of cases.
- The governor highlighted that in the south of the state has been an upsurge of infections in recent days, so he asked to strengthen preventive health measures.
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Tianguis Turístico Digital pays off for the Mexican Caribbean
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- After the participation of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo and the Mexican Caribbean destinations in the Tianguis Turístico Digital 2020, some international companies showed interest in collaborating with destinations.
- The Spotify platform, as well as BBC and CNN International could collaborate in the development of campaigns to promote the Mexican Caribbean for the Lain America and United States markets.
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Amazon Prime chooses Playa del Carmen as its main location
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- From September 25, you can enjoy the Mexican Caribbean in The Flowers series from Amazon Prime.
- The serie will consist in five chapters and will be available in the United States and Latin American market.
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Whale shark arrives in Quintana Roo
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- Year after year, thousands of whale shark arrive in the coasts of the state, which registers the largest concentrations of these species worldwide.
- Rafael de la Parra, a scientist dedicated to the study of whale sharks, explained that the Mexican Caribbean is the world most important area for the conservation of the species.
- In 2016, the whale shark entered the red list of species in danger of extinction of the International Union for the Conservations of Nature.
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Cancún: decreased in occupation expected by the end of the year
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- According to Alberto Solís, President of the Association of Vacation and Tourist Resorts (Acotour), a 25 percent decrease in rates is expected by the end of the year.
- The president of Acotour explained that the discounts offered by the Mexican Caribbean to reactivate demand have caused a 50 percent reduction in rates, so they expect to end the year with a decrease.
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Travel Industry
Tourism recovery could take 19 months
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- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that the recovery of the tourism industry could take 19 months if governments and individual agencies coordinate to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the world.
- Virginia Messina, Director of the WTTC, said: “We are at the exact point where different actions that can be taken with a focus on recovery can buy us time”.
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Price Travel asks for confidence in the traveler to reactivate the industry
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- Jorge Restrepo, CEO of Price Travel Holding, talked about the brand’s participation in the Tianguis Turístico Digital 2020 and the importance of the travel trade recovery regaining confidence in the traveler to reactivate the industry.
- The OTA launched its distribution strategy, which aims to boost the promotions and sale of its products, trough different platforms.
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CNET and Concanaco sign agreement to Support tourism companies
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- As part of the Alianza Nacional Emergente por el Turismo (Anetur) promoted by the Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turístico (CNET), a Collaboration Agreement was signed with the Confederación de Cámaras Nacionales de Comercio, Servicios y Turismo (Concanaco Servytur), in order to promote actions to support micro, small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector and to boost the reactivation of it.
- Among the actions contemplated by the alliance is the publication of analysis, studies and statistics of the sector, as well as the organization of forums, webinars and seminars.
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City Express strengthens comercial ties in Tianguis Turístico Digital
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- According to Danael Zamora, Commercial Director of the company, the participation of City Express Hotels in the Tianguis Turístico Digital increased the chance to reactivate and strengthen their commercial ties.
- Danae mentioned: “We are present in the medical clusters of the country; the idea is to offer stays that are really adapted to the needs of people who travel to undergo some medical treatment”.
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Airlines
Interjet left passengers stranded in Cancún
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- Due to the airline’s million-dollar debt to ASA Combustibles, at least three flights of the airline were unable to take off from Cancún, leaving more than 200 passengers stranded.
- Interjet’s debt to ASA Combustibles has already caused several delays in its operations, due to the lack of turbosine to operate.
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Global Information
Concerned about increase of cases by Covid-19
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- The Government of Germany has expressed concern about the increase in the Covid-19 positive cases in the country.
- Official figures published on Monday, showc almost 1,192 positive cases in the last 24 hours. The government spokeman, Steffen Seiber said that “the increasing of the figures is causing us great concern”.
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September 24th, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,786
Confirmed: 710,049
Suspects: 82,549
Deaths per day: 601
Deaths: 74,949
Update: September 23, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
At least 16 states in Mexico could go to green light
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- Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary ofPrevention and Health Promotion, assured that the states of Chiapas, Campeche and 14 other entities would reach the green light.
- Gatellexplained that the Secretary of Public Education has been in continuous communication with the State Health Secretaries to program the times when it would be possible to open the activity in person
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Local Tourism
Yucatán launches new brand and website
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- The Secretary of Tourism of the entity, Michelle Fridman, presented the new brand of the destination during the Tianguis Turístico Digital.
- Supported by a new promotional website, the new brand called “YucatanEsColor gives identity to the six tourist regions of the state.
- The site Yucatan.travel, is a digital platform that offers cutting-edge technology tools such as a travel planner, route planner and a board that indicates the status of the attractions open to visit.
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Los Cabos boasts its WMF as a success story
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- The most recent edition of the World Meetings Forum (WMF) was presented to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as a success story of meetings tourism with no evidence of coronavirus Covid-19 infection.
- The event, held from August 31st to September 2nd in Los Cabos, received 227 attendees of which, so far, have not shown any symptoms of Covid-19.
- This achievement is attributed to the implementation of the International Crystal Standards, as part of the protocols of tourist reactivation in the destination.
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The Mexican Caribbean reopens its international routes
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- Airlines from the United States, Canada and Europe have resumed and increased their flights to Cancun and Cozumel, in addition to the new national route to Chetumal.
- This, together with the partial reopening of hotels, restaurants, theme parks and department stores as of September 21, contributes to the economic recovery of the state.
-
Playa del Carmen premiers beach club
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- Although the Riu Hotels & Resorts remains closed, the chain opened a beach club with all-inclusive service.
- This new space offers unlimited food, drink and entertainment on the beach and the possibility of enjoying the hotel’s pool area, the bar and the Pepe’s Food grill.
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Travel Industry
Tianguis Turístico Digital starts up
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- With more than 20 thousand business appointments, the first Tianguis Turístico Digital starts today to reactivate the Mexican tourism industry, hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19.
- The Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, inaugurated the event which will have the same spaces and activities as the Tianguis Turístico presencial.
- The event expects the presence of 1,964 buyers, 1,185 companies; 45 participating nations; 217 exhibitors with the 32 States and 20,837 registered business appointments.
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Launch of credit program to hoteliers and travel agencies
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- The Federal Government, through Bancomext-Nafin, launched a credit program aimed to micro, small and medium enterprises (MiPyMes) integrated to the hotel, motel, inn, transportation sector companies and travel agencies.
- Within the framework of the Tianguis Turístico Digital 2020, the Deputy General Director of Financial Institutions Bancomext-Nafin, said that the program is already available so that those interested can approach the bank of their choice to manage it and review its viability.
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North American tourism to Mexico is expected to fall
-
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- Due to coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, it is estimated that there will be at least a 48.5 percent drop in tourists from the United States and Canada to Mexico by the end of 2020.
- This decrease will mainly affect the state of Quintana Roo, whose visitors are mainly from the United States and Canada.
- Nationally, the U.S. market accounts for 40.3 percent of total arrivals, just below the national level of 56 percent.
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Price Travel Holding presents its Travel Festival
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- The touristic group began a week of offers, from September 21 to 25, with discounts of up 69 percent on hotel reservations at beach destinations and special offers at urban destinations.
- Also, the company offers a variety of payment options: cash, credit and debit cards at months without interest, coupled with personalized serviced on its 24/7 call center and in the different selling points now available in the major shopping malls.
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Global Information
European Union warns about a possible double epidemic of Covid and flu
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- Health authorities of the European Union warned that the increase in Covid-19 cases in Europe could turn into a double killer epidemic.
- The arrival of the boreal winter could potentiate the lethal “double epidemic of Covid-19 and flu” and called on governments to ask people to get their seasonal flu vaccines and comply with social distancing measures.
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September 23, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,683
Confirmed: 705,263
Suspects: 78,907
Deaths per day: 651
Deaths: 74,348
Update: September 22, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Trials against coronavirus Covid-19 vaccine start in October
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- According to the Secretary ofForeign Affairs (SRE), Marcelo Ebrard, the clinical trials corresponding to phase 3 of five vaccines against the coronavirus Covid-19, will start in Mexico in October.
- The vaccines to which the country has been invited to participate in the trials are: Janssen andNovax from the United States, Sputnik-V from Russia, Cansino from China, CureVac from Germany, Sanofi-Pasteur from France and ReiThera from Italy.
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AMLO: In Mexico there are fewer deaths from Covid-19 than in other countries
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- The President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, declared that in the last weeks there have been no cases of coronavirus outbreaks, which has generated a slow decrease in the number of infections.
- “I offer apologies to the sister nations, but I have to inform to the Mexican people that we have fewer deaths per inhabitant than Peru, (…) than Chile, Ecuador, Brazil and less than in the United States,” the President said.
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Local Tourism
The three must trusted destinations
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- According to an analysis made by Interamerican Network Agency on the evolution of the Security Perception Index and demand in Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, between June and August, the three destinations showed high levels of confidence.
- The destination with the highest level of confidence in that period was Los Cabos, followed by Cancún. In the case of Puerto Vallarta, its confidence level was affected at the end of July, due to a security problem with a group of tourists.
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Thompson Playa del Carmen, home of the World Wellenss Weekend Mexico 2020
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- The World Wellness Weekend was held on September 19 and 20 in the Thompson beach, as a global initiative that seeks to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle, as well as to encourage activities that positively impact our planet.
- The event included activities with renowned yoga and meditation personalities, who shared tips and classes to improve their health and quality of life.
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Travel Industry
First Tianguis Turistico Digital begins
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- With the participation of 32 entities in the country and more than three thousand people registered, the First Tianguis Turístico Digital will take place next Wednesday.
- The event, which will last two days, has contemplated the participation of 217 exhibitors and 684 tourism industry professionals, who will meet with 1,964 buyers from 45 countries, including Mexico.
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Booking announces long stay rates
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- Booking.com will offer rates for long term accommodation, either weekly with a minimum stay of seven nights, or monthly with a minimum stay of 28 nights.
- While any type of property will be able to participate in the long term rate plans, the plans are designed to bolster the business of alternative accommodations that have been a major part of the brand’s booking during the pandemic.
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Trump would manage hotels in Cuba by skipping the embargo
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- According to the Cuban Industrial Property Office (OCPI) database, ten years before Trum became president of the United States, he registered his own trademark in Cuba to manage hotels and golf courses.
- It is also evident that the president requested in 2008 the official registration of his trademark for other commercial activities.
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Meliá loses 62% of its stock market value and President acquires shares
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- Following the 62 percent drop in Meliá Hotels International’s share price, the group’s President and Founder, Grabriel Escarrer Juliá, and CEO Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, announced the purchase of two packages of group shares.
- The President, through the Company Tulipa Inversiones 2018, acquired 332,224 shares for an amount of one million euros, so that his participation in the capital rose to 5.388 percent of the total.
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Airlines
Air Canada will provide free insurance for residents
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- As of September 17, the airline included complimentary Covid-19 emergency medical insurance and quarantine for Canadian residents booking international flights to and from Canada.
- “At Air Canada, we know that people have personal, family and business reasons for travelling. To give them more confidence in doing so, we have contracted with The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife) to offer all Canadian residents Covid-19 complimentary emergency medical and quarantine insurance when booking round-trip flights for travel outside of Canada,” mentioned Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of the airline.
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Volaris launches new routes and offers
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- The airline’s Director of Market Development and Distribution, Miguel Aguiñiga, announced that starting October 2nd , Volaris will begin operations to Tampico City from Mexico City and will have three flight per week.
- Aguiñiga explained that they have identified new important air destinations that allow them to continue with their plan to reactivate the domestic market with the first necessity trips.
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Interjet’s license suspended to fly to Canada
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- After the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) suspended the airline’s license to operate in Canadian territory for not complying with the requirement to have liability insurance coverage, the Mexican airline will no longer be able to offer flights to Canada.
- Currently, Interjet only operates 10 domestic routes, when in the beginning of the year it had an offer of 80 routes. The airline has 22 aircraft, but only 7 are in condition to operate.
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Global Information
J&J vaccine enters final phase of trials
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- Johnson & Johnson announced the beginning of the final phase of the clinical trials to verify whether its single-dose Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine is effective in protecting humans from the virus.
- This will be one of the largest coronavirus studies in the world so far, as the vaccine trial involves 60,000 volunteers from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and South Africa.
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September 22, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 2,917
Confirmed: 700,580
Suspects: 75,754
Deaths per day: 204
Deaths: 73,697
Update: September 21, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Coronavirus Covid-19 vaccines go ahead for Mexico
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- The Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Marcelo Ebrard, announced that seven of the coronavirus Covid-19 vaccines that are being developed in the world, intend to extend tests for Mexico.
- According to the minister, it is expected the approval of Cofepris and the Ministry of Health to give authorization to start with Phase three of the clinical tests in the country.
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27 States show sustained reduction in Covid-19
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- The Undersecretary of Prevention and Heath Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell, reported that 27 from the 32 entities of the country show sustained reduction in the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases.
- In this regard, he mentioned: “Now we have been seven consecutive weeks, we are in the eightconsecutive week in which we see a sustained decline. In addition, we will see that in 27 of the 32 entities there are a reduction in the daily number or in the weekly number of confirmed cases (…)”.
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Local Tourism
Foreign airlines prepare return to Cancún
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- The Cancun International Airport is expecting that the flow of international travelers to increase starting October, when some of the major airlines from United States and Europe will resume operations to the destination.
- Darío Flota, Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council, announced that there will be 12 new routes and three increases in the flight frequencies from these destinations.
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Increased occupancy expected in Cancún
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- According to Roberto Cintrón, President of the Hotel Association of Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, it is expected that after the increase in flights by several foreign airlines, hotel occupancy in the destination could exceed the 60 percent expected by the end of the year.
- Cintrón added that the increase in hotel capacity allowed could contribute to surpassing the predictions for the last quarter of the year.
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Tulum receives nomination in the World Travel Awards 2020
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- World Travel Awards 2020 announced the nominations, including Tulum as “Best Beach Destination” in Mexico and Central America.
- The nominees list in this category includes destinations such as: El Cayo Ambergris, Bastimentos Island National Park in Panama and the Ngäbe-Buglé Salt Creek indigenous village.
- Some of the national destinations in the category “Best Escape Destination 2020” are: Oaxaca, Mexico City, Acapulco, Cancún, Mazatlán, Tijuana and Playa del Carmen.
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Travel Industry
AMAV Cancún expects increase in operations
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- Sergio González Rubiera, President of the Association of Travel Agencies of Cancún (AMAV) announced that before the health emergency, the archaeological areas represented the 45 percent of their sales and operations in Cancún and Riviera Maya.
- In that sense, thanks to the reopening of those sites, improvements in their economy and an improvement in their activities are expected.
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WTO: International tourism decreases 65% from January to June
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- According to the World Tourism Barometer conducted by World Tourism Organization (WTO), international tourism registered 65 percent drop during the first half of the year. That was because of the travel restrictions and border closures as a result of the health emergency.
- Last June a reduction of 93 percent in international tourism was registered, compared to the same period last year.
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#TuristerosUnidos: 23 tourism organizations join forces
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- A group of 23 civil organizations related to the tourism sector created the group #TuristerosUnidos, in order to support proposals for promotion, infrastructure and other needs of the industry that contribute to the economic reactivations of tourism service providers.
- Some of the organizations involved are: FETUR Nacional, FETUR Q. Roo, AMEXME, AMAV, ANTT México, Actual, Expertos Turismo, Coparmex Q. Roo, Consejo Coordinador Empresarial del Caribe (CCE), among others.
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ACTUAL presents the First World Tourism Race 2020
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- The Association for Culture and Tourism in Latin America (ACTUAL) announced the First World Tourism Race 2020. It will take place on Sunday, September 27, and will commemorate the World Tourism Day.
- The objective of the project is to raise awareness and promote international, nationals and regional activities in the industry.
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Airlines
Viva Aerobus resumes operations in Dallas
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- The airline announced that it resumes operations at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) from Monterrey, which will offer two flights a week. Also, on November 13 it expects to resume operations from Mexico City to that destination, with three weekly frequencies.
- Sean Donohue, General Director of the Dallas Fort Worth Airport said: “It is an honor to welcome Viva Aerobus back to DFW”.
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Aeroméxico brings “home office” to Puerto Vallarta beaches
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- Aeromexico Gran Plan and its commercial partners, announced the initiative to bring work activities to the attractions offered by Puerto Vallarta, a destination that joined the campaign “Home Office” on the beach to give a new meaning to the concept of working at home.
- Gran Plan clients can travel to the destination with promotions on accommodation, special rates and other facilities such as high-speed internet and private offices.
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Viva Aerobus confirms new route: Mexico City-Chetumal route
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- Carlos Joaquín González, Governor of Quintana Roo, announced that the airline will begin operations on November 12 on its new route: Mexico City-Chetumal, it will have four weekly frequencies.
- “I am very pleased with the arrival of Viva Aerobus to Chetumal. This new flight (…) will allow the capital of our state to have a greater connectivity with many plane seats,” the president added.
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Global Information
Second AstraZeneca Volunteer has illness
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- Experimental test of AstraZeneca and the Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine recorded the second case of transverse myelitis, an unexplained neurological disease, among the volunteers.
- In this regard, AstraZeneca explained that it was “unlikely that the two cases were associated with the vaccine or that there was insufficient evidence to say with certainty that the diseases were or weren’t related to the vaccine.
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September 21, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,542
Confirmed: 697,663
Suspects: 79,155
Deaths per day: 235
Deaths: 73,493
Update: September 20, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Hospitalized for Covid-19 coronavirus don’t descend in Mexico City
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- According to the Secretary of Health, Oliva López Arellano, the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic is stagnant in Mexico City, where the number of hospitalizations is not decreasing, due to the number the number of inhabitants and the proximity to the State of Mexico.
- Despite the fact that several economic activities have been reactivated, there is a containment of the pandemic in the number of positive cases and daily deaths.
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Russian vaccine to arrive in Latin America in November
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- Kiril Dimítriev, Head of the Russian state fund, announced that Latin America is going to receive the first doses of the vaccine in November, while “many countries” will be able to vaccinate to their population by the end of the year.
- “Latin America is a priority. First because its countries are Rusia’s friends and, second, because Latin America is open to do an honest analyze of the Russian vaccine”, the official said.
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Local Tourism
Daily flights to Cancún increased
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- Last weekend, the Cancun International Airport reached 300 operations in a single day, from which at least 100 were international arrivals.
- According to Carlos Orvañanos Rea, Coordinator of Social Communication of the Government of the State of Quintana Roo, he declared that in this way, hotel occupancy has increased 36 percent.
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Hotel occupancy rises on Isla Mujeres
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- Due to the reduction of the sanitary restrictions, such as the opening of beaches and the increase in hotel capacity, Isla Mujeres registered a 40 percent increase in a single day.
- The destination became in the first place of the Mexican Caribbean to reach these numbers during the pandemic.
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Travel Industry
WTTC announces international plan to save the industry
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- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is planning to develop a global plan to contribute to the recovery of the tourism industry. It is focused on ensuring widespread international agreement on standardized testing protocols at departure, including non-quarantine for travelers.
- According to Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of the organism, the European Union is expected to endorse the international agreement at the meeting of the region’s Tourism Ministers and subsequently with the group of G20 countries.
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Xcaret Group confirms presence in Tianguis Turístico Digital
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- Xcaret Group confirmed its participation in the digital edition of the Tianguis Turístico, in order to contribute to the reactivation of the tourism industry in the country and share the security measures implemented.
- Lizeth Álvarez, Commercial Executive Director of Grupo Xcaret, said: “Since the beginning of the contingency, the promotion actions and the objectives of the whole industry were focused on developing and implementing the necessary safety and hygiene measures to receive visitors again and guarantee their wellbeing (…)”.
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Diamong Resorts to offer medical insurance to guests
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- Blue Diamond Resorts announced that it will provide free comprehensive medical insurance to its guests. It will cover the expenses incurred by accidents or illness during their vacation, including medical needs related to Covid-19.
- Jordi Pelfort, President of Sunwing Travel Group’s Hotels and Resorts, said: “We are adding other layer of protection to our Vacation Security Guarantee Program to help our guests to feel safe and can focus on relaxing in paradise”.
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Blue Diamond Resorts announces the opening of Planet Hollywood Hotel
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- The group announced that Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Cancún, located in Costa Mujeres, will begin operations on December 15th, 2020.
- Also, Blue Diamond Resorts announced that the investment was 200 million dollars and will has 898 luxury suites.
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Slow tourist recovery is expected at the Mexican Caribbean
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- Hoteliers in the region are predicting a slow recovery in tourism in the coming months due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the U.S. elections, when U.S. tourism is declining.
- Conrad Bergwerf, President of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, explained that the sector must bet on maintaining the protocols and sanitary measures to have the Covid isolated.
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Global Information
Covid may decrease life expectancy
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- According to a study published in the journal “Plos One”, unless the spread of the virus is contained, Covid-19 could cause a short-term decline in life expectancy in severely affected areas of the world.
- Guillaume Marois, the IIASA researcher, who led the study, explained: “Our study provides the first assesment of the potential impact of Covid-19 on life expectancy over a period of time according to a variety of prevalence rate scenarios over a one-year period.
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September 9, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,351
Confirmed: 642,860
Suspects: 79,720
Deaths per day: 703
Deaths: 68,484
Update: September 8, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Testing of Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine suspended
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- The tests of the vaccine againstCovid-19, developed by AstraZeneca and the Oxford University, in which also Mexico participates, were suspended due to a dangerous adverse reaction in a participant from the United Kingdom.
- TheUndersecretary of Health Promotion in Mexico, Hugo López-Gatell, confirmed the news and explained that it’s very common the suspension of the tests in that kind of studies.
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Mexico agrees 32 million doses of Sputnik-V vaccine
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- Rusia confirmed the signing of an agreement to export 32 million doses of its “Sputnik-V” vaccine against coronavirus to the Mexican Pharmaceutical Company Landsteiner Scientific.
- According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), once it has the approval from the Mexican regulatory agencies is obtained, the vaccine will start to be delivered in November.
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Local Tourism
Mexican Caribbean: Occupation is expected to rise
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- For the next weeks, an increase in occupancy is expected, after this week the epidemiological traffic light in northern of Quintana Roo changed to yellow and the opening of the beaches and the increase to 60% of hotel capacity was allowed.
- The President of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, Conrad Bergwer, said: “This is an important step (…) to get the main economic activity of the state to recover its leadership in order to open more sources of employment and produce a greater economic spillover for the benefit of all.
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Puerto Vallarta develops strategy to reactivate tourism
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- The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Promotion and Advertising Trust presented an integral strategy to strengthen the reopening of the destination to tourism and to promote the arrival of visitors.
- Among the main actions, there is the launching of “Relive, your desire to travel” (“Revive, tu deseo de viajar”), a tourist promotion campaign that will show the attractions of the destination through videos on digital platforms.
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Monterrey will resume the meetings industry
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- Thanks to the drop in indicators at the epidemiological traffic light, it was announced that the city will begin to reactivate congresses, events and meetings with a capacity of 30% to contribute to the economic reactivation of the destination.
- The reactivation will begin on September 23 with “EXPO CREA, Cuídate, Reactiva y Avanza”, a congress y exhibition organized by the Mexican Association of Professionals in Exhibitions, Fairs and Conventions (AMPROFEC).
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GigNet and Puerto Aventura will create a “digital community”
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- GigNet, a Digital Infrastructure company, announced the signing of an agreement to provide Internet and WiFi services to Puerto Aventuras with the objective of making it the first “Digital Community” of the Mexican Caribbean.
- Mark Carney, OBE, Business Development Director at GigNet mentioned: “We are going to provide our fiber optic service to the community for reliable high-speed Internet connectivity and a WiFi solution to offer an exceptional user experience”.
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Travel Industry
Tourism budget for 2021 increased 600%
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- The Federation’s Expenditure Budget Bill for 2021 will allocate 38,287 million pesos to tourism sector 641.5 percent more than in 2020.
- From that amount, 36,287 million 961,985 will be for the Tren Maya concept in charge of Fonatur.
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Vidanta Group and Asur will not be part of the Tren Maya project
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- Grupo Aeropuertuario del Sureste (Asur) and Vidanta Group will not be part of the construction of the Tren Maya’s terminal, due to the lack of interest in investing in the project led by the National Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur).
- Rogelio Jiménez Pons, General Director of Fonatur, declared: “Vidanta is a partner group, but it is not manifesting any direct investment with us. They just participate by giving their opinion, but they don’t really have an investor role or anything”.
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2 million tourists expected in November
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- According to the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, two million tourists are expected to arrive for the long weekend of November 20, it commemorates the Mexican Revolution’s Anniversary.
- Torruco mentioned that by this date it is estimated that about 1,735,000 tourists will arrive, generating a hotel occupancy of 44.3 percent of and an economic income of 2,189 million pesos in lodging.
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CNET travels to Spain to strengthen ties
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- The President of National Tourism Business Council (CNET), Braulio Arsuaga, met in Spain with the Hotel Business Association of Madrid (AEHM) and with the Vice president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in order to learn and share good practices of health and hygiene for the tourism sector.
- The representatives of the CNET, AEHM and WTTC shared their concerns about the present and the future of the tourism, also they exchanged ideas to reactivate the industry.
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WTTC reiterates the need for Sustainability discussions
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- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) made an urgent call for coordination between nations for the 2020 Virtual Meeting of the Social and Sustainable Tourism Summit to achieve, as soon as possible, the reactivation of the sector.
- Maribel Rodríguez, Senior Vice President of the International Organism declared: “If we don’t rebuild the industry, there will be a serious impact that will affect everything, so we must align governments and propose appropriate policies to ensure international coordination and to be able to resume travel”.
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Airlines
Aeromexico forecasts increase of flights for September
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- The airline declared that, despite the collapse of flights in August, it plans to increase its domestic operations by 75 percent in September.
- Last month it carried 644,000 passengers, which represented a 64 percent year-on-year drop. While in the international market, the number of passengers were reduced by 83.8 percent in
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Global Information
Rusia to combine the vaccine against flu and Covid-19
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- The Nikolai Gamaleya Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, which leads the coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik-V”, announced a new project to develop a combined vaccine that protects against the flu and Covid-19.
- Alexandr Guinstburg, Director of the unit explained: “For now it is premature to talk about the timing to get this new vaccine, since it will have to pass the clinic tests.”
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September 8, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,486
Confirmed: 637,509
Suspects: 78,213
Deaths per day: 222
Deaths: 67,781
Update: September 7, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
AMLO: There has been no regrowth of Covid-19
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- Andrés Manuel López Obrador,Mexico’s President, mentioned that in the last days the number of positive cases and deaths –due to Covid-19– have decreased. Also, he said that there has been no regrowth of coronavirus.
- “Fortunately,the number of positive cases has decreased and, the most important, the number of deaths. We are in a better situation, despite the terrible tragedy”, the president said.
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Covid vaccine for Mexicans will be announce soon
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- Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said that between November and December of this year the type of vaccine against Covid-19 that could be applied to Mexicans will be announce once the vaccine will be approved by Cofepris.
- The Chancellor mentioned that, as part of the cooperation with Rusia’s government, Mexico will participate in the phase three of the Sputnik V vaccine.
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Local Tourism
The Mexican Caribbean could be the first safe destinations in Latin America
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- According to the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués, México will be one of the first countries to have and distribute the vaccine against Covid, so it could become the first country in Latin America immune to the virus and this could benefit the Mexican Caribbean tourism industry.
- The Secretary said: “By being the first Latin America to have and distribute it (the vaccine), we will have an advantage as an immune country. This is an opportunity for us because the people will continue to travel”.
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Guanajuato presents its campaign to reactivate tourism
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- Guanajuato’s government announced its campaign to reactivate tourism, to promote the attractions of the state and invite national and foreign travelers to visit the destination.
- Governor of Guanajuato, Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo declared: “We are inviting our visitors and tourists to be the protagonists of their own history, taking as a scenario the tourist wealth of our state, as well as our World Heritage Cities, the Magic Towns, the archaeological zones, every corner of Guanajuato”.
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Travel Industry
Sectur anticipates recovery of international tourism
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- Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués, mentioned that a gradual recovery in the arrival of foreign tourists is expected for the second half of the year. In the same way, he expects that in the next few months the hotel occupancy in the country will continue to recover.
- He explained that as of October and November a greater increase in tourist activity is expected and that the average of the hotel occupancy will exceed 50% in the last weeks of the year.
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Marriott Group will add a W Hotel in Cancún
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- After an agreement between Globalia, Melody Maker Operator and Armar Capital, owner of the property, it was confirmed that the new property’s operator in Cancun will be Marriot. W Hotel complex by Marriot will offer WiFi service with a 99.99% SLA guarantee, offered by the digital infrastructure company GigNet.
- Daniel Araf Hop, owner of the new W Hotel said: “We choose GigNet because we are impressed with their value proposition, using their own capital to finance the project (…) GigNet has the most recent network of the region, designed specifically for our business, and has a great reputation of service”.
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Meetings industry restarts activities
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- On August 31 in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, the World Meetings Forum began, an event that highlighted the participation of tourist destinations of the Mexican Caribbean, as well as buyers and exhibitors of the meetings industry.
- “It is a good news that the events of the Meetings Industry will be reactivate at WMF 2020, where the Mexican Caribbean participated and where we could see the interest of national and foreign organizers to continue bringing group events to our destinations (..)”, said Darío Flota Ocampo, General Director of the Council of Tourism Promotion.
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The Mesoamerican Reef present at the Sustainable and Social Tourism Summit
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- The Mesoamerican Reef, the second most important coral reef in the world, will be discussed at the Sustainable and Social Tourism Summit. It has more than 1,000 kilometers of extension, and shares territory with Mexico (Quintana Roo), Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
- The reef is home of 65 species of corals, 350 species of mollusks and 500 species of fish. It supports more than 12 million of people and each year receives more than 20 million of visitors in an area nearly 500,000 km2 of oceans, coasts, and basins.
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Airlines
Aeromexico will dismiss more then a thousand flight attendants
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- As part of the restructuring actions, the airline will lay off more than a thousand flight attendants, who represent a Little more than a third of its 2,700 workers in these positions.
- According to a letter to the Airline Surgeons’ Union Association (ASSA), the airline’s plan considers the adjustment of the flight attendants’ staff, the reduction of their rotation and the revision of the general conditions of the collective bargaining agreement.
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Global Information
India registers record number of daily deaths due to Covid-19
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- The Indian Ministry of Health registered 1,133 deaths due to coronavirus, which means a record number of deaths due to this virus. In addition to 75 thousand 809 new positive cases that raised the total to almost 4.3 million.
- Currently, the country is now the second most affected country by the pandemic, just behind the United States.
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September 7, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,614
Confirmed: 634,023
Suspects: 82,515
Deaths per day: 232
Deaths: 67,558
Update: September 6, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Mexicans develop vaccine against Covid-19 coronavirus
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- The development in Mexico of vaccines against the Covid-19 coronavirus advances, through initiatives by Mexico City, the UNAM Institute of Biotechnology and within the Republic, such as the mixed vaccine of the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (UASLP).
- The latter has been in the preclinical phase for two weeks and is led by Mauricio Comas García and Sergio Rosales Mendoza, research professors at said university.
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Local tourism
Cancun reopens beaches with restrictions
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- As of September 7, the epidemiological traffic light of the destination will be yellow, which will allow hotels to increase their occupancy to 60 percent.
- The Directorate of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre, Zofemat), integrated a beach protocol to begin the reopening in a gradual, orderly and responsible manner.
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La Paz reopens beaches
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- The change to orange in the Sanitary Alert System in Baja California Sur will allow La Paz to reopen its beaches at 30 percent and the sporting use of the boardwalk in both directions.
- It is expected that the capacity allowed in beaches, sports and recreational activities will increase to 40 percent, according to indications from the municipal authority.
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Chihuahua promotes tourism promotion and reactivation
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- The state Tourism Trust and the entity’s government work on a comprehensive strategy for promotion, through a strategy defined in the VisitMexico portal and other business organizations.
- Francisco Moreno, Director of the Chihuahua Tourism Trust stated: “Our priority is to encourage the economy of the tourism sector to begin to show signs of recovery, which has been a very complicated process as in the entire country and around the world.”
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Tourism Industry
Recovery of Mexican tourism will take at least two years
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- Luis Humberto Araiza López, President of the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (Asociación de Secretarios de Turismo de México, ASETUR) estimates that the recovery of the country’s tourism industry could take up to two years as a result of the serious effects on the sector derived from the pandemic.
- The president of ASETUR declared: “I believe that we are going to take the whole of the following year and a good part of 2022. Every day we are learning new things and we see that this is not short-term as we had initially thought.”
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OMA registers annual decline
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- The Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMA) announced that in August there was a drop of 61.3 percent compared to the same period last year. This figure represents 55.4 percent accumulated so far this year.
- In a statement addressed to the Mexican Stock Exchange, OMA highlighted that the greatest impact was seen in international travelers, who fell to 49,822 passengers compared to 220,000 in August 2019; that is, a decrease of 77.4 percent.
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Grupo Xcaret postpones 3 emblematic events
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- The company announced that, to safeguard the well-being of its visitors, it will postpone the holding of the events: Xplor Bravest Race, Xel-Há Triathlon and Festival of Life and Death Traditions this year.
- “Safety is and will continue to be a priority for Grupo Xcaret. We are working on the reprogramming of our events that year after year receive thousands of participants and visitors, with the clear objective that their well-being is the most important thing at the moment ”stated Elizabeth Lugo, Executive Director of Parks and Tours Operations.
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NexusTours launches technological innovations
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- As part of its new service promise, the tour operator presented a series of technological innovations in its services to adapt to the needs of its clients.
- Among the novelties are the Virtual Concierge, which offers a personalized online service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to contact the experts of the more than 58 destinations it operates at any time.
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Cancun: Palace Resorts will build three hotels
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- Grupo Palace Resorts announced that it plans to build three hotels in Cancun over the next 10 years, which would add 1,356 new rooms. The objective of the hotel is to develop a jungle area in section A of the Hotel Zone, behind Ventura Park.
- The group announced that it plans an investment of more than 280 million dollars, in addition to having already submitted the necessary applications to obtain the environmental impact authorization from the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Semarnat).
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Airlines
Copa will reconnect Cancun with Central and South America
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- After five months of not operating regularly, Copa Airlines returned to Cancun to contribute to the gradual reactivation of tourism between the destination and the rest of Latin America.
- Copa Airlines offers three weekly frequencies and connections with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Panama, through the Tocumén International Airport, the Hub of the Americas.
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Aeromexico could lay off a thousand of its crew
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- The airline, which has been in the process of restructuring since June, announced to the Aviation Flight Carriers Union Association (Asociación Sindical de Sobrecargos de Aviación de México, ASSA) that it plans to lay off a thousand crew members, which represents almost a third of its 2,719 workforce.
- Likewise, it requested the revision of the general conditions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. But, according to the union, there will be no negotiation until the financial and operational data of the airline are clearly known.
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Aeroméxico returns to Acapulco
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- The airline resumed its operations to Acapulco from Mexico City and will offer four flights a week to its first destination 86 years ago.
- Eligio Serna Nájera, President of the Trust for Tourism Promotion of the state, stated: “The reactivation of Aeroméxico flights to Acapulco represents a great step towards the tourist recovery of this port. We thank Aeroméxico for the great support to Acapulco, and we will continue working together to achieve the rapid increase of its operations towards this destination”.
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Global Information
AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine production begins
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- Matt Hancock, British Minister of Health reported that the vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford against the Covid-19 coronavirus has already started to be manufactured and would be ready in the first months of next year.
- “They are already starting to manufacture those doses before the approval (of the vaccine), so if it is approved we will be ready to deploy it”, declared the Minister of Health.
- According to their statements, the best possible scenario would be for the vaccine to be approved this year, although it is currently in the clinical trials phase.
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September 3, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,921
Confirmed: 610,957
Suspects: 81,775
Deaths per day: 575
Deaths: 65,816
Update: September 2, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Medical personnel deaths due to Covid-19 coronavirus lead records
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- According to a report by Amnesty International, Mexico records the highest number of deaths from Covid-19 coronavirus among workers in the health sector.
- The study indicates that, so far, the country has registered 1,320 deaths confirmed by Covid-19 coronavirus. The figure is above the 1,777 in the United States, 649 in the United Kingdom, and 634 in Brazil.
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Local tourism
Yucatan begins the second phase of tourism opening
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- Starting this month, Yucatán began the second stage for the tourist reopening. According to the entity, the restart of tourist activities has been gradual, staggered, and with the support of biosafety standards.
- Among the activities contemplated in this second phase is the expansion of the hotel and restaurant occupancy limits, as well as the reactivation of complementary tourist services such as travel agencies, tourist guides, and tourist transport companies.
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Holbox cedes reserve for a real estate development
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- By court order and an agreement signed by the still former Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Semarnat), Víctor Manuel Toledo Manzur, the island of Holbox transferred 53.87 hectares of ecological reserve in which it grants all the rights of this land to Desarrollos Inmobiliarios Xunaan SAPI, a private firm that will develop real estate projects in the area.
- Stella Holdings, one of the group companies to which the real estate company belongs, declared on its website: “A world-class destination, Isla Grande de Holbox is privately owned and is ready to become the most premium tourist destination in Latin America with the most innovative concept of sustainable tourism (…) ”.
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Tourism industry
Mexican Caribbean ready to resume cultural tourism
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- According to Margarito Molina Rendón, Delegate of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, INAH), Quintana Roo is preparing to reopen its 13 archaeological sites, to reactivate cultural tourism that had been closed for more than five months.
- Molina Rendón also announced that the authorities are evaluating the different areas to corroborate the conditions in which they are. He emphasized that during the five months in which they were closed, the workers kept the maintenance activities of the cultural vestiges.
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Despegar, the new owner of Koin
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- Despegar.com confirmed the purchase for 200 million dollars of the Brazilian fintech Koin, with which it has worked since 2019. According to the company, this business model is based on “book now and pay later” to improve the financial services of its Brazilian clients.
- Damian Scokin, CEO at Despegar stated: “This past quarter we were affected not only by the natural drop in travel demand but also by the restrictions imposed by different governments in the region, which, in some countries, were quite severe. ”.
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Tourists from the Mexican Caribbean announce a contest
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- Tourism and hotel service providers in the Mexican Caribbean announced a contest to win a travel certificate for 20 years of all-inclusive vacations in the area. The contest will be held through the social networks of the portal www.venalcaribemexicanox2.com.
- Roberto Cintrón, President of the Cancun Hotel Association, Puerto Morelos & Isla Mujeres said that the contest “Vacations for 20 years to the Mexican Caribbean, is designed to motivate travelers from all over the world who are eager to know or rediscover destinations, specifically, those of the Mexican Caribbean ”.
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Bahía Principe Hotels & Resorts announces new CEO
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- Grupo Piñero, a Spanish tourism company, appointed Antonio Teijeiro as the new General Director of its business division “Bahía Principe Hotels & Resorts”.
- The new General Manager declared: “I assume this new role, in a context as turbulent as the current one, with great responsibility and respect, and to give continuity and strengthen the optimal strategy that has placed the hotel chain in positions of leadership”.
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Commercial flights in LATAM resume
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- Commercial aviation in Latin America is gradually reactivated. Although some countries did not close their domestic flights due to the health emergency caused by the pandemic, many suspended international routes.
- Colombia closed air transport and after more than five months it reopened this week. Mexico registered a 74 percent decrease in the number of passengers who traveled during July, compared to the previous year. Colombia reactivated its domestic flights on September 1.
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Airlines
United Airlines will lay off more than 16 thousand employees
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- The airline announced that, as of October 1, it will lay off 16,370 workers once the state aid that protects jobs in aviation ends. This represents about 17% of United’s staffing level at the end of 2019.
- Many of the layoffs have the capacity for reinstatement if the demand for flights increases.
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American Airlines announces a seasonal route to Puerto Vallarta
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- The airline continues with the reactivation of air connectivity to the main tourist destinations in Mexico. American Airlines unveiled the Charlotte-Puerto Vallarta seasonal route, which will be available from December 17, 2020, to April 3, 2021.
- Luis Villaseñor, Acting Director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Promotion and Advertising Trust, stated: “Puerto Vallarta has great attractions that we are sure can attract a large number of Americans from the East Coast.”
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Delta Air Lines eliminates change fee
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- The airline announced the indefinite suspension of charging passengers for changes in domestic flights, to make it easier for travelers to make reservations, changes, or cancellation of their travel plans.
- This elimination of charge will take effect immediately and will include tickets for trips within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the North American country.
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Global Information
Sanofi starts COVID vaccine Trials
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- Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline announced the beginning of clinical trials in humans of a possible vaccine against Covid-19. This after preclinical trials yielded positive results.
- The two companies reportedly announced their plans to collaborate with the United States in the production of up to 100 million doses of the vaccine.
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September 2nd, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 6,476
Confirmed: 606,036
Suspects: 77,129
Deaths per day: 827
Deaths: 65,241
Update: September 1st, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
26% of the population would refuse the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine
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- According to a global survey conducted by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum, more than a quarter of the world’s population would refuse to get the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine.
- The study surveyed 20,000 people from 27 countries and found that 74 percent of the participants are willing to get vaccinated when possible. While 26 percent showed little interest in applying the drug.
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Local tourism
Mexican Caribbean keeps a good perception
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- Roberto Cintrón, President of the Cancun and Puerto Morelos Hotel Association, pointed out that the United States and Canada markets are the most susceptible to insecurity issues in Mexico. For this reason, the government has kept contact with authorities from both countries, to keep them informed on security issues in the country, especially in the Mexican Caribbean area.
- Despite the foregoing, he stated out that the issue of insecurity has not affected Cancun in the perception of tourism.
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Tourism industry
Cancun airport loses foreign tourists
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- According to the Federal Tourism Secretariat, the Cancun International Airport registers drops in its arrival numbers of international travelers since the pandemic began. Between January and July of this year, foreign tourists were reduced by 59 percent, representing a decrease of 5.13 million in 2019 to 2.4 million this year.
- The high number of COVID infections in the destination, which has been one of the most affected, complicates the recovery of the arrival of international tourism to the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean.
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Aeromar and PriceTravel join forces to sell vacation packages
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- Aeromar and Pricetravel formed a commercial agreement to offer their clients vacation packages. This alliance will also be supported by the PriceTravel Holding sales unit and the B2B Travel Program.
- Juan Socas, Director of Commercial Alliances at Pricetravel stated: “We are very happy to complete this new alliance with Aeromar. Undoubtedly, the collaboration between both companies will achieve a greater online conversion and will benefit all travelers”.
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COCOON Hotel & Resort Tulum presents an ecotourism concept
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- The hotel presented its new concept of ecotourism inspired by the sea and the jungle. The 46,181 m2 area will consist of three developments and two buildings with 204 apartments and 167 rooms along with 16 private villas.
- The space designed by DNA Barcelona Architects will highlight the concept of sustainability and respect for the ecosystem and biodiversity, the use of natural materials to reduce the impact of construction, and the generation of waste. The complex will be located in Selvazama, sustainable development in the middle of the Tulum jungle.
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No reservations yet for Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya
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- After some media announced rates and reservations for Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, Karisma Hotels & Resorts announced that they are not yet available.
- The company stated: “The advertised rates shared in the market are false. To stay up to date with the latest news, offers, and updates from Karisma Hotels & Resorts and its growing portfolio of award-winning hotels, visit our page and sign up for our newsletter to receive official group news. “
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AMAV will start training on responsible tourism
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- As part of its work to promote tourism in the country, the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes, AMAV) announced that it will begin training tourist guides with the biosafety model and Responsible Management of Tourism (MRT). The training will begin on September 2 and will be carried out through its Training and Certification Institute.
- Eduardo Paniagua, AMAV National President, reported that the training program will begin with a thousand travel agents from various states of the country.
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Airlines
Volaris announces new route
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- The airline announced that, as of November 12, it will incorporate the direct flight Mexico City – Houston that will have two weekly frequencies. This will be the second direct route to that city, as the airline already has a flight from Guadalajara.
- Mario Diaz, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports, stated: “The new Volaris route between Houston and Mexico City offers an important new connection between our cities that will benefit travelers.”
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American Airlines Announces New Routes
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- The US airline announced that by the end of this year it will integrate three new routes to Los Cabos, Baja California Sur from Austin, New York, and Sacramento. These new routes add up to eight destinations in the United States that connect the airline with Los Cabos. Besides, it will be the first time that Austin has been connected with a direct flight to Los Cabos.
- Rodrigo Esponda, Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Trust (Fiturca), stated: “connectivity is a reflection that the fundamental elements in the recovery of tourism have an important relevance.”
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Interjet will not cancel flights to Cozumel
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- The airline announced that it will not cancel flights to the island, to maintain connectivity between Mexico City and Cozumel, as well as to maintain the tourist and economic activity of the destination.
- Carlos Rello, General Director of the company stated: “Thanks to the management and all the information that Federal Deputy Luis Alegre sent us, the situation has been reassessed and we will maintain the air connection between Mexico City and the Island of Cozumel. And it will be this week when we define the schedules of the route”.
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Global Information
EU does not join COVAX for equal access to the vaccine against Covid-19
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- The United States government pointed out that it does not plan to participate in the COVAX platform, which has already been joined by about 172 countries, due to its differences with the World Health Organization.
- COVAX is a platform created by the WHO that aims to guarantee global and equal access to the vaccines that are developed to combat Covid-19.
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September 1st, Update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,719
Confirmed: 599,560
Suspects: 77,730
Deaths per day: 256
Deaths: 64,414
Update: August 31, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Andrés Manuel López Obrador: Mexico follows “unique formula” to face crisis
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- President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that his Government is facing the economic crisis derived from the current Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic with a unique formula in the world.
- In his second government report, he stated: “We are facing the economic crisis with a different formula, unique in the world. All support and credits are given directly to strengthen the population from the bottom up. First to rescue the people; in 7 out of 10 families, a benefit is coming that is everyone’s money. “
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Local tourism
Sustainable tourism rebounds in Quintana Roo
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- Sustainable tourism has contributed 2.9 billion dollars in investment to the state, as part of the economic diversification of the state. The General Director of IDEFIN-PRO-QUINTANA ROO, Bernardo Cueto Riestra, announced the portfolio of investment projects, planned for the next three years.
- These investments will allow the entity to reposition itself as a benchmark for the business class that seeks to consolidate projects.
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Tourism in Puerto Morelos is strengthened with 4 axes
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- The Municipal President, Laura Fernández Piña, spoke about the actions that the destination is developing to adapt to the health emergency derived from the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Innovation, inclusion, sustainability, and biosafety are the four axes to remain a competitive destination.
- She stated out: “We are going through an unprecedented stage in our lives (…) that has caused severe health effects and a severe blow to the economy, with serious effects on sectors such as tourism, which today we are reactivated in a gradual, responsible and, ordered way”
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Work begins on the Mayan Train in Puerto Morelos
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- Laura Fernández Piña, Municipal President of the destination, began the complementary works of the Mayan Train. The first machinery works began on Zetina Gasca Avenue, which will become a modern boulevard and will increase the capital gain of all surrounding properties.
- She explained that this project on the avenue was designed based on the needs of the population whose opinion was considered. Besides, she said that it is part of the Urban Development of Puerto Morelos.
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Tourism industry
USA: first destination of Mexicans after the pandemic
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- According to Despegar, 41 percent of Mexicans who travel abroad between September and December will decide to visit the United States, especially the city of Los Angeles.
- Following a survey carried out by the travel platform, the result is related to the interest in visiting family and friends. In this regard, 44 percent will stay in the homes of relatives or friends, and only 27 percent in a hotel.
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40 countries require tourists to travel insurance
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- Assist Card, a travel assistance company released an updated list of the 40 countries on the five continents that ask tourists for travel insurance to cover their stay.
- Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, travelers around the world are changing their habits and destinations are changing tourist entry regulations. That is why the assistance company has adapted its products to meet needs that have become essential for travelers, such as comprehensive coverage for coronavirus.
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The National Council of Exporters of Tourist Services develops its digital strategy
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- The National Council of Exporters of Tourist Services (Consejo Nacional de Exportaciones de Servicios Turísticos, Conexstur), whose purpose is to attract international travelers to Mexico, is developing a digital marketing strategy, which does not intend to compete with VisitMexico.
- For Knopp, this tool “is the only one we see as a promotional activity, and it should matter to all of us because it belongs to us.”
- The president of Conexstur, Verena Knopp, pointed out that, although the Federal Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, mentioned them in the VisitMexico presentation, he has not yet contacted them.
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These are the tourism strategies of three states
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- The governments of Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, and Quintana Roo are implementing, through their secretariats of Tourism, strategies to favor the tourism industry.
- Actions range from local to regional and national to international and are developed based on hygiene protocols for the tourism industry and reinforced with digital promotion strategies.
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The 4th edition of the Sustainable Tourism Summit
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- The Virtual Meeting of the Sustainable and Social Tourism Summit will take place on September 8 and 9. It will have the participation of more than 50 national and international speakers, in addition to a program aimed at the reactivation of tourism based on sustainability.
- For the fourth year, the Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit will bring together tourism experts to create a virtual space with 18 conferences and panels for analysis, training, and exchange of experiences with CEOs of hotels, tour operators, academics, community cooperatives of tourism, and international cooperation organizations.
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Airlines
Viva Aerobus announces new routes
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- The Mexican low-cost airline announced that four new routes will begin operations in September. On September 17, the Monterrey-Dallas route begins, with two weekly frequencies. On September 25, the three new routes to begin are CDMX-Veracruz, CDMX-La Paz, and CDMX-Zacatecas.
- Besides, it will reactivate flights to reach an offer of 95 routes. In this way, Viva Aerobus will have 82 percent of its offer available to strengthen national and international connectivity.
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Global Information
WHO: Premature use of vaccine would affect the fight against COVID
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- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the dangers of the premature use of a vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus. The institution considered that the treatment should be approved based on the results obtained in phase 3 of the clinical trials. The above, to avoid affecting the data on the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
- Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist, stated: “Scientists around the world are asking [regulatory] agencies and companies for vaccine approval to be based on data from phase 3 clinical trials.”
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August 31, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,129
Confirmed: 595,841
Suspects: 81,151
Deaths per day: 339
Deaths: 64,158
Update: August 30, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Ministry of Health: the downward trend will not continue in Covid-19 coronavirus cases
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- The Ministry of Health (Secretaría de Salud, SSA) reported an increase of 339 deaths from Covid-19 coronavirus compared to the figures reported last Saturday, which were 63,819. In total, there are 64,158 deaths.
- Even though the institution reported a reduction in cases, the figures indicate that the downward trend will not continue. The Undersecretary of Health declared: “Opening with such a small reduction of minus 12 percent, we could not guarantee that this will be maintained throughout the week (…)”.
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Local tourism
Guerrero increases occupancy limit
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- Hoteliers, establishments, recitals, and touristic activities contemplate expanding the occupancy limit, after the epidemiological status in the state changed to yellow.
- Governor of the state Héctor Astudillo Flores reported that this Monday the new health guidelines to be followed will be announced. They imply a greater openness to the capacity of tourists and visitors, which will help economic recovery.
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Cancun hotels have rejected reservations
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- The president of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, Roberto Cintrón, stated that some hotels in the region have rejected some reservations due to the occupancy limit established by the orange status. However, they are confident that the Mexican Caribbean status will soon turn yellow and that it will be possible to increase occupancy rates to 60 percent.
- He recognized the importance of tourism for the state and for the country and how difficult it has been for the region to return to the new normal.
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Tourism industry
Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico: urgent to position the Mexico brand in the US
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- Luis Humberto Araiza López, President of the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (Asociación de Secretarios de Turismo de México, ASETUR), spoke about the importance of positioning the Mexico Brand in the United States, to restore the flow of American visitors who visited the country before the pandemic by coronavirus Covid-19. The United States continues to be the foreign market that our country visits. It represents almost 60 percent of all travelers who arrive by air and about 80 percent of those who access by other means.
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International tourism decreases in Mexico
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- The Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Miguel Torruco Marqués, stated that from January to July only five million seven thousand international tourists arrived in the country by air, which represents a decrease of 57.5 percent, compared to the same period of the previous year.
- He declared that only 2,770,000 travelers from the United States arrived in Mexico, which represents a drop of 55.3 percent. From Canada, 889 thousand 497 tourists arrived, 41.5 percent less.
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The hotel industry will have a museum
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- The Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, announced the creation of the Museum of Mexican Hospitality, which will take place in Orizaba (Veracruz), whose objective will be to show the legacy of this sector to both tourists and academics.
- He acknowledged the “solid growth” of the hotel industry in Mexico with 22,000 new rooms last year alone, adding 830,000 rooms and more than 23,000 establishments. He added: “Over the years, the hospitality industry in Mexico has had a great transformation, becoming the backbone of tourism activity, which in 2019 represented 28.3 percent of GDP in tourism and generated 9 percent of employment in the sector”.
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Fake agencies use hotel chain names
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- According to the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes, AMAV), there has been an increase in fake agencies during the pandemic. They reported that these organizations use increasingly sophisticated deception methods, such as spoofing the identities of some hotel chains.
- Eduardo Paniagua, president of AMAV, believes that the intervention of the Cyber Police is necessary to detect fake agencies. “Since they do not have data from the alleged agency, they cannot file a complaint with the Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (Profeco) or file a lawsuit before a Civil Court (…)”, stated Paniagua.
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Spanish investment grows in the Mexican Caribbean
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- Through a statement, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce (Cámara Española de Comercio, Camescom) ratified its commitment to invest in Mexico and mentioned that in the last 20 years it has contributed a total of 2,651 million dollars to Mexican tourism.
- The organization pointed out: “Camescon reaffirms its and its partner companies’ commitment in favor of the development of the tourism sector in Mexico, working jointly between the business and government sectors in favor of the recovery of the country’s tourist destinations.”
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Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort Riviera Maya prepares to reopen
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- The directors of the Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort Riviera Maya chain announced that the hotel will start operations in 2020, even though the initial date was December 2020 and was postponed due to the current pandemic.
- The hotel will have a total of 280 suites, six restaurants, three bars, a pool, a spa, a water park, and a theater. According to some travel agencies, reservations will begin in October.
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Airlines
Interjet announces new routes
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- The airline announced that, as of September 1, it will reactivate three important markets to connect Mexico City with Ciudad Juárez and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in addition to the Monterrey-Cancun route.
- Likewise, Interjet will incorporate operations in new markets: Chihuahua-Tijuana, Guadalajara-Hermosillo, Hermosillo-Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez-Monterrey, Monterrey-Chihuahua, and Mérida-Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The foregoing with the objective of strengthening national connectivity, supporting economic and tourist development.
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United Airlines eliminates the charge for flight changes
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- The airline announced that it will permanently eliminate charges for flight changes in the United States. The company announced that it intends to stimulate travel bookings that plummeted due to the pandemic.
- The above will be part of your standard policy for all tickets and will apply to all flights that have been booked for this year. The company is among the large US airlines that have implemented temporary waivers, to provide greater flexibility in their plans.
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Global Information
Coronavirus does not give truce in Spain
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- Despite the efforts of the authorities to stop the contagion, the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to advance in Catalonia. However, the health authorities reiterate that the situation is not like that of March and rule out returning to total confinement as then.
- Likewise, uncertainty is growing due to the reactivation of activities, the return to work of many citizens, and the beginning of the school year in some regions this Monday.
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August 27th, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,267
Confirmed: 573,888
Suspects: 81,466
Deaths per day: 626
Total Deaths: 62,076
Update: August 26th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
36% of Covid-19 patients are neglected by bureaucracy
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- As of Tuesday, the authorities expanded the symptoms from 10 to 13 to consider a person suspected of Covid-19.
- Since Tuesday, the number of symptoms and the period in which a person presents them have been expanded so that doctors consider them as potential SARS-CoV-2 cases.
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Local tourism
Cancun’s beaches will be protected with a policy against hurricanes
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- The beaches and reefs of Cancun will be protected by a category 3, 4 and 5 hurricane insurance policy that the state of Quintana Roo has contracted.
- This insurance allows to have the funds for a rapid recovery of the reefs and beaches, reducing the negative impact on people, their livelihoods and tourism in the region.
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Puerto Morelos acquires the “Blue Flag” certificate
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- This certificate reaffirms the commitment of Puerto Morelos to protect the environment, basing its development and growth in adherence to sustainability guidelines.
- The emblematic beach achieved recertification by meeting the 33 criteria in terms of excellence in environmental management, application of environmental education activities and water quality.
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Tourism industry
La Metro claims Torruco preference for AMAV in VisitMexico
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- The president of the Metropolitan Association of Travel Agencies (La Metro) Benjamín Izquierdo, claimed that for the incorporation of service providers to the new VisitMexico portal, the members of the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (AMAV) have been privileged.
- The Metro, accused that the AMAV does not represent all the travel agencies of the country, much less the most important ones.
- Carlos González, general director of VisitMexico, referred to AMAV as a faithful ally of this project.
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Los Cabos will host the World Meetings Forum
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- Meetings tourism remains firmly in its return to the new normal, and chooses Los Cabos to show Mexico and the world that the segment is ready to host big events.
- The Paradisus Los Cabos hotel will host this event, which will take place from August 31 to September 2.
- The World Meetings Forum will receive only 250 attendees, including 70 top-level buyers and 70 service providers to meet sanitation standards.
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The first digital congress of tourism experts is held
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- The virtual conference began this Wednesday, August 26th, with Tamaulipas as the guest state.
- The meeting will bring together renowned experts and tourism professionals from Mexico for three days to discuss attractive current issues, such as innovation, inclusion, sustainability and biosecurity in the sector.
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ATMEX seeks to attract more adventure tourism in Loreto
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- Loreto, is the new headquarters of the ATMEX Loreto 2020, which for the first time will be virtual with the participation of more than a thousand delegates, 80 national and international buyers and more than 20 specialized media.
- ATMEX Loreto 2020 will have a 100% virtual format and as a central theme Plan B: Reimagining Tourism, based on 3 main strategic pillars: Inspiration, business and strategic information for the regeneration, strengthening and growth of the industry.
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Meliá hotels ready to increase capacity to 50% in Puerto Vallarta
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- After emphasizing that they are ready to increase capacity to 50 percent, once the authorities allow it, Annette Koelemeijj, general director of the Hotel Meliá Puerto Vallarta, indicated that they work with a philosophy of caring for the environment.
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Airlines
Aeroméxico recognized as one of the companies with the best reputation
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- For the fourth consecutive year, the Corporate Reputation Business Monitor (Merco) recognized Aeroméxico as the company with the best corporate reputation in the Passenger Transport sector.
- The airline headed by Andrés Conesa, was placed in the 14th position.
- Conesa assured that this year, even in the context of the health contingency due to Covid-19, Aeroméxico continues to make investments to guarantee the safety of employees and customers.
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Volaris and Viva Aerobus gain market with the reactivation of the air market
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- Airlines have begun to reopen flights and increase frequencies, Volaris and Viva Aerobus have increased their market share both in the measurement corresponding to July, and in the accumulated annual.W
- ith almost 765,000 passengers transported, Volaris concentrated 45.7% of the domestic market in July, an advance of 15.6 percentage points compared to the same period in 2019. While Viva Aerobus had a flow of more than 396,000 passengers, concentrating 23.7% of the market.
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Global Information
WHO ensures rebound of Covid-19 in Europe
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- At least 32 of the 55 states and territories in the European region of the World Health Organization have seen an increase in the incidence rate.
- Hans Kluge, WHO regional director, stated that this situation was “definitely a rebound that is generalizing in Europe.”
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August 26th, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,916
Confirmed: 568,621
Suspects: 80,878
Deaths per day: 650
Deaths: 61,450
Update: August 25th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Sale of drugs for coronavirus Covid-19 will be prescription only
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- To avoid shortages and self-medication, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) determined that drugs for the management of outpatients of coronavirus Covid-19 must be acquired exclusively with a prescription.
- The institution explained that, for hospitalized patients, “the drugs must be issued only with a prescription, which must be issued by the treating physician and retained by the establishment that supplies it, without distinction if it is public, social or private, and must be duly registered within the clinical record ”.
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Local tourism
Cancun, at risk of deterioration of beaches
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- The beaches of Cancun and the entire northern area of Quintana Roo are at a critical point due to the deterioration of their coasts. Several of the beach recovery projects in the Mexican Caribbean continue to await financing since 2017.
- According to The Nature Conservancy, 50 percent of the beaches in Quintana Roo are damaged, and of these, 25 percent can no longer be recovered.
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Tourism industry
Visit Mexico, with failures and without domains
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- The Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) launched the platform in-person to a small group of the tourism sector. The platform was directed to the .mx domain because the .com one has not yet been recovered.
- Likewise, there was a failure to access the site where it was possible to read: “An error occurred while processing your request”, even though the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, Miguel Torruco, stated before the launch that the platform would have the support of Big Data and artificial intelligence to improve the user experience.
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Increase in foreign investment in Quintana Roo
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- The amount of Foreign Direct Investment in the state, between April and June of this year, amounted to 52.9 million dollars, which means an apparent recovery compared to the first quarter, whose numbers were (-) 51.2 million dollars.
- According to the measurement method of the Ministry of Economy, it refers to “Loans from parent companies resident abroad to their subsidiaries in Mexico”. The main countries that made loans to companies established in Mexico were Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, and Canada.
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Marcos Toscani, first Ambassador of Luxury Tourism in Mexico
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- Marcos Toscani, founder of Expert in Hotels, the first platform dedicated to luxury hotels, was named the first Luxury Tourism Ambassador of Visit México.
- Toscani is a marketer and has extensive experience in luxury and ultra-luxury hotels. “Mexico has the best luxury and ultra-luxury hotel proposal in Latin America and it has nothing to envy any country in the world,” he stated.
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Los Cabos Cruises Record Their Worst Fall
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- According to data from the Integral Port Administration, so far in 2020, the destination has registered an arrival of only 55 cruise ships. Due to the contingency because of the pandemic, the economic impact is greater than 15 million dollars.
- This represents the worst drop for the cruise industry in Los Cabos. It is estimated that it could overcome the crisis caused by the AH1N1 influenza epidemic, as well as the effects caused by meteorological phenomena.
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Airlines
Volaris announces new international routes from CDMX
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- The airline announced that in November three new international routes will start operations from Mexico City to Ontario, Sacramento, and Fresno, in California.
- On November 9, the CDMX-Ontario route will begin with two weekly frequencies, on November 10 the CDMX-Sacramento route with two frequencies a week, and the third CDMX-Fresno route will begin on November 11 and will have two weekly frequencies.
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Advance in the Aeroméxico financing
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- Aeroméxico obtained financing of almost one billion dollars so that it can advance in its restructuring and continue with its business plan to consolidate it.
- According to attorney David Sáinz, Aeroméxico obtained financing under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Law in the United States, which recognizes the operational and justified soundness of the airline’s plans.
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Global Information
Tourism could lose 900,000 million dollars due to pandemic
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- The international tourism industry has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the losses amount to 320 billion dollars and there are more than 120 million jobs at risk.
- According to the United Nations (UN), the tourism sector could lose more than 900,000 million dollars this year worldwide.
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Pandemic slows globally
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- According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), from August 17 to 23, there was a 5 percent drop in the number of infections and a 12 percent drop in the number of deaths.
- They point out that the coronavirus pandemic has shown a slowdown in recent weeks in most regions of the world, especially in the American continent. However, in countries like Italy and Spain, new outbreaks have emerged and are in the second wave of the virus.
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August 25, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,541
Confirmed: 563,705
Suspects: 77,198
Deaths per day: 320
Deaths: 60,800
Update: August 24, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
López-Gatell denies decrease in tests of coronavirus Covid-19
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- The Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion explained that because there are fewer patients with Covid-19 coronavirus, it is not necessary to perform the same number of tests to diagnose the virus.
- He reiterated that the tests are carried out following technical guidelines, but as fewer people are ill, the number of applications decreases.
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Local Tourism
Hotel occupancy in Cancun still does not exceed 30%
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- For three weeks, the destination has not reached 30 percent occupancy in its hotels, due to travel restrictions because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
- According to the Cancun, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, in some cases, the numbers do not even reach 20 percent. Besides, the institution stated that the accumulated occupancy in Cancun as of August 23 was 27.2%.
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Tourism industry
FONATUR announces progress of the Mayan Train
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- The National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, Fonatur), promised to present every Monday the progress of the Mayan Train works, at the #ConferenciaMatutina (Daily conference) of the President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
- It was reported that August 24 was the first of 157 weekly reports that will be given weekly before starting operations. #1de157.
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Sectur confirms the elimination of Undersecretariat
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- As part of the institution’s budget cuts and the austerity plan promoted by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Ministry of Tourism (Secretaría de Turismo, Sectur) confirmed the disappearance of the Tourism Planning and Policy Undersecretariat.
- Among its functions were to manage the generation of statistical and scientific information on the sector, elaboration of strategies and management schemes for national and local tourism development, establish guidelines for tourism offer and promotion, among others.
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Hotel reservations in Mexico increased by 65%
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- According to data from Site Minder, the recovery of the hotel sector in the country is on the rise, although gradually, it has already exceeded 65% of its reservation levels compared to 2019 for the first time since mid-March.
- Site Minder’s World Hotel Index reported that hotel reservations in Mexico fell to their lowest level on April 29, down 10.88% from last year, and have since increased to 69.9%.
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Increase in the vacation rental: Booking
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- Glenn Fogel, CEO of the company, promises a lot of future for short-distance vacation rentals due to the trend of short trips for work and leisure, even though the pandemic has changed the way of traveling and working.
- The manager stated that, although hotels will continue to occupy an important place in the tourist accommodation market, other modalities will continue to increase.
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Grupo Xcaret wins Travelers’ Choice 2020 award
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- The Group’s parks: Xcaret, Xel-Há, Xplor, Xenses, Xenotes and Xoximilco, and the Xcaret Group’s Casona de Valladolid restaurant obtained the 2020 Travelers’ Choice award granted by TripAdvisor, a portal for the promotion and creation of travel content and tourism.
- The award is given to those accommodations, attractions, and restaurants with positive opinions from travelers.
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Viceroy Los Cabos reopens its doors
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- The resort reopened its doors to welcome guests with a focus on safety and well-being. Visitors will have full access to the 194 rooms, five dining experiences, spa treatments, and more.
- Before resuming operations, Viceroy implemented and enhanced its “Promise Cleanliness Program” based on ensuring the well-being of its guests, colleagues, and the local community.
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Airlines
Viva Aerobus will promote the tourist reactivation of Yucatan
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- Through its “Viva por México” campaign, the airline intends to promote different national destinations to contribute to the country’s tourist reactivation. Viva Aerobus will offer preferential rates on flights to and from Mérida for one week.
- Likewise, the airline will disseminate the tourist attractions of the destination on its digital channels and social networks to encourage tourism in Yucatán.
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Aeroméxico will automate ‘check-in’ in Amsterdam
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- The airline announced that all its travelers departing from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam will be able to check their luggage through a self-service system. According to Coen Wijma, Manager of Aeroméxico’s Amsterdam Airport, this system can be used by all passengers who have an Aeroméxico flight from that city whose destination or connection is in Mexico City.
- This will allow the ‘check-in’ process to be carried out faster and automatically.
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Global Information
Mexico and Norway will collaborate on a new vaccine against COVID
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- The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, announced that he is in talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Ine Eriksen, about Mexico’s participation in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
- The foregoing could lead to work between Mexico and Norway for the joint development of a new vaccine against Covid-19 coronavirus.
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August 24, update
Coronavirus cases in México
New cases per day: 3,948
Confirmed: 560,164
Suspected: 80,198
Deaths per day: 226
Deaths: 60,480
Update: August 23, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Decreases the application of coronavirus Covid-19 tests
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- The number of Covid-19 coronavirus diagnostic tests has decreased considerably in the last three weeks. The Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell stated out that, if there are fewer people with symptoms, there will be fewer tests to detect the virus.
- Experts point out that the drop in the application of tests to detect Covid-19 coronavirus could be related to the decrease in the number of positive cases reported by the Ministry of Health.
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Local tourism
Cancun offers accessible vacations for reactivation
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- Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, hotels in the Mexican Caribbean have launched some sales programs to reactivate demand in its destinations. Currently, Cancun has an accessible hotel offer for vacation.
- Hotels like Selina Cancun Laguna offer cheap rates that start at 544 pesos per night in a private room for two or 754 pesos with breakfast included.
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The Riviera Maya Business Coordinating Council will launch a call for tourism projects
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- On September 3, the Riviera Maya Business Coordinating Council (Consejo Coordinador Empresarial, CCE) will launch an international call for companies to present tourism projects.
- The President of the CCE, Lenin Amaro Betancourt pointed out that the objective is to recover the 4.2 million tourists it received in 2018. “Our greatest strength in Quintana Roo has been resistance and effort; we have faced the ravages of H1N1 (influenza) and even the effects of the attacks on the Twin Towers in the United States.
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Tourism industry
Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine, hope for tourism
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- In the tourism industry, there is optimism that the vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus will contribute to a speedy recovery of the tourism sector, according to Luis Humberto Araiza López, President of the Association of Ministries of Tourism of Mexico (Asociación de Secretarios de Turismo de México, ASETUR).
- “We are optimistic that in the coming months there may be a vaccine or retroviral that begins to amend the pandemic. Undoubtedly, this will play a key role in reactivating the flow of visitors both national and international, as it will allow the reopening of borders and will generate more confidence to travel again”, he said.
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The Mexican Association of Travel Agencies supports new Visit Mexico page
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- Eduardo Paniagua, President of the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes, AMAV) stated that the new Visit México site, recently presented by the Ministry of Tourism (Secretaría de Turismo, Sectur), will become an important advertising mechanism for the sector.
- He announced that all companies in the tourism sector will have the possibility of having a free presence on the portal.
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The Mexican Association of Travel Agencies signs an agreement with Visit México
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- Eduardo Paniagua, President of the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes, AMAV), signed an agreement with Visit México for 500 national travel agencies to have a presence on the portal.
- Up to now, 25 percent are already operating and have a section on the Visit México website. The objective is that users can connect directly with the agencies affiliated with the AMAV.
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WTTC presents recovery information platform
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- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a travel demand recovery platform so that users can analyze the reactivation behavior of tourism through the demand for flights, hotels, and travel preferences.
- The free access tool provides qualitative and quantitative data at the global and regional levels, with information from 33 countries.
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From hotels to offices to survive the coronavirus
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- Due to the impact of the demand for accommodation because of the coronavirus pandemic, some hotels have chosen to convert their rooms into offices to increase the profitability of their rooms.
- The French hotel chain Accor, with more than 400 hotels in Latin America, announced the beginning of the transformation of several of its hotels which will have a floor that will be transformed into offices.
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Palladium Hotel Group Announces Hotel Reopening Dates
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- The hotel group announced that on October 30 the resorts Grand Palladium White Sand Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa, and TRS Yucatan Hotel will open their doors.
- In a virtual conference to provide important updates to travel agents, they announced the new reopening dates and the launch of an insurance offering.
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Airlines
Delta to keep center seat locked until 2021
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- The airline announced that its center seat locking protocol will remain in place until January next year, to offer greater security to travelers.
- Bill Lentsch, Executive Director of Customer Experience, stated: “We are extending one of our key health and safety protocols (…) by blocking the selection of center seats and limiting the number of customers per flight at least until January 6, 2021 “.
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Increase of air arrivals to Puerto Vallarta
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- According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), the arrival of tourists by air to the destination during June and July amounted to 135 thousand passengers.
- GAP reported that 84,600 passengers correspond to domestic flights and 50,400 to international travelers. Puerto Vallarta airport reports a cumulative sum (from January to July) of one million 612 thousand 300 passengers.
-
Global Information
First reported case of reinfection of coronavirus Covid-19
-
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- The case of a man from Hong Kong, cured of coronavirus last April and who has tested positive again after traveling to Spain, was announced.
- The patient is the first documented case of Covid-19 reinfection in the world, according to researchers from the University of Hong Kong.
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August 20th, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,792
Confirmed: 537,031
Suspects: 82,884
Deaths per day: 707
Deaths: 58,481
Update: August 19th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Russian Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine could be tested in Mexico
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- The Mexican government presented to Russia its interest in collaborating in phase 3 of the Sputnik 5 vaccine, against the Covid-19 coronavirus. The Foreign Minister of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard wrote on Twitter: “I thank the ambassador of the Russian Federation, Victor K. Koronelli, for his visit to the Ministry of Foreign Relations. We talked about the Sputnik 5 vaccine. I expressed our interest in applying phase 3 to have the vaccine as soon as possible in Mexico. “
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Local Tourism
The UK support confirmed against sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean
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- The British Embassy in Mexico confirmed that satellites will be used to track and study sargassum in the waters of the region, as part of the SAtellite SArgassum Monitoring System (SASAMS) initiative, led by the University of Nottingham.
- In a statement, the embassy announced that “the project will provide an early warning on the accumulation of sargassum and its evaluation, which will allow federal agencies to allocate resources to the affected areas quickly and efficiently.”
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Los Cabos implements Cristal International Standards
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- The Tourism Trust of Los Cabos, (Fideicomiso de Turismo de Los Cabos, Fiturca) announced that this destination was the first in Mexico to enter an alliance with Intertek Cristal to implement the “International Cristal Standards” and adopt its recognized health measures.
- Intertek Cristal is a globally recognized company and leader in the management of health, quality, and safety risks focused on tourism and hospitality.
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Tourist industry
Airbnb confirms it could go public
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- The platform registered an initial public offering with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, which confirmed that it could be made public before the end of this year. Besides, he announced: “the initial public offering is expected to take place after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions.”
- The company did not detail the number of shares it will offer or the prices of the proposed offering.
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Launch of Visit México will be in two phases
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- According to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, (Secretaría de Turismo, Sectur), the first part of the Visit México platform will be presented to business owners and industry leaders on August 20, as planned.
- The second launch will include the press and will take place on August 25 through a virtual conference by Zoom. There will also be a live broadcast on the Sectur Facebook page.
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Sectur requests automation of modules at CDMX and Cancun airports
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- The Secretary of Tourism in Mexico, Miguel Torruco urged the National Migration Institute (, Instituto Nacional de Migración, INM) to automate the modules at the international airports of Mexico City and Cancun, where 50 percent of tourists enter the country.
- Torruco posted on Twitter: “It can’t be that in #CDMX, in Cancun (the “crown jewel”) and in Riviera Maya, which receives 50% of foreigners who enter the country, tourists take up to three hours and average to pass migration in peak hours due to lack of technology. Kiosk automation is urgent.”
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The Mexican Group of Associations of Travel Agencies and Tourism Companies partners are trained in travel assistance
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- The Mexican Group of Associations of Travel Agencies and Tourism Companies (Grupo Mexicano de Asociaciones de Agencias de Viajes y Empresas Turísticas, GMA) organized a webinar to train its members in the products and services offered by the main travel assistance and insurance companies.
- They spoke about the importance of insurance and travel coverage for tourists due to the situation of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
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Gold Crown 2019-2020 recognizes Grupo Sunset hotels
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- RCI presented the Excellence in Service and Gold Crown 2019-2020 awards to Hacienda Tres Ríos, Sunset Royal, Sunset Fishermen, and Sunset Marina, in Cancun and the Riviera.
- For the second consecutive year, Orlando Arroyo, CEO of Grupo Sunset World, was recognized with the Presidents Award.
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Campeche presents tourist offer for an alliance with Mundo Maya Mexico
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- The Ministry of Tourism of Campeche organized its second webinar to present its tourism offer as part of the Mundo Maya México strategic alliance. It is intended that the five states of the region make their offer known to the industry and the media.
- Jorge Manos Esparragoza, Head of the Ministry of Tourism of the state, highlighted that Campeche was the first state in the country to enter the yellow phase of the epidemiological traffic light, which will allow the capacity for lodging and other establishments to be expanded to 50 percent.
-
Airlines
Copa Airlines resumes flights to Mexico
-
-
- After five months of not operating in the country due to travel restrictions because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, this month the airline will resume its flights to connect Mexico with the American continent.
- Copa Airlines will connect Mexico City with four destinations in three countries in America.
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Aeroméxico reconciles with holders of debt securities
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-
- Aeroméxico announced that it reached a new agreement with holders of its stock certificates to give the company a term of up to 12 months and refrain from collecting its financial obligations.
- Through a statement, Aeroméxico declared: “As part of the agreements reached, Aeroméxico was obliged to acknowledge the debts (…), to provide information on the progress of the restructuring process and to convene assemblies of each instrument in the quarterly”.
-
Global Information
WHO talks with Russia over Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine
-
-
- The Europe office of the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a dialogue with Russia to obtain more information about its vaccine against Covid-19 coronavirus after Russia became the first country in the world to register a vaccine against the virus that has caused the current pandemic.
- Catherine Smallwood, an official of the United Nations agency in Europe stated: “This concern that we have about safety and efficacy is not specific to the Russian vaccine, it is for all vaccines in development.”
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August 19th, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,506
Confirmed: 531,239
Suspects: 81,175
Deaths per day: 751
Deaths: 57,774
Update: August 18th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
The country reaches 531,000 infections and 57,000 deaths from Covid-19 coronavirus
(Source: El Universal newspaper)
-
-
- The number of confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases totals 531, 239, and 57, 774 deaths, the Ministry of Health reported in the daily press conference.
- In the presentation of the daily technical report, it was announced that the total number of tests to detect the virus is 1,196,707 and the rate of positive cases is 45 percent.
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Local tourism
Expectations of recovery of the Mexican Caribbean due to the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines
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-
- The president of the Caribbean Business Coordinating Council, Iván Ferrat Mancera, is optimistic about the recovery of tourism in the area after news about the progress in vaccines against the Covid-19 coronavirus was released.
- He ensures that the tourism sector is developing and “the fact that there already talks that there will soon be vaccines gives certainty of a faster recovery.”
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Opening of beaches in Isla Mujeres will have limits of spaces and hours
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- The destination authorities announced that, once the state epidemiological status turns green, the destination beaches will be open and there will be a regulation for the stay.
- Among the guidelines to be followed for tourists visiting the beaches are respecting the access hours and the time limit of stay, which may not be more than three hours. Besides, users must respect the healthy distance of 2.5 meters, wear a mask, sanitizing gel, and a face shield.
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Tomorrow the beaches of Playa del Carmen will open
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- As of August 20, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Punta Esmeralda, Playa 88, and Xcalacoco will open for tourists. These beaches have the Blue Flag certification for meeting international quality and hygiene standards.
- At the destination, the pilot program for the orderly and safe reopening of the coastal area is being carried out, led by the Solidarity government with the support of the private initiative and agencies in charge of monitoring hygiene and safety protocols.
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Puerto Morelos reinforces biosecurity
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- The destination authorities announced that they have the ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, the Certification of Health Protection and Prevention in Tourist Facilities of the WTTC, to reinforce biosecurity and promote tourism.
- The Municipal President of Puerto Morelos, Laura Fernández Piña, declared that in the destination “the issue of biosecurity has been reinforced with the collaboration of all, to avoid, on the one hand, risks to the health of both workers and visitors, regarding the new coronavirus SARS CoV-2, and, on the other, the protection of the environment, which is part of our public policies framed in the Municipal Development Plan 2018-2021 ”.
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Tourism industry
Miguel Torruco rejects the National Tourism Business Council requests
-
-
- In a meeting of the National Tourism Business Council (CNET) and Miguel Torruco, the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico declined the requests or did not respond to the demands raised by the main businessmen of the tourism industry in Mexico.
- He also pointed out, once again, the mistakes of previous governments and asked to wait until 2024 to see the results of the 4Q.
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Cancun: the controversy over high costs of the Tianguis Turístico
-
-
- Quintana Roo announced that it will not participate in the event led by the Sectur, due to the high cost of acquiring spaces and accessing business meetings with international wholesalers and tour operators. Besides, it was considered that there is uncertainty about the utility of the event and the high cost of participation.
- Darío Flota, Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ), stated that the decision was made unanimously and that the state hotel associations prefer to invest in other promotional actions that guarantee tangible benefits for the tourism industry of the state.
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SECTUR plans meeting between banks and the National Tourism Business Council
-
-
- The Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) headed by Miguel Torruco Marqués declared through a statement that it seeks to promote a meeting between the National Tourism Business Council (CNET) and the banks “so that they can directly raise their problems and thus can reach a prompt solution ”.
- This after almost a month ago a plan to support tourism companies was announced between the federal government and the financial sector, with commercial and development banks.
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Posadas offers free nights at their hotels
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- Intending to promote the reactivation of tourism in Mexico, Posadas presented the 11th edition of its campaign: ‘Travel throughout Mexico’ in which it offers a free night to its guests on their next stay. The offer will be available in the over 180 hotels of the hotel group.
- Enrique Calderón, Vice President of Hotel Operation of Posadas stated: “To reactivate the national tourism industry, it is important that people who need to travel or the intention of planning a future trip, start booking. At Posadas we are ready to receive them with all the prevention protocols in each of our hotels, to continue creating safe and memorable experiences”.
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Real estate sector is favored by investment in tourism
-
-
- Miguel Angel Lemus, President of the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) Cancun, stated that despite the gradual economic rebound due to mobility restrictions, permanent or semi-permanent investment is favored in Cancun thanks to tourism.
- He spoke about the impact on the real estate sector by the current pandemic: “We began to see that people realized that there is only one life and that it is important to live it well, so they are looking for better places to live.”
-
Airlines
American airlines ban face masks with plastic valves
-
-
- Following a recommendation made in early August by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US airlines prohibited passengers from wearing a mask with a plastic valve.
- Although masks with this feature allow air to escape when exhaling and make the person breathe better, the CDC considers them to be inefficient.
-
Global Information
64% of deaths from Covid-19 coronavirus are in America
-
-
- Currently, the American continent is the area most affected in the world by the Covid-19 coronavirus. America reports 64 percent of deaths worldwide, according to Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The countries most affected are the United States and Brazil.
- This region reaches 11.5 million cases, 400 thousand deaths because of the virus, even though it is home to 13 percent of the world’s population.
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August 18th, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 3,571
Confirmed: 525,733
Suspects: 78,431
Deaths per day: 266
Deaths: 57,023
Update: August 17th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic is on the decline
(Source: El Universal Newspaper)
-
-
- Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary of Health reported that the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic is in a decline phase. However, he reiterated that the health emergency is still active in Mexico.
- He stated out that the pandemic “is in a clear phase of decline; (…) in most of the national territory, the number of daily cases and are decreasing consistently, as well as the amount of deaths, which are steadily decreasing.”
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Local Tourism
Riviera Maya without European tourism
-
-
- This destination has been affected by the lack of foreign tourists from Europe and Latin America, due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. However, the growth in the number of flights from Mexico, the United States, and Canada to this destination stands out.
- The countries that registered the greatest decrease in tourists in the Mexican Caribbean are the United Kingdom, Argentina, and Colombia.
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Cancun and Riviera Maya beaches are the most sought, according to Expedia
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- The beaches of these destinations are among the favorites of national and foreign tourists who plan to travel in September, according to an analysis of search engines, carried out by Expedia Group.
- According to the report, 6 out of 10 searches for national destinations were by Americans, two by Mexicans, and one by Canadians. This list is led by Cancun, followed by Riviera Maya and Los Cabos, Baja California.
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Foreign consortia interested in the urban-tourist railway network of Quintana Roo
-
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- Eduardo Ortiz Jasso, Director of the Strategic Projects Agency of Quintana Roo, announced that five foreign consortia (from Asia, Europe, and Canada) are interested in developing the construction of the urban-tourist railway network in the state, which will provide from passengers to the Mayan Train.
- The project is made up of two light rail systems. One of them is planned to be for tourists, go through the hotel zone and arrive at the airport.
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Tourism Industry
Hoteliers request that the participation in Tianguis Turístico Digital be free
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- Roberto Cintrón, President of the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres invited SECTUR to support the sector.
- The businessman asked the agency for support “as a way of showing empathy to the current situation, SECTUR has in its hands an extraordinary opportunity to meet again with the tourist union of Mexico, giving free participation in the virtual Tianguis Turístico to all tourist members from the country”.
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Tianguis Turístico Digital recognized by Actual as the only virtual event in the sector
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- The Asociación para la Cultura y el Turismo de América Latina (Association for Culture and Tourism of Latin America, Actual), recognized the Tianguis Turístico Digital 2020 as the only virtual platform for the Mexican and Latin American tourism sector.
- Armando Bojórquez, President of Actual, considered the Tianguis Turístico as an important meeting point that will help to consolidate the sector.
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Quintana Roo will participate in Tianguis Turístico Digital
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- Darío Flota Ocampo, Director del Consejo de Promoción Turística del Estado, (Director of the State Tourism Promotion Council) spoke about the activities of the destination in previous months and confirmed the presence of the state in the next virtual Tianguis, as well as in the London and Paris fairs if they take place.
- Opinion on the lack of security in the realization of tourist fairs such as the World Travel Market, London, United Kingdom, and the IFTM International French Travel Market Paris.
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Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines hope for tourism
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- The vaccines that Russia and China have developed and the possibility of producing millions of doses this year means hope for the international tourism sector that has been affected by the current pandemic.
- The sector has recorded losses of 320,000 million dollars between January and May, according to the UNWTO, and a drop in world GDP of more than 5.5 trillion dollars, according to the WTTC.
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Cruises register an increase in reservations for 2021
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- Executives of major shipping companies stated that there has been an increase in bookings for 2021. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line consider that reservations for next year are “within historical ranges” compared to this year.
- Travel agencies confirm this data and say there is a “solid boost for 2021 bookings overall compared to the same time last year,” according to Drew Daly, senior vice president, and general manager, Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.
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Sedetur works on protocols for MICE and tourists
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- Quintana Roo, the Ministry of Tourism and other entities are working on the definition of guidelines for the reactivation of the tourism sector of MICE Congresses and meetings, which has been one of the most affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
- The director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (Director de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo, CPTQ), Darío Flota Ocampo, announced that these protocols will be applied to the entire state, even though there is still no date for the reactivation of this segment.
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Airlines
Due to the pandemic, 30% of airline capacity will be reduced
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- In the reactivation plan of Mexican airlines operations, a reduction of approximately 30 percent is expected, due to the health emergency because of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
- Rodrigo Vásquez Colmenares, General Director of the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil, AFAC) stated: “Without a doubt, we are going to see a reduction, a decrease in the installed capacity of the entire transportation system, I would estimate that there will be a reduction close to 30 percent of the total seats that were had”.
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Airlines prioritize safety, but travelers prefer roads
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- Although airlines work on protocols such as the mandatory use of face masks and specialized air filters to ensure the well-being of passengers, they still do not feel safe when traveling by plane.
- At an international level, airline activity was affected by 85 percent compared to a year ago, according to industry figures. As a result, many companies have declared bankruptcy.
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Global Information
China approves the first Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine patent
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- Chinese authorities endorsed yesterday the Ad5-nCoV, the first vaccine patent against the Covid-19 coronavirus in this country.
- The vaccine uses a weakened virus from the common cold to introduce genetic material from the new coronavirus and prepare the body to produce antibodies that recognize and fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus protein.
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August 17th, update
Coronavirus cases in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,448
Confirmed: 522,162
Suspects: 81,046
Deaths per day: 214
Deaths: 56,757
Update: August 16th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Free COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine in the country
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- The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, stated that there will be a national campaign for free and universal vaccination against COVID-19 coronavirus, which will be available to all Mexicans.
- The vaccine, produced by Mexico and Argentina, is expected to be ready for the first quarter of next year, the president pointed out.
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Know the 8 requirements of Playa del Carmen to access beaches
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- The Municipio de Solaridad (Solidaridad Municipality) stated out that the beaches opening in this destination will be between August 20 and 30.
- As part of a pilot program for the tourist reactivation of the destination, visitors must comply with eight requirements such as the use of face masks, maintain a healthy distance, access in groups of no more than four people and entry to the beaches with food and drinks will be prohibited.
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Tourism Industry
Torruco is called to a court appearance
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- Ángel Ávila, national leader of the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD), demanded the appearance of the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco for his “lousy job” as head of the department.
- The leader pointed out that it is necessary to change the promotion and reactivation strategy of the tourism sector in Mexico.
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Tourism Secretariat will eliminate Undersecretariat
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- Due to the budget cuts in the Secretariat of Tourism (Sectur), some media indicate that, as of this Monday, the Undersecretary of Planning and Tourism Policy, headed by Alejandro Aguilera Gómez, will disappear.
- Some unofficial sources indicate that Alejandro Aguilera will continue in the department, but with a lesser position.
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Tourism asks the G-7 for help
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- Presidents, managing directors, and members of the tourism sector, led by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), call for urgent support from the G-7 to establish coordinated actions between countries.
- More than 100 industry leaders signed a letter from the WTTC addressed to the G-7 plus the governments of Spain, Australia, and South Korea. The first to respond was the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
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Section of the Mayan Train receives only one proposal
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- The Cancun-Tulum area that the Mayan Train will travel through only received a bid proposal from the consortium in which BlackRock collaborates, revealed the Foondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur).
- The organization stated that the final ruling regarding the proposal to carry out this part of the project will be announced on August 31.
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Record of minimum daily arrivals at Cancun airport
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- Due to travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Cancun International Airport reports only a hundred arrivals per day. This Sunday it registered 214 operations between national and international arrivals and departures.
- The situation keeps the destination stagnant and it directly affects hotel occupancy, which has not exceeded 30 percent.
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Business Coordinating Council of Riviera Maya against the benefit of foreign companies
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- Lenin Amaro Betancourt, President of Consejo Coordinadoor empresarial of Riviera Maya (Business Coordinating Council, CCE), asked the Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism, Fonatur) not to benefit foreign companies such as Blackrock, who presented their bid proposal to carry out the Cancun-Tulum section of the Mayan Train. Instead, he demanded that national companies be considered for this project.
- “Fonatur must consider hiring local companies to the extent of its capabilities and if they are not enough, consider other regional companies and do not want to put foreign companies to further benefit Blackrock, what we want is that the economy of our state”, he stated out.
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Cancun and South America restart air connectivity in September
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- After six months that the air connection between Cancun and South America was interrupted due to travel restrictions because of the COVID -19 coronavirus pandemic, it is expected that flights between the two regions will resume in September.
- The Director of the Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo (Tourism Promotion Council), Darío Flota Ocampo, acknowledged that this represents a great step for the destination sector reactivation. He added that a hotel occupancy of 60 percent is expected at the end of the year.
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Airlines
Aeroméxico will fly from Guadalajara to Cancun and Los Cabos
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- The airline announced that as of September 10, they will begin operations on two routes that will connect Guadalajara with Cancun and Los Cabos.
- The Guadalajara-Cancun route will operate seven days a week, while the Guadalajara-Los Cabos route will have an offer of five trips a week.
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Iberostar airline announces flights Cancun, Cuba, and Punta Cana
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- According to Gabriel Subías, CEO of World2Meet (W2M), receptive and bedbank of the Spanish hotel company, Iberostar’s new airline, World 2 Fly, plans to start operations next year to Cancun, Cuba, and Punta Cana.
- The CEO explained that they expect to obtain the operating license for these destinations between February and March next year to begin operations between March and April.
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Volaris contributes to the reconnection between Mexico and the USA
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- The airline continues to reactivate its routes where it has a presence. It is expected that this month, it will reinforce 16 percent of its operations in Aguascalientes, in addition to the exclusive routes from the state to Cancun, Tijuana, Los Angeles, and Chicago (Midway).
- This month 2 thousand seats will be available for domestic and international routes at affordable prices.
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Global Information
Russia produces the first batch of COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine
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- The pharmaceutical Binnopharm reported that the first industrial batch of 15,500 vaccines against the COVID-19 coronavirus has already been produced.
- Russia announced that post-registration studies on the vaccine will begin in the next few days, and later the mass vaccination campaign.
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August 13th, update
Cases of coronavirus in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,858
Confirmed: 498,380
Suspects: 83,473
Deaths per day: 737
Deaths: 54,666
Update: August 12th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Mexico will produce Covid-19 vaccine
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- Andrés Manuel López Obrador,the President of Mexico, announced the production of a vaccine against Covid-19 in Mexico with the AstraZeneca laboratory, the University of Oxford and the Carlos Slim Foundation. Production will be between Mexico and Argentina.
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Local Tourism
There is a drop in consumer credit
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- For the first time in 10 years, consumer credit granted by commercial banks registered a drop in its growth rate.
- The Covid-19 pandemic and the caution of people to request financing impaired the balance of the portfolio of this segment.
- The crisis caused by Covid-19 has led to strict confinement measures being established, which has reduced the demand for financing among Mexican families.
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More than 900 thousand jobs lost in Social Security
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- In the first half of the year, the decrease in employment reached 925 thousand 490 positions, which represents a drop of 4.5 percent.
- Of the total number of lost places, 694 thousand 627 correspond to permanent places and 230 thousand 863 temporary, commented the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS)
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Tourism Industry
Cruise industry in Mexico loses 126 million pesos
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- After the suspension of activities of the main cruise lines due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a loss of 126 million pesos was generated.
- The figure has caused a strong blow to the tourism industry. The main cruise lines in the world suspended their operations for several months, affecting the arrival of visitors to destinations such as Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada and Progreso, he detailed.
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Booking Holdings drops 91% in bookings
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- Booking Holdings’ travel bookings plummeted 91% in the second quarter of 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Room nights were down 87% compared to Q2 2019. For newly booked room nights, April saw the biggest drop at 85%.
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International tourism will fall 50% by the end of 2020
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- By the end of this year, the arrival of international visitors to Mexico would drop between 55 and 57.1 percent compared to last year.
- The average annual occupancy of hotel rooms would be 33 percent, according to estimates from the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur).
- Miguel Torruco, the head of the Ministry of Tourism, presented three possible scenarios for the end of the year. In the most optimistic scenario, reaching the green traffic light, the national hotel occupancy is expected to be 46.9 percent, with a total of 100 million 990 thousand tourists and an economic spill of 232 thousand 440 million pesos.
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August 12th, Update
Cases of coronavirus in Mexico
New cases per day: 6,686
Confirmed: 492,522
Suspects: 81,259
Deaths per day: 926
Deaths: 53,929
Update: August 11th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Government contemplates budget for COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine
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- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pointed out that Mexico has 100 billion pesos to acquire sufficient doses of the vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus.
- “In case that we need to buy vaccines, there is a budget, we are already estimating the cost of doses. In the investigations that have been carried out, there are companies that say that, to have the vaccine at the people’s service, they will not have profit purposes, they will not charge; that is, it will be the minimum expenses ”, declared the President.
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Local Tourism
Quintana Roo remains in orange status
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- Carlos Joaquín González, Governor of Quintana Roo, stated that the northern part of the state is in orange color of the epidemiological status, and if the recommendations are followed, it could soon turn yellow. Meanwhile, in the southern region the same color, which put into effect last Monday, remains.
- The Governor reported that, until August 10, the tourist registration in the northern zone was 25,710, the occupancy in Cancun was 27.2%, 19.3% in Puerto Morelos, 21.3% in Riviera Maya and 23.6% in Cozumel.
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Hotels in the Mexican Caribbean, among the best in the world
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- According to the 2020 Travelers’ Choice, some of the Cancun and Riviera resorts are recognized among the 10 best hotels in Mexico.
- Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun as well as Rosewood Mayakoba and Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort in Riviera Maya stood out for offering first-class services and unique experiences.
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ATELIER Playa Mujeres wins 2020 Traveler’s Choice award
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- ATELIER Playa Mujeres All Suites Luxury Resort received the 2020 Traveler’s Choice award, recognition granted by TripAdvisor.
- Oliver Reinhart, CEO of ATELIER de Hoteles, stated that “at ATELIER Playa Mujeres we are very proud to receive the 2020 Traveler’s Choice award, less than a year after starting operations, placing us among the best hotels in the world according to TripAdvisor” .
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Tourism Industry
Mundo Maya Mexico, alliance to recover tourism in the region
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- Tourism Secretariats of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Campeche join to coordinate actions and efforts for the recovery of tourism in the region. “Mundo Maya México” seeks to consolidate the touristic offer of the area at a national and international level.
- “The intention of this alliance is to promote the greatness of the territory where the Mayan civilization spread, consolidating the touristic offer, based on the guidelines of sustainable development through the use of the heritage and important cultural heritage that these five states have” they pointed out.
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AMResort postpones reopening
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- The hotel chain announced that they will reschedule the reopening dates, to comply with the recommended sanitary measures and guidelines to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus.
- In Mexico, the reopening of Dreams Natura Resort & Spa is scheduled for September 15; Dreams Puerto Aventuras, Now Emerald Cancún, Sunscape Akumal Riviera Maya and Zoetry Paraíso de la Bonita until October 1, 2020.
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IBTM Americas announces the Virtual Summit Humanizing the Change
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- IBTM Americas will hold the Virtual Summit Humanizing the Change, an online meeting that seeks to unite ties with the value chain of the meetings industry. The digital event will take place on August 25 and 26.
- David Hidalgo, CEO of IBTM Americas clarified that the event will not have commercial purposes, it will be a “tribute to all the people who work in the events industry, as an invitation to remember that we are human: creative, social and passionate”.
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Mexicans will visit national destinations after quarantine
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- According to a study carried out by Despegar, 65% of Mexicans will choose a national destination to travel after confinement.
- Ezequiel Rubin, Country Manager of Despegar México, recognized that travel will not be the same after the pandemic and travel trends will change. He anticipated that road trips and nearby destinations will be preferred.
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Airlines
Interjet continues with solidarity flights
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- During the last weeks, the airline has carried more than 1,100 passengers on flights for citizens of Central and South America (Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) to return to their countries from Mexico.
- Interjet thanked the authorities for allowing them “to keep families together, especially in this difficult situation represented by the COVID-19 health emergency”
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Flight rebound in July
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- Aeroméxico, Volaris and Viva Aerobus registered a gradual increase in flights during the month of July, after four months of losses in their transfers.
- Airlines registered an increase of 60% to 110% compared to June, but a decrease of more than 60%, compared to the same period of the previous year.
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Global Information
Russian vaccine generates uncertainty
(Video: El Universal newspaper)
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- After the Russian government announced that it was the first country to obtain the vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for discretion so as not to raise doubts. He recalled that the homologation of a vaccine requires a “rigorous” procedure.
- The Russian government plans to start immunizing the first risk groups in August and to begin mass vaccination campaigns in October.
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August 11th, Update
Cases of Coronavirus in Mexico
New cases per day: 5,558
Confirmed: 485,836
Suspects: 79,213
Deaths per day: 705
Deaths: 53,003
Update: August 10th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine tests will start in the country
(Video: El Universal newspaper)
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- From September to January, three companies that work in the development of a vaccine against COVID-19 coronavirus will begin phase three, which involves clinical trials.
- Currently, Mexico takes part in four protocols to obtain the vaccine.
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Local Tourism
Cancun postpones beaches opening
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- The destination foresees the re-opening of its beaches until the epidemiological status changes to yellow (medium risk) and the sanitary conditions improve.
- Playa del Carmen will open its coast on August 20th, even though the status is still orange (high risk) in a big part of Quintana Roo. It is expected that the next week the color will change to yellow, according to the governor of the state’s statements, Carlos Joaquín González.
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The hotel occupancy increases in the Riviera Maya
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- According to the President of the Asociación de Hoteles de la Riviera Maya (Hotels Association of Riviera Maya) (AHRM), Conrad Bergwerf, a hotel occupancy of 20% was registered in the destination in July. An overtaking of 23% is expected in August.
- Bergwerf described the figures as encouraging, regarding the limit of 30% of occupancy that must be complied during the orange status, according to the sanitary authorities in the region.
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Tourism Industry
Tecnocen sues the Secretary of Tourism
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- The company which oversaw the management of the VisitMexico website sued Miguel Torruco. The accusations are aimed at the secretary for blaming the company of “hacking” the platform and take control of the site domains.
- “Some suppliers of Braintivity (concessionaire of VisitMexico) started to make a set of decisions… and opted to hack the site, stole the domains”, stated Miguel Torruco in an interview, the last August 7th.
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Demand for punishment for guilty of VisitMexico case
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- Throughout a public letter from the Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turístico (National Tourism Business Council) (CNET), the associations and chambers claimed a “legal process against the perpetrators of the affectation of the main touristic counter in the country and urgent works in the reparation of the damages.”
- The companies owners recognize that the situation compromises the public image of Mexico and its touristic activity “since it is not only about a website, but this website represents the digital portal that has been consulted for years by millions of travelers (…)”.
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Tecnocen rejects accusations against itself
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- Tecnocen rejected the accusations about the mistakes in the translations in the names of the states and cities of the country on the VisitMexico website. The company assured that the Secretariat of Tourism is who has the control of the website, the programming, and the contents.
- This after the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) sued Tecnocen for “hacking”, alleged extortion, and control of the domains of the VisitMexico website.
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Relevant traffic, the possible culprit of the VisitMexico website translations
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- Sergio Loredo Foyo, Director of Tecnocen, pointed the company Relevant Traffic as the alleged culprit of the mistakes in the VisitMexico website translations.
- According to Sergio Loredo, Braintivity hired Relevant Traffic to execute the tasks of programming and content. The director of Tecnocen emphasized on the evidence he has for underpinning his statements.
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Announcement of new Technic Committee of Fidetur Acapulco
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- After the failed Acapulco promotion campaign, Pedro Haces Sordo and Abraham Garay resigned their positions as president and general director of the Fideicomiso para la Promoción Turística de Acapulco (Acapulco Tourism Promotion Trust) (Fidetur).
- Given this, Héctor Astudillo Flores, Governor of Guerrero, introduced Eligio Serna Nájera as the new leader of Fidetur Acapulco.
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Socialization of the complementary works of the Tren Maya
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- Laura Fernández Piña, Municipal President of Puerto Morelos and Raúl Bermúdez Arreola, Representative of the Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (National Tourism Fund) (Fonatur), met to socialize the complementary works of the Mayan Train that will be carried out in the region.
- The work contemplates a social and urban approach that seeks to improve mobility and infrastructure in the region, in addition to benefiting the municipality and its inhabitant’s quality of life.
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Airlines
United Airlines resumes flights to Cozumel
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- The airline resumes flights to this destination, to contribute to the gradual resumption of tourist activities in the destination, as well as to air connectivity and economic strengthening, according to Pedro Joaquínb Delbouis, Municipal President
- “I greatly appreciate the trust that United airline places in the destination by reincorporating its direct flight from the city of Houston (…) now in this stage of economic and tourism reactivation, it will allow us to increase the tourist flow, which in these times means a bonanza for families”, said Pedro Joaquín Delbouis.
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Global Information
Russia registers the first vaccine against COVID-19 coronavirus
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- Vladimir Putin announced that the country developed the first vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus, “Sputnik V”, in homage to a Soviet satellite. Besides, the Russian government announced that about 20 countries ordered more than 1 billion doses.
- Phase three of the clinical trials will begin on Wednesday, August 12th, while industrial production is scheduled for September.
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August 10th, update
Cases of coronavirus in Mexico
New cases per day: 4,376
Confirmed: 480,278
Suspects: 84,506
Deaths per day: 292
Deaths: 52,298
Update: August 9th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
The President of Mexico honors victims of Coronavirus COVID-19
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- In the tribute ceremony for the more than 50 thousand victims of Coronavirus COVID-19, the President of Mexico recognized the medical work and assured that the government has been responsible and professional in the face of the pandemic.
- Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared that his administration has employed almost 50 thousand health professionals and has invested 34 billion pesos to confront the virus.
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Propolis, auxiliary against Coronavirus COVID-19 according to UNAM
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- The (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México National (UNAM) declared that the antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties of propolis could help to face the condition of Coronavirus COVID-19.
- Tonatiuh Cruz Sánchez, academic from the Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Acatlán (FES) of UNAM, clarified that the effect of propolis in clinical cases has not yet been proven, but it can be used as a complementary treatment for the disease.
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Local Tourism
Cancun does not see improvement in touristic activity
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- During the first days of August, the destination barely exceeded 100 daily landings.
- The hotel capacity is occupied up to 26.2%, even though 146 hotels are currently operating, totaling 37,422 rooms equipped for tourism.
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Cozumel receives three nominations from World Travel Awards 2020
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- WTA 2020 nominated the destination in three categories: Leading Island Destination, Best Adventure Destination, and Best Beach Destination.
- The Representative of the Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo (Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council) (CPTQ), Pablo Alfonso Aguilar López, declared that there are no reports of tourists infected with Coronavirus COVID-19 in this destination.
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Mundo Maya Mexico joins to promote tourism
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- The Ministry of Tourism of each state that make up the Mundo Maya Mexico region (Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo) will jointly encourage tourism promotion.
- The key points of this alliance are focused on benefiting communities, natural and cultural wealth, as well as the development and consolidation of the tourist product.
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Tourism Industry
Sectur files a complaint about damages to the tourist image of Mexico
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- Miguel Torruco Marqués, Minister of Tourism in Mexico, announced that it lodged a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office for alleged illicit acts and damage related to the tourist image of Mexico.
- The incumbent clarified that Visit Mexico was the official promotion portal of the Consejo de Promoción Turística de México (Mexican Tourism Promotion Council) (CPTM) which, after its dissolution and liquidation, the CPTM became dependent on the Ministry of Tourism.
- Given this, Miguel Torruco stated, “it is our knowledge that it was caused by a third party called Tecnocen.com, S.A. de C.V., who allegedly had a business relationship with the Braintivity company.”
- This happened after the page was disabled on July 24, under a legend of “Suspension for non-payment.”
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Sectur expects to recover Visit Mexico by August 19
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- Miguel Torruco Marqués, Minister of Tourism, reiterated that the official launch of Visit Mexico is scheduled for August 20, once the problems in the portal are resolved on the 19th of this month.
- The tourism minister pointed to the Tecnocen company as responsible for having been in charge of the domains and security of the web platform.
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AMAV requests the intervention of the Cyber Police to Visit Mexico
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- The Asociación Mexicana de Agencias de Viaje (Mexican Association of Travel Agencies) (AMAV) demands that the government of Mexico punish those responsible for hacking and affecting the Visit Mexico portal. It also requested the intervention of the cyber police for the fraud that affects the tourism sector.
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Alliances between destinations: the basis of reactivation
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- The President of the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (ASETUR), Luis Humberto Araiza López, pointed out that strategic alliances between destinations are necessary for the reactivation of tourism in the “new normal”.
- The president of ASETUR exposed the lack of support and the need to promote destinations jointly. “We have to add the little of each party to move forward in such a difficult context,” he declared.
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Cozumel coordinates tourist reactivation actions
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- The Municipal President of Cozumel, Pedro Joaquín Delbouis, spoke about the actions that are being carried out in the destination to guarantee the health of residents and tourists.
- It highlights the action plan presented to Disney Cruise Line and the meetings with other shipping companies to coordinate the return of cruise ships to Cozumel, which represents one of the most important ports of arrivals in the world.
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Airlines
Southeast Airport Group reports a drop in passengers of 77.6%
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- Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (Asur) declared that in July there was a 77.6% drop in the number of passengers, compared to the same month last year. This due to the recession in travel caused by the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
- The number of decreases in Mexico is 74.7%, while in Puerto Rico it was 62.4%, and 99.8% in Colombia.
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Global Information
New Zealand celebrates 100 days without cases of Coronavirus COVID-19
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- In the last 100 days, New Zealand has not registered any case of Coronavirus COVID-19. However, the authorities ask the population not to relax the measures.
- Currently, the country has registered 23 infected people who were detected at the border and now they are quarantined. From February to May, New Zealand recorded 1,219 positive cases.
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August 6th, Update
Cases of coronavirus in Mexico
New cases per day: 6,139
Confirmed: 456,100
Suspects: 85,845
Deaths per day: 829
Deaths: 49,698
Update: August 5th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Number of Covid-19 coronavirus infections rises in seven states
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- The states where the number of cases due to Covid-19 coronavirus have grown are Baja California Sur, Colima, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Nayarit, Yucatán, and Zacatecas.
- 14 states of the republic have registered decreases in the number of cases and deaths from the virus.
- The rest of the entities remain on the plateau of the epidemiological curve.
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Local Tourism
UNAM researchers warn of an ecological disaster in Cancun
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- An investigation carried out by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), warns about the lack of a structured environmental plan in the hotel zone of the region. This could cause an ecological disaster and affect its natural resources.
- The study indicates that poor planning in the hotel zone, along with meteorological events, has caused the disappearance of the turquoise blue of the sea and the white sand of the beaches of Cancun.
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Acapulco Tourism Promotion Campaign causes rejection in social networks
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- According to network users, the campaign to promote the Guerrero port represents a misconception of young people visiting the region’s beaches.
- The audiovisual materials of the new image of the Acapulco brand were also singled out for being out of context and not representing the real attributes of Acapulco, Internet users pointed out.
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Mayan communities receive training from Amigos de Sian Ka’an
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- Faced with the confinement due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, Amigos de SianKa’an is working on training tourist cooperatives and Mayan communities for the reopening of Quintana Roo.
- To promote tourism in the region, the training projects include the construction of eco-techniques and courses to learn how to protect, clean, and make use of natural resources.
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Tourism Industry
“The New Normal” in tourism, an issue of analysis
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- The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic will determine new ways of analyzing the tourism sector, where health and hygiene guidelines could define the success of destinations, experts pointed out.
- Currently, destinations, and hotels are preparing protocols and strengthening (or creating) new strategic alliances with cleaning and sanitation agencies, to face the new needs in the face of the pandemic.
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Grupo Posadas suspends six hotel projects
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- Before the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the hotel group was developing 42 new hotel projects, of which only six (18%) were suspended.
- According to BraulioArsuaga, General Director of the President Group and President of the National Tourism Business Council (CNET), many of the tourism projects are still ongoing because they represent a long-term investment.
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AFEET Congress and Convention will be in Riviera Maya
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- The Women’s Association of Tourism Business Executives (AFEET) announced that its two most important meetings of the year will be held in a single event that will take place in the Mexican Caribbean.
- The International Congress and the AFEET 2020 Cancun-Riviera Maya Convention will be held from October 21 to 25 of this year.
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The signing of the reactivation plan for the gastronomic sector
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- Taste México and Canirac Cancún signed an agreement to contribute to the economic reactivation of Mexican gastronomy, through a digitization plan, the promotion of restaurants, and tourism.
- The agreement seeks to promote the visibility of Mexican food and all restaurants in Cancun and the Riviera Maya will be included in the official gastronomic guide of Mexico. The initiative will be promoted digitally, through social networks.
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Airlines
Interjet and Aeromar will share routes
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- After signing a commercial alliance, the companies agreed to jointly market their routes to connect to the destinations offered by each one, to offer more options and improve their connectivity.
- Starting this month, the routes previously operated only by Aeromar (from Mexico City to Acapulco, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Zihuatanejo, and Guadalajara-Puerto Vallarta) will be available at Interjet.
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Global Information
Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines, the first step in ending the pandemic
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- Several countries in the world are competing for victory by finding the vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus, which will only be the first step to eradicate the pandemic, but not the virus.
- Currently, the WHO supervises the process of 140 official vaccines, and several of them are already in the final phase of testing.
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San Diego will conduct Covid-19 coronavirus tests on Mexico border
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- To reduce the spread of the pandemic, California announced that in two weeks it will begin conducting 200 daily tests for Covid-19 coronavirus at the Ped West sentry box at the San Ysidro port of entry that connects San Diego with Tijuana, Mexico.
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August 5th, Update
Cases of coronavirus in Mexico
New cases per day: 6,148
Confirmed: 449,961
Suspects: 82,460
Deaths per day: 857
Deaths: 48,869
Update: August 4th, 2020, 7:00 pm
Mexico
Influenza could generate a sprout of Covid-19 coronavirus
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- The undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell, stated that a Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak is expected during the influenza season that begins around September and October.
- López-Gatellannounced that the Ministry of Health is working on a “Continuity Plan for Clinical Care Operations”, to reintegrate the health services that were affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
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Local Tourism
Cruises will resume arrivals to Quintana Roo
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- After cruise ship arrivals were canceled in March due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, the Cozumel and Mahahual docks will begin to receive the first tourist vessels starting in October.
- Being two of the most important piers in Latin America, the closure caused 120 cruises (720,000 passengers) to stop arriving, causing millionaire losses for the tourism sector in Quintana Roo.
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WTTC grants Puerto Morelos the Travel Safety stamp
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- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Secretary of Tourism of the State of Quintana Roo recognized the good practices of the destination in health matters and awarded the Global Safety Stamp, declared Laura Fernández Piña, Municipal President from Puerto Morelos.
- The protocols and health measures against the Covid-19 coronavirus, developed by the WTTC, seek to contribute to the revival of tourism and safeguard the health of travelers.
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Tourism Industry
PriceTravel announces a new project
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- The company unveiled PriceTravelConnect, the new business unit for wholesale agencies. The development of this project is part of its growth strategy in the face of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
- “We are very happy to have achieved this and become one of the best distribution channels, and thus be able to reach the best technology and product in other countries,” said Jorge Restrepo, CEO of PriceTravel Holding.
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Booking.com will cut 25% of its staff
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- The company revealed that it will reduce its workforce to a quarter, due to the devastation caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The process will start from September until the end of this year.
- GleenFogel, CEO of the company stated that “from the beginning, we have been working hard to protect jobs. However, nothing can mitigate the impact this crisis has had and will continue to have both on the travel industry and our business.”
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Palladium Hotel Group will offer free health care insurance
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- The hotel company will offer a year of medical benefits to all its guests, to protect them against any Covid-19 coronavirus contingency.
- Some of the “Stay Safe” services will be the coverage of medical and hospitalization expenses, prolongation of stay, or transfers derived from the health emergency.
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Velas resorts classified as one of the best hotels in Mexico
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- TripAdvisor recognized Grand Velas
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