Lack of promotion and Airbnb bigger threat than sargassum: Cancún hoteliers

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August 7, 2019

Hotels in Cancún say sargassum is not their biggest problem.

A lack of tourism promotion and the rise in popularity of accommodation booking platforms such as Airbnb are hitting the Quintana Roo hotel sector harder than the arrival of sargassum, according to an industry representative.

“Sargassum is not an issue that is bringing reservations down,” said Roberto Cintrón Gómez, president of the Hotel Association of Cancún and Puerto Morelos.

“It’s definitely the lack of promotion and the vacation rental platforms . . . the rental platforms have had significant growth,” he explained.

The former is the result of the federal government’s decision to disband the Tourism Promotion Council (CPTM) and redirect its funding to the Maya Train project.

Some tourism businesses and local governments have joined forces to fill the vacuum left by the closure of the CPTM, while the federal government announced in April that marketing the nation as a tourism destination would become a responsibility of Mexico’s embassies and consulates.

There are worse things than sargassum, hotels say.

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said that diplomatic staff will undertake short tourism marketing courses that in most cases will be delivered online to avoid any detrimental effects on the day-day-day operations of overseas missions.

But tourism industry representative rejected the plan.

Sergio González Rubiera, president of the Mexican Travel Agency Association, described the idea as “absurd” and urged authorities to use revenue collected from the accommodation tax to carry out national and international tourism marketing campaigns.

Abelardo Vara Rivera of the Hotel Association of Cancún and Puerto Morelos charged that the use of “tourism diplomacy to promote the country is a big joke.”

“. . . After a few minutes on the internet they’re going to turn ambassadors and consuls into tourism marketing experts? It’s laughable . . . I don’t see any signs, plans or actions to visualize a flattering tourism future,” he said.

The second factor that Cintrón identified as a threat to the hotel sector in Quintana Roo is affecting hoteliers in popular tourism destinations across the country.

An Airbnb rental in Cancún, a bigger problem for hoteliers than sargassum.

There are now more Airbnb listings than hotel rooms in Mexico, research firm Americas Market Intelligence (AMI) said in a new study called Disruption in Mexico’s Hospitality Industry.

“Airbnb has grown rapidly in Mexico in recent years, with listings expanding by 53% in 2018,” said Ricardo Álvarez, a company director.

AMI found that 81% of Airbnb guests in Mexico are satisfied with their lodging experience whereas 74% expressed the same sentiment about hotel stays in the country.

It also determined that Mexican travelers are more likely to recommend specific Airbnb listings to friends than hotels (63% vs 47%) and that 56% of millennials prefer the former over the latter.

Álvarez said that while Airbnb has certain advantages over hotels that have helped it to disrupt the accommodation industry, “hotels also have advantages they can use to retain or expand their market share.”

“They just need to understand them, and research like this could help,” he added.

Source: Reportur (sp), Travel Daily Media (en)

Manatees at risk for lack of protection against range of risks: biologist

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MND Staff

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August 7, 2019

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The Antillean manatee is at risk of extinction in Mexico and Belize due to a lack of laws to protect it, says a Belizean conservationist and biologist.

“. . . Our work is limited by the lack of laws and specific regulations that deal with the problems that threaten the species and provide the protection it needs,” Jamal A. Galves told the news agency EFE.

There are only around 2,000 manatees living in Mexican and Belizean waters, where they face a range of risks that are exacerbated by their curious nature and lack of speed.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, accidental fishing of the species and collisions with boats have caused manatee deaths and contributed to their current status as an endangered species.

Environmental dangers can also pose risks – 48 manatees died in Tabasco last year after eating toxic algae.

The Mexican government has implemented manatee conservation programs since 1991 but despite the efforts to protect the marine mammal, the species now only lives in three regions in the southeast of the country: the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and Chetumal bay in Quintana Roo, the Alvarado lagoon and Papaloapan river basin in Veracruz and the lower basin of the Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers, an area that extends across parts of Tabasco, Campeche and Chiapas.

The only area that is currently receiving federal financial support to protect manatees and their habitat is the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve.

According to the environmental NGO Wildtracks Belize, manatees have migrated to that country from Mexico during the last five years in search of a better place to live.

Gerardo Ceballos, an ecologist at the University of Arizona, said the migration is completely natural and not the result of environmental problems in Mexican waters.

But Galves disagreed, charging that the sole reason that manatees are leaving Mexico is because Belize offers ecosystems that are “more pristine, healthier and more favorable” for their survival.

However, he added that tourism activities in Belize, including tours that allow visitors to swim with manatees, threaten the species.

“It’s good for the economy but often bad for the manatees . . .” Galves said.

To ensure the ongoing survival of the animal, Ceballos said, Mexico and Belize need to work together and establish a comprehensive conservation plan.

Source: EFE (sp)

How to escape Mexico City without actually leaving it

By

Andy Hume

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August 7, 2019

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Temple and volcano view atop Cerro de la Estrella National Park.

Mexico City is 900 square kilometers, making it the fifth largest city in the world based on area. It’s so big that it has multiple national parks inside its borders.

That’s fortunate because they give beleaguered residents some respite from its frenetic hustle and bustle.

Here are two that are well worth a visit.

Parque Nacional Desierto de los Leones

Supposedly named for dandelion fluff that blows in the breeze in the surrounding hills, Desert of the Lions National Park is one of the quickest and most gratifying deep-forest escapes you can make in the city’s hallowed hills.

That’s one explanation of a multitude for the “lion.” The “desert” part seems to have more to do with the general distance from the city, rather than any lack of water. There are several brooks and waterfalls throughout the park.

It appears that the park, stretching between the boroughs of Cuajimalpa and Álvaro Obregón, had never been inhabited, at least not full-time, until the Order of the Barefoot Catholic Carmelites arrived in the early 1600s. Choosing to escape the city and meditate in proper silence, the shoeless brothers established a convent on the grounds in 1606.

But, because of humidity and constant temperature variation, the convent fell into a cycle of disrepair and repair until it was finally abandoned in 1810 as the War of Independence spread through the outskirts of the city. Desierto de los Leones became Mexico’s first protected forest reserve in 1876 and then a national park in 1917.

The convent still stands in beautiful dilapidation and is worth the visit alone. There are grills and picnic tables along the path, if you’ve planned a picnic. But diving directly into a forest of pines, firs and oaks is why we’re here.

A part of the Sierra de las Cruces mountain range, the park’s elevation runs between 2,600 and 3,700 meters, and is an ideal place to lose the city on foot, horse or mountain bike. There’s an impressive amount of wildlife so near the city: bobcats, foxes, white-tailed deer and peregrine falcons, along with endemic and endangered reptiles, though you’re not likely to see many.

But the escape from humans and the overpowering cityscape is simple at Desierto de los Leones. Bring a picnic basket or Oxxo bag and find a quiet hill off the trail. Just don’t leave anything behind.

It’s a striking hike through massive pines. By personal account, the restoration and conservation projects within the park have been successful. A friend that joined me on the hike said it was much tidier than he remembered from the 90s. Unfortunately, these days you can’t get a beer to go from any of the shops or restaurants at the convent parking anymore.

• Enter the park off Highway 15D onto Camino a la Venta, continuing onto Calz. Desierto de los Leones. You’ll arrive at the first parking lot and plenty of trails but continue. Pass the grills and picnic tables to the last parking lot nearest the convent. You’ll know when you’re there.

Parque Nacional Cerro de la Estrella

Parque Nacional Cerro de la Estrella (“The Mountain of the Star”) in Iztapalapa was designated a national park in 1938. Originally it had 1,100 hectares, but the spread of the city has reduced it to a still quite striking expanse of 200 hectares.

Upon arrival, it’s rather annoying that the road — Camino Cerro de la Estrella — is cut off by a police blockade just as you arrive at the park. Turns out that the cordon helps keep squatters from further encroaching on park space. The only cars on the road are park employees or groups of kids heading to the museum.

The Museo Fuego Nuevo (“New Fire Museum”), just a couple of minutes’ walk up the hill, is a petite, charming and very well-managed cultural and archaeological center.

The lush trails of Cerro de la Estrella National Park.

Every 52 years, the two Aztec calendars — the Tonalpohuall (ritual), with 260 days — and the Xiuhpohualli, with 365 days (annual) — converge and restart on the same day. On that day at the Xiuhmolpilli temple on top of the current park the “Binding of the years” ceremony would be performed. It was renamed the “New Fire ceremony” by the Spanish.

It will be a while, but mark your calendar for October 2027 in order to visit the temple during the time of “Binding of the years.” No New Fire Ceremony has been advertised. It’s probably just as well, since the ceremony involves the removal of someone’s heart.

The museum is dedicated to the archaeological and cultural history of the park including explanations of the two calendars and the history of the Teotihuacan, Toltec, Chichimeca, and Culhua-Mexica cultures. Human remains have been discovered on the site dating back 9,000 years, and there are over 100 caves, many with evidence of human habitation.

From the museum it’s a steep 15 to 20-minute walk to the temple. There are meandering trails on the sides of the mountain or shortcut trails straight up, once you have your bearings. When the smog is limited, the view of the city is breathtaking. The walk among eucalyptus, pine and cedar provides great views, regardless of pollution.

There is the noise of some circular saws in the distance and the showerhead spray-like “suzz” of mass traffic, but it’s amazingly quiet in this tiny forest just a few hundred meters above the city. Once you reach the fenced-in area at the top, follow it to the opening. From there turn left to the caves or go straight up to the temple platform for 365-degree views of the city sprawling before your eyes.

•Museo Fuego Nuevo is located just above Camino Cerro de la Estrella and San José, Iztapalapa. Parking is available on San José. The park is open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. The national park continues beyond the museum and is open daily, 5:00am to 7:00pm.

Former education secretary of Jalisco arrested for corruption

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Madison Koen

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August 7, 2019

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Authorities in Jalisco have detained the former secretary of education for embezzling US $1.5 million in connection with the purchase of a property in the United States.

Police arrested Antonio Gloria Morales for alleged acts of corruption committed during his time in office from 2010-2013.

Gloria oversaw the purchase of property for Casa Jalisco Chicago, which was intended to strengthen ties between Jalisco and the United States Midwest, where an estimated 700,000 people originally from Jalisco were living at the time.

The property was purchased for $3.5 million but an investigation later found that the real cost of the building was only $1.5 million.

The state attorney general’s office said police arrested Gloria after he was seen in the Ciudad del Sol neighborhood of Zapopan.

Casa Jalisco was purchased during the administration of governor Emilio González Márquez, for whom Gloria first served as a personal secretary. Gloria is also past president of the National Action Party in the state.

The warrant for Gloria’s arrest was issued by a judge during the term of the last governor, Jorge Aristóteles Sandoval, but he froze the warrant and tried to sell the property.

His successor, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, suspended the sale and reactivated the warrant for Gloria’s arrest soon after taking office.

Alfaro reopened Casa Jalisco in June.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)

Cannonball runs No. 2: Mother’s Day at Hussong’s, $1 beers, and why Camrys

By

Carlisle Johnson

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August 7, 2019

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hussong's ensenada — A Mother's Day party at Hussong's was a special event.

More observations on highway travel through Mexico in the second of a two-part series recollecting cannonball runs in Toyotas by the author and his travel companion, “the doc,” from the United States border to Guatemala.

The doc likes chrome and Formica, and hotels that call themselves Inn or Lodge, and have a Shoppe. I like wood. He likes to spray his bed with Raid. I don’t care.

Lately in the evenings he’s taken to Appleton’s and whatever, or rye and ginger. I stick to $1 beers, usually from a ubiquitous Oxxo convenience store. Since I’m the one who suffered the nightmare of bobbing along in Baja’s Sea of Cortés holding the globe when our car ferry sank, maybe I should reconsider the Appleton’s or rye. Where did the globe come from? The back seat, of course.

Oxxo is what girls used to write at the bottom of letters, at least to other guys. In Mexico it’s a spic and span convenience store that sells an endless combination of hot-dogs called Vikings. Maybe the Vikings introduced them to the New World when they came to Minnesota — I don’t know, but they are not typically Mexican.

Two for one for a buck on Fridays. It also sells beer nuts. Shop-doc likes beer nuts — between the seats, under the accelerator, on the seats, under the floor mats. We need a pigeon. A passenger pigeon.

We’ve crossed at Tijuana, Laredo, Piedras Negras and Matamoros, some of the allegedly most crime-ridden cities in Mexico. This makes us experts. Although the large counter dedicated to “repatriation of human remains” in Nuevo Laredo is worth pondering for a few seconds, our only real obstacles have related to having to shell out about US $60 for a road tax, and $200 to guarantee that the car will leave Mexico.

In case I don’t make it, I name the doc as beneficiary of the deposit, and it’s never crossed my mind to wonder why I might need to name a beneficiary. Really.

Three standout attractions lie not too far from the borders we crossed, one per border crossing. In Ensenada, there is a venerable cantina named Hussong’s. Since another of our inexhaustible supply of high school classmates married a Hussong, we dropped by. Big party. Mariachis. $1 beers. The occasion? Mother’s Day as in “Take Mom out for a few beers.” Plan on it next year. It’s unique. “Hi, Mom.”

South of Laredo, in the middle of the desert before Monterrey, there is a hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. At least I think it was, or Picasso. It’s all cubes and triangles and funky colors. Maybe it was designed by a dyslectic Mexican. I should have asked the doc about hotel design and dyslexia.

South of Matamoros is a motel that has been turned into a barracks for the Mexican marine corps. It makes shop-doc nervous but I always sleep better when a Humvee with a swivel-mounted machine gun on the back is parked outside, even if the driver doesn’t know the words to “From the halls of Montezuma.”

Why Camrys?

Eighty-one per cent of the cars and trucks in Guatemala are Toyotas so I naturally gravitate to the people’s choice.

Cannonball I

A 1988 Kentucky-made Camry wagon with 130,000 miles on it. Maybe. I saw one recently listed as a vintage car in Maryland. Vintage? Maybe it was made in France by the venerable makers of the guillotine, since the sliding automatic seatbelts decapitate driver and passenger. But 35 miles to the gallon, overdrive — which I hadn’t seen since Dad’s 1950 Mercury — is hard to beat along with huge cargo space, useful for life-saving globes and whatnot.

Chic or slick it’s not. The French would call it jolie-laide, pretty and ugly at the same time. We named it Camilla after the next queen of England. Maybe.

Cannonball II

A 1993 Camry LE with 160,000 (maybe) miles on it. This is about as plain vanilla as a Camry comes. I bought it from a Honda salesman in Brownsville, who bought it from “a little old lady that owned it for 25 years,” even though I had heard that classic pitch before. The old lady must have been on steroids, since two door handles were snapped off as well as one sun visor.

Great AC though. I once bought a Land Rover that was “owned by a nun” but that’s another story. I love a good sales pitch.

Cannonball III

The Camel. Time was getting short and Craig’s List shorter when, praise Allah, a tall, good looking man drove up in a Camry CE, a 2000, practically a new car for me. “I don’t want any money for it,” he said. “I’m in a hurry, leaving tonight to go home. Home is Saudi Arabia. I just graduated as a SEAL and am going home to clean up a little Shiite problem on our east coast you may have heard about.”

I had. He was a Saudi navy lieutenant and because of the brotherhood of warriors and all that (I was also a lieutenant) I insisted he take $400 and the deal was done. He rewrote my image of Saudis. Well dressed, well spoken, in such impressive shape that I wouldn’t want to meet him coming around a dune if I were a “Shiite problem” (read Ayatollah).

Camel clocks in at 212,000 miles, and as you would expect from a camel it has great AC.

Cannonball IV

This could well be called a budget cannonball run. It was a 1993 GEO, said to be a Corolla. I should name her Genie GEO because she’s already granted me two wishes: San Diego to Denver to Brownsville, and Brownsville back to San Diego. The back seat is big enough for two globes, just in case.

A few words on buying old Camrys, and I guess other makes, too. Car forensics dug out of the glove compartment and from under the seats are fun, and cheaper than Carfax. I found, for example, that Camel had been in Hawaii, that a little-old-lady indeed had owned one Camry for 25 years and had a new AC compressor installed.

So what do I do with all my Camrys?

I think I’ll keep Camilla. If she lasts as long as the queens of England and Galapagos tortoises typically seem to, I’ll be all right. The used-to-belong-to-a little-old lady I haven’t decided yet. I’m rather fond of Camel. She came by divine providence, inshallah, and deserves a good dune-free life. GEO and Corolla have grown on me but maybe it’s time for a Guatemalan Toyotathon.

Old Camrys cost about $500-$1,000, with the most immediate additional needs usually being tires and a battery. Well, mine did have cassette players. But to look at the bright side they might have been eight-tracks. Remember those? Any Mexican will install a Walmart $16 radio for about $3. “Not worth stealing,” my installer uncharitably mumbled

Advice for copycats: Toyota, Auto Zone, Baja Bound Insurance? Yes.

General advice: Don’t.

The writer is a Guatemala-based journalist.

Students win medals at South Africa mathematics competition

By

Simon Schatzberg

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August 7, 2019

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Mexico's math competition medalists in South Africa.

A team of young mathematicians representing Mexico in an international math competition in Durban, South Africa, last week brought home eight medals and two honorable mentions.

In the team section of the South African International Mathematics Competition, Mexican middle and elementary school teams won a gold medal and a bronze, while in the individual section Mexican competitors won one gold medal, two silver, three bronze and two honorable mentions. The 2019 competition was the first time that a Mexican team has won a gold medal in the group section.

The individual gold medal was won by 12-year-old Mateo Iván Latapí Acosta, a native of Mexico City.

This year, 244 middle school students and 252 elementary school students from 27 countries participated in the competition, mostly from east and southeast Asia. The only countries in the Americas that sent teams were Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The Mexican team’s travel to South Africa was paid for by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who offered to fund the trip after government funding for the Mexican Math Olympiad (OMM) was cut.

After the competition, the OMM thanked del Toro for his support with a message on Twitter.

“Thank you @RealGDT! We don’t want to imagine what would have happened without your support,” the OMM said. “We don’t want to work with an uncertain budget. We work a lot and we work well; and we keep demonstrating that with our results. These are the fruits of years of labor.”

Source: NTR Zacatecas (sp)

Water system cannot meet airport’s needs; 38 tanker trucks a day provide 90%

By

MND Staff

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August 7, 2019

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38 of these deliver water to the airport every day.

Tanker trucks provide more than 90% of the water used at Mexico City airport due to the inability of the capital’s supply network to meet demand.

Thirty-eight trucks, each with a capacity of 40,000 liters, supply water to the airport on a daily basis at a cost of 177,281 pesos (US $9,015) per day, or 64.7 million pesos (US $3.3 million) per year.

A single supplier has provided all the water that has been trucked to the site during the past 10 years, according to contracts posted to a government purchasing website. Adolfo Trejo Castarena also has a contract to continue supplying water to the airport until the end of 2020.

In 2018, the Mexico City Water Department (Sacmex) supplied 57 million liters of water to the airport – just 8.5% of the total used – while tanker trucks delivered the other 91.5%, equal to 616 million liters.

About 70% of the latter amount went to Terminal 1 at the Benito Juárez International Airport, while the remaining 30% was trucked to Terminal 2.

Sacmex is unable to allocate more water to the airport without compromising its capacity to deliver water to homes and businesses in neighborhoods in the same area.

In order to reduce its reliance on tanker truck deliveries, airport management has requested federal government permission to carry out studies to look at ways in which rainwater can be harvested and stored at the site and wastewater can be treated before being reused.

Demand for water has increased with growing passenger numbers.

Twenty-four million passengers used the airport’s two terminals during the first half of 2019, 71% more than in the same period of 2012 when 14 million passengers flew to or from Mexico City.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Tornado surprises residents of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, but leaves no damage

By

Madison Koen

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August 7, 2019

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Some residents of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, looked up in alarm while others dashed for their cellphones as an earth-colored tornado spun through the area on Tuesday, but without leaving much evidence of its passage.

State Civil Protection officials said the low-density tornado touched down at 1:00pm between the communities of Saucito del Poleo and Valdecañas and generated winds of between 60 and 117 kilometers per hour, qualifying it as an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale — the lowest rating for tornado intensity.

Although many residents were alarmed, authorities reported neither property damage nor injuries. Videos and photos of the phenomenon have been widely shared on social media.

According to Manuel de Jesús Macías Patiño, an environmental expert and researcher at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, climate change was to blame for the event. He added that while whirlwinds and small tornados are not uncommon in Zacatecas during other seasons, a long dry spell caused by changing climate conditions facilitated the formation of the twister.

Macías Patiño advised residents to be prepared to see more unusual and out-of-season weather patterns and phenomenon as climate change accelerates. He also said that since storms and tornados were likely to become both more frequent and stronger, the state government should invest in special radar technology capable of detecting conditions under which tornados form.

Source: Excélsior (sp), El Universal (sp)

The tornado caused no damage or casualties.

Police arrest Mexico City man with 50 dogs crammed into his house

By

Madison Koen

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August 7, 2019

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Some of the 50 dogs rescued by authorities.

Police in Mexico City have arrested a 60-year-old man for animal abuse and rescued 50 dogs that had been crowded inside a small area of his home.

According to the man’s neighbors in the borough of Gustavo A. Madero, the dogs had been abandoned on a small patio since July 2018. A video shared widely on social media shows the dogs crammed together, standing in their own feces and desperately ripping the flesh off the carcass of one of their canine companions out of hunger.

Police used a crowbar to force open the door to the home while animal control personnel from the Secretariat of Public Safety entered the residence with carriers and extracted the dogs one by one.

From there, some of the dogs were transported to the agency’s facilities, while others were taken to the Culhuacán Canine Center, where they will be seen by a veterinarian and their future decided.

Magdalena Ríos, who lives adjacent to the house where the dogs were rescued, said that neighbors had brought the animals’ conditions to the attention of authorities long ago, but their complaints went unanswered until they recorded a video.

“We didn’t get any response until a video that we published went viral on social media. The dogs are not OK; they eat one another, and it is not all right for that man to have kept them in these conditions. Wherever they send them, they will be better off than how they were here . . . We live behind [that house], and we cannot even open the windows because of the intolerable smell and the flies.”

Source: Milenio (sp)

70,000 farmers still waiting for fertilizer; program ‘a failure:’ governor

By

Simon Schatzberg

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August 7, 2019

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A fertilizer protest in Guerrero: one of more than 100.

Guerrero Governor Héctor Astudillo has criticized the implementation of a federal program to distribute free fertilizer, calling it “a failure.”

Astudillo told a press conference that 70,000 farmers are still waiting to receive fertilizer they had been promised, and blamed the delays on bad planning and politicization.

He estimated that “a significant number of farmers decided not to plant.”

The governor noted that compared with 2018 there was a reduction of 16% in the area of land where free fertilizer was applied, that the volume of fertilizer distributed was 56% lower, and that there were 69% fewer beneficiaries.

Astudillo blamed the federal civil servants in charge of the program, saying they used it for political purposes.

“They failed to follow the instructions of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, that fertilizer should be free for all producers in Guerrero,” he said.

In total, over 400,000 Guerrero farmers signed up to receive fertilizer through the program. But subsequent delays in distribution pushed farmers to engage in 130 protest actions as the need for fertilizer became more and more urgent.

The director of the fertilizer program promised in June that the delivery of fertilizer would be fully completed by July 15.

Because corn is an important subsistence crop in Guerrero, Astudillo called on the federal government to create an emergency food program to make sure the state does not go hungry in the months ahead.

The free fertilizer program has existed for 27 years, but 2019 is the first year that it has been administered by the federal government. In previous years, the fertilizer was distributed in May, which is the planting season for important subsistence crops like corn, beans and rice.

Deputy Rubén Cayetano, who represents Guerrero for the Morena party, told La Razón that he agrees with Astudillo’s assessment that the program was a failure.

“My perception is that the promises were not fulfilled, because that’s what people in the communities are telling us,” he said.

Cayetano said he hopes to bring Agriculture Secretary Víctor Villalobos to testify before the Chamber of Deputies about the program.

Source: Reforma (sp), La Jornada Guerrero (sp), La Razón (sp)