Acquired by art dealer Lio Malca in 2003, Escobar’s 24-room former holiday home has been renovated and converted into a luxury hotel named ‘Casa Malca‘.
For over a decade the drug lord’s mansion in Tulum, Mexico sat empty, but it has now been renovated and transformed by art dealer Lio Lamca to become the stunning Casa Malca.
Locals claim the so-called King of Cocaine, who headed up the Medellin Cartel that brought in more than $91.5 million per day
, built the whitewashed house in the 1980s.
The eco-friendly boutique hotel is located right on a pristine stretch of a private beach in the popular resort town and comes with a wealth of amenities befitting of the billionaire.
Pablo Escobar was known as the King of Cocaine in his native Colombia.
These include an underground steam room, pool and rooftop deck, and rooms filled with paintings, sculptures and furniture from contemporary artists.
Its restaurant uses fresh ingredients from the property’s garden, or sources products directly from local farmers or vendors.
The hotel has state-of-the-art amenities, an underground steaming room, a rooftop deck, a huge swimming pool, and a kitchen serving up five-star food. Not to mention the impeccably designed interiors and white, sandy beach at your front door.
Guests can stay in one of 26 rooms, or one of nine luxury garden terraces. Which begs the question: how big a holiday home did Escobar need?!
A swanky hotel is just the makeover this old gal was looking for, complete with wall-to-wall museum-worthy art from Lio Malca’s personal collection. It’s certainly more fancy than that Jack Kerouac poster hung up at your last hostel.
From about $670 a night, guests can spend the night in the stunning property, which used to belong to Colombia’s most notorious drug lord.
Lio, who saw the property back in 2003 and started renovating it in 2012, told Cool Hunting he bought the property because I thought it was insane.
I could not believe that in this world, a property like this still exists and hasn’t been taken over by a corporation, he said.
Narcos, which follows the rise and fall of the notoriously violent, powerful and ruthless drug lord.
At the height of his power, Escobar was said to be the seventh richest man in the world, with his Medellin drugs cartel thought to be behind up to 80 per cent of all the cocaine shipped to the United States.
With an estimated worth of $40 billion, Escobar made the Forbes billionaires list of the world’s richest people seven years in a row, beginning in 1987.
He stopped at nothing to protect his drug trafficking business and was said to be behind the murders of thousands of people.
Escobar was behind about 80 per cent of America’s cocaine supply in the 80s and by the 90s, he had a net worth of about $40 billion.
Escobar’s business was so big that in addition to planes, helicopters, cars, trucks, and boats, he even bought two submarines for transporting his cocaine into the United States.
The rise and fall of Pablo Escobar was dramatised in the hit Netflix series Narcos.
Escobar married Maria Victoria Henao when she was just 15-years-old and the pair remained together until his death in 1993.
They had two children — Juan Pablo, who has since changed his name to Sebastian Marroquin, and Manuela.
After Escobar’s death, his family fled the country and travelled for a year before being granted asylum in Argentina.
He was eventually killed on a Medellin rooftop during a shootout as he was trying to flee from the police on December 2, 1993.
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Showing posts with label Mexico Tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico Tourism. Show all posts
Saturday, 15 July 2017
Thursday, 25 May 2017
MEXICO: Troubles In Mexico Tourism
For a country that generates roughly 10% of its GDP from tourism, mostly from Americans, Mexico's surging violent crime rates, courtesy of its notoriously brutal drug cartels, is quickly becoming a 'yuge' economic issue. As we recently noted, more Americans have been killed while traveling abroad in Mexico than any other country, by a staggering margin, no less.
And while Mexico would love to shake it's bad rap when it comes to violence, the negative datapoints just continue to pile up. The latest such data comes courtesy of Mexico's car insurance association Amis, which found that auto thefts spiked in March 2017 by over 20% and current stand at multi-year highs.
In March, the number of auto thefts rose 21 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to numbers from the car insurance association known as Amis. Meanwhile, the recovery rate -- the percentage of stolen cars that police were able to recover -- dropped to its lowest since at least 2005.
The car-theft trend “will continue throughout the second quarter which will, in turn, have an impact on first-half returns," Francisco Uriostegui, an analyst at Moody’s who helped write the report, said in an interview. “In the end, it’s the customer that will have to pay more, for a higher premium and it’ll be due to a drop in the recovery rate for these vehicles."
And while auto thefts may not seem all that threatening, it is just another datapoint that suggests an alarming trend in overall violence in a country that already leads the U.S. State Department's ranking for most travel warnings.
Oddly enough, no amount of State Department warnings have yet caused Americans to curb their appetite for those cheap Cabo vacations.
A lone shooter fired on a crowd at a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, site of the BPM electronic music festival in Mexico early Monday, leaving at least five people dead and at least a dozen more injured, according to a statement released by festival organizers. Local news reports suggest that the shooting came after a 'disagreement' and is connected to ongoing drug cartel wars in the area.
The rampage occurred inside the Blue Parrot nighclub in Playa del Carmen at about 2:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement by the attorney general of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
Playa del Carmen is a popular tourist destination not far from Cancun. Among the dead are four men and a woman. Two of those who died were part of a security team, the statement said. According to preliminary reports, three of the dead are foreigners.
According to the Mail, London-based promoter Elrow was hosting a closing 'This Is The End' party at the Blue Parrot when the shooting occurred, and it is believed that many attendees at the event were British and American tourists.
Tourists at the scene have revealed the chaos that ensued during the shooting, and how many initially believed that they heard fireworks or music - not gunshots.
The government of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, where Playa del Carmen is located, said four men were shot to death and one woman died in a fall during the confusion and stampede that ensued. An additional 15 people were wounded, and one of them was in very serious condition.
It is with great sadness to share that police have confirmed reports of a lone shooter outside the Blue Parrot nightclub in Playa Del Carmen earlier today, which resulted in four fatalities and twelve injured.
The violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue. a statement early Monday by the BPM festival said.
The BPM Festival is an annual 10-day electronic music festival started in 2008. This year, it was scheduled to last from Jan. 6 to Jan. 15. The shooting occurred on the last night of festivities.
The Blue Parrot is one of the venues at the 10-day festival in Playa del Carmen, a tourist destination that has largely been spared the violence that has hit other parts of Mexico. Several festivalgoers took to Twitter to post videos and document the attack as it unfolded.
The shooting occurred inside and not from the beach, which is where the nightclub opens up to.
Rodolfo Del Angel, director of police in the state of Quintana Roo, said that the shooting was the result of 'a disagreement between people inside' the nightclub and said security guards had come under fire when they tried to contain the dispute.
'For the moment we have indications that one person opened fire,' Mayor Torres added. She said the shooting appeared to have taken place inside the club, causing people to flee in panic. Other witnesses said it happened outside the club.
Hector Escardo Steck, from Los Angeles, California, told MailOnline that the club was full when the gunman attacked.
He said: 'It was awful, the club was completely full and at around 2am we heard ten successive gunshots and people immediately hit the floor. Just after that the music stopped and everyone started running in a panic.
'There is a tall fence between the club and the beach and everyone started trying to climb over that. A lot of people got hurt in the attempt top club over, because people were panicking and trying to get away. It was terrifying.
'I was at the back of the club, so I didn't see anyone get shot, but 20 minutes later in the streets I saw a lot of dead bodies being guarded by police officers. People were running everywhere, jumping, punching, running. 'The party had been going since noon, and everyone in the club was either drunk or on drugs, and there was a lot of confusion. 'In Playa del Carmen you see drugs in quantities that you have never seen before, and everyone is drugged up so it was a very confusing experience that no one was expecting. People were very angry and confused, but mainly angry.'
Local news reports suggest that the incident is connected to ongoing drug cartel wars in the area, and the gunman is believed to still be at large.
Partier George de Menezes said that he and his friends were just two meters from the gunman when the shooting occurred.
He said: 'No one took it seriously, but I knew straight away that it was a gun and dropped to the floor, then everyone dropped with me. 'The music stopped and so did the shots, so we got up and one man was down on the floor and looked dead, and another man had been shot but was trying to stay on his feet.' De Menezes said that people in the club tried to escape by running to the beach, but shots kept being fired
'Finally got out from there and got up to the Main Street and there was another man dead on the street, so everyone started running for their lives,' he said. The reveler said that he and friends heard more shots when they finally got back to their hotel.
Los Angeles resident Jake Lubelski wrote on Facebook that he was 20 feet away from the gunman when the shooting took place. 'I was standing outside of a club on an insanely crowded street when it happened; I was maybe 20 feet away from the shooter,' he wrote. 'As soon as I heard gun shots, everyone started bolting and we nearly got trampled by the frantic herds of people.
'As soon as I turned around the corner and got a look at the scene, I saw a man lying on the floor in his own blood. it could have been me.'
Scottish DJ Jackmaster issued a warning on Twitter saying, 'Stay in your f*****g hotels' following the shooting. The DJ, whose real name is Jack Revill, tweeted about the incident just after 3am local time.
'Someone has come into the club in Playa Del Carmen and opened fire. 4-5 dead and many wounded. Stay in ur f****n hotel if you're here at BPM,' he wrote. 'Apparently now more shots fired at another club in the area.'
A worker at CostaMed hospital in Playa del Carmen said that a man and a woman were admitted to the hospital at 3.39am local time.
A second shooting was reported at the club The Jungle, where another BPM closing party featuring John Acquaviva, Stacey Pullen and David Berrie was taking place. Videos on Instagram show people running through the streets of Playa Del Carmen following the shooting.
Images shared on social media showed people cowering or running down the street.
Mexican police have confirmed the mass shooting but have not given motive for the gunfire. They have not reported any arrests.
'We are seeking information from emergency services in Mexico, following reports of a shooting in Playa del Carmen,' a Foreign Office spokesman said. Neither US nor Canadian officials could immediately confirm if any of their citizens were among the victims in the shooting.
And while Mexico would love to shake it's bad rap when it comes to violence, the negative datapoints just continue to pile up. The latest such data comes courtesy of Mexico's car insurance association Amis, which found that auto thefts spiked in March 2017 by over 20% and current stand at multi-year highs.
In March, the number of auto thefts rose 21 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to numbers from the car insurance association known as Amis. Meanwhile, the recovery rate -- the percentage of stolen cars that police were able to recover -- dropped to its lowest since at least 2005.
The car-theft trend “will continue throughout the second quarter which will, in turn, have an impact on first-half returns," Francisco Uriostegui, an analyst at Moody’s who helped write the report, said in an interview. “In the end, it’s the customer that will have to pay more, for a higher premium and it’ll be due to a drop in the recovery rate for these vehicles."
And while auto thefts may not seem all that threatening, it is just another datapoint that suggests an alarming trend in overall violence in a country that already leads the U.S. State Department's ranking for most travel warnings.
Oddly enough, no amount of State Department warnings have yet caused Americans to curb their appetite for those cheap Cabo vacations.
A lone shooter fired on a crowd at a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, site of the BPM electronic music festival in Mexico early Monday, leaving at least five people dead and at least a dozen more injured, according to a statement released by festival organizers. Local news reports suggest that the shooting came after a 'disagreement' and is connected to ongoing drug cartel wars in the area.
The rampage occurred inside the Blue Parrot nighclub in Playa del Carmen at about 2:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement by the attorney general of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
Playa del Carmen is a popular tourist destination not far from Cancun. Among the dead are four men and a woman. Two of those who died were part of a security team, the statement said. According to preliminary reports, three of the dead are foreigners.
According to the Mail, London-based promoter Elrow was hosting a closing 'This Is The End' party at the Blue Parrot when the shooting occurred, and it is believed that many attendees at the event were British and American tourists.
Tourists at the scene have revealed the chaos that ensued during the shooting, and how many initially believed that they heard fireworks or music - not gunshots.
The government of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, where Playa del Carmen is located, said four men were shot to death and one woman died in a fall during the confusion and stampede that ensued. An additional 15 people were wounded, and one of them was in very serious condition.
It is with great sadness to share that police have confirmed reports of a lone shooter outside the Blue Parrot nightclub in Playa Del Carmen earlier today, which resulted in four fatalities and twelve injured.
The violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue. a statement early Monday by the BPM festival said.
The BPM Festival is an annual 10-day electronic music festival started in 2008. This year, it was scheduled to last from Jan. 6 to Jan. 15. The shooting occurred on the last night of festivities.
The Blue Parrot is one of the venues at the 10-day festival in Playa del Carmen, a tourist destination that has largely been spared the violence that has hit other parts of Mexico. Several festivalgoers took to Twitter to post videos and document the attack as it unfolded.
The shooting occurred inside and not from the beach, which is where the nightclub opens up to.
Rodolfo Del Angel, director of police in the state of Quintana Roo, said that the shooting was the result of 'a disagreement between people inside' the nightclub and said security guards had come under fire when they tried to contain the dispute.
'For the moment we have indications that one person opened fire,' Mayor Torres added. She said the shooting appeared to have taken place inside the club, causing people to flee in panic. Other witnesses said it happened outside the club.
Hector Escardo Steck, from Los Angeles, California, told MailOnline that the club was full when the gunman attacked.
He said: 'It was awful, the club was completely full and at around 2am we heard ten successive gunshots and people immediately hit the floor. Just after that the music stopped and everyone started running in a panic.
'There is a tall fence between the club and the beach and everyone started trying to climb over that. A lot of people got hurt in the attempt top club over, because people were panicking and trying to get away. It was terrifying.
'I was at the back of the club, so I didn't see anyone get shot, but 20 minutes later in the streets I saw a lot of dead bodies being guarded by police officers. People were running everywhere, jumping, punching, running. 'The party had been going since noon, and everyone in the club was either drunk or on drugs, and there was a lot of confusion. 'In Playa del Carmen you see drugs in quantities that you have never seen before, and everyone is drugged up so it was a very confusing experience that no one was expecting. People were very angry and confused, but mainly angry.'
Local news reports suggest that the incident is connected to ongoing drug cartel wars in the area, and the gunman is believed to still be at large.
Partier George de Menezes said that he and his friends were just two meters from the gunman when the shooting occurred.
He said: 'No one took it seriously, but I knew straight away that it was a gun and dropped to the floor, then everyone dropped with me. 'The music stopped and so did the shots, so we got up and one man was down on the floor and looked dead, and another man had been shot but was trying to stay on his feet.' De Menezes said that people in the club tried to escape by running to the beach, but shots kept being fired
'Finally got out from there and got up to the Main Street and there was another man dead on the street, so everyone started running for their lives,' he said. The reveler said that he and friends heard more shots when they finally got back to their hotel.
Los Angeles resident Jake Lubelski wrote on Facebook that he was 20 feet away from the gunman when the shooting took place. 'I was standing outside of a club on an insanely crowded street when it happened; I was maybe 20 feet away from the shooter,' he wrote. 'As soon as I heard gun shots, everyone started bolting and we nearly got trampled by the frantic herds of people.
'As soon as I turned around the corner and got a look at the scene, I saw a man lying on the floor in his own blood. it could have been me.'
Scottish DJ Jackmaster issued a warning on Twitter saying, 'Stay in your f*****g hotels' following the shooting. The DJ, whose real name is Jack Revill, tweeted about the incident just after 3am local time.
'Someone has come into the club in Playa Del Carmen and opened fire. 4-5 dead and many wounded. Stay in ur f****n hotel if you're here at BPM,' he wrote. 'Apparently now more shots fired at another club in the area.'
A worker at CostaMed hospital in Playa del Carmen said that a man and a woman were admitted to the hospital at 3.39am local time.
A second shooting was reported at the club The Jungle, where another BPM closing party featuring John Acquaviva, Stacey Pullen and David Berrie was taking place. Videos on Instagram show people running through the streets of Playa Del Carmen following the shooting.
Images shared on social media showed people cowering or running down the street.
Mexican police have confirmed the mass shooting but have not given motive for the gunfire. They have not reported any arrests.
'We are seeking information from emergency services in Mexico, following reports of a shooting in Playa del Carmen,' a Foreign Office spokesman said. Neither US nor Canadian officials could immediately confirm if any of their citizens were among the victims in the shooting.
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
MEXICO: Merida And Riviera Maya Good Places To Stay
According to International Living, Mexico is not only the nearest destination abroad for U.S. and Canadian expats; it is also one of the most popular.
More than a million expats are estimated to live in Mexico full- or part-time… the largest concentration of North American expats anywhere in the world.
Of course, it helps that Mexico is also one of the largest countries in the Americas, offering just about any climate, geographical landscape, and lifestyle you might want.
As a result, you’ll find expats scattered all over Mexico. But some places have proven to be especially popular, with an appeal that makes them stand out from the crowd.
Here are five Mexico destinations where the living is easy… and any one of them could be your perfect expat home,Plus a few places you may want to cross off your list.
For many North Americans, say “Mexico” and they think of white-sand beaches. That’s not surprising. Mexico has nearly 6,000 miles of coastline, much of it beautiful beach. If you’re looking for a beach lifestyle, Mexico will have you spoiled for choice.
For classic white-sand beaches and turquoise waters, it’s hard to beat Mexico’s Riviera Maya. This 80-mile stretch of coast runs along the Yucatán Peninsula from Cancún to Tulúm. Little beach towns are scattered all along the coast…and one—Playa del Carmen—has grown to become a city.
One of the fastest-growing destinations in Mexico, Playa, as its known locally, offers a laidback beach vibe…and the upper-end shopping and restaurant scene of a larger city.
To enjoy small-town (but upscale) beach life on this coast, head to Tulúm. Once domain of backpacker travelers, today attracts fashionistas and other trendsetters who come to get away from it all.
Today you’ll find rustic, palm-thatched palapas alongside gourmet restaurants here…and a beach that’s considered one of the world’s most beautiful.
Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, has been an international beach resort for more than 50 years. Once a small fishing village, today the greater Vallarta area stretches for nearly 30 miles along the shores of Banderas Bay, one of the world’s largest bays.
This area offers pure First-World living, with shopping, restaurants, and real estate at every price point; an international airport; and a large, international expat community. Beaches and a long pier that borders the city are the principal’s attractive.
But Puerto Vallarta offers so much to do—from zip-lining and horseback riding in the hills, to fine dining and recent film releases in town—that you’ll have plenty to do, even if you never put a toe in the water.
If you want big-city life with the beach a short distance away, there’s Merida. Capital of the Yucatán Peninsula, this city of nearly a million residents lies about half an hour from the Yucatán Gulf Coast. Small villages dot this placid coast. This is where Mérida’s middle-class families have summered for generations.
Today expats have joined them, but many towns still have a family-oriented feel. Don’t look for boutique shopping or dining here, but if you’re seeking a laidback beach life at still-low prices, you can find it here.
Not everyone wants to live on the beach…. If you prefer temperate weather and Spanish-colonial style, then Lake Chapala or San Miguel de Allende, both in central Mexico, may fit the bill. Lake Chapala has an enviably near-perfect climate—spring-like almost all year—and a large, diverse expat community.
And being near Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, means easy access to its international airport and excellent medical facilities. San Miguel, about three hours north of Mexico City, is a beautifully preserved Spanish-colonial town that offers art galleries, gourmet restaurants, a wealth of arts and crafts, and a large expat community.
No country is perfect, and Mexico has gotten more than its share of knocks. But yes, some parts of Mexico should be avoided, while others are just not worth your time.
Some Mexican states bordering the U.S.—notably Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Chihuahua—have vast, empty interiors where you can be at the mercy of accidents and bad weather. If you’re looking to drive down into central Mexico or farther south (and many expats do), consider checking routes through other Mexican states like Nuevo León, Sonora, and Baja California.
Acapulco was once one of Mexico’s top beach resorts, but age and scattered violence has dimmed the city’s glitter. If you want to stay on the beaches of Acapulco’s home state, Guerrero, head north to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.
Finally, Tabasco may be a famous hot sauce, but the Mexican state is largely humid, low-lying land. It’s the boring, often wet stretch you’ll pass if you’re driving from central Mexico to the Yucatán Peninsula. Tabasco’s capital, Villahermosa, is a major business city, headquarters of Mexico’s oil industry and home to several museums. Take a quick look if you’re inclined…but with so many interesting places both north and south of it, you probably won’t want to linger.
More than a million expats are estimated to live in Mexico full- or part-time… the largest concentration of North American expats anywhere in the world.
Of course, it helps that Mexico is also one of the largest countries in the Americas, offering just about any climate, geographical landscape, and lifestyle you might want.
As a result, you’ll find expats scattered all over Mexico. But some places have proven to be especially popular, with an appeal that makes them stand out from the crowd.
Here are five Mexico destinations where the living is easy… and any one of them could be your perfect expat home,Plus a few places you may want to cross off your list.
For many North Americans, say “Mexico” and they think of white-sand beaches. That’s not surprising. Mexico has nearly 6,000 miles of coastline, much of it beautiful beach. If you’re looking for a beach lifestyle, Mexico will have you spoiled for choice.
For classic white-sand beaches and turquoise waters, it’s hard to beat Mexico’s Riviera Maya. This 80-mile stretch of coast runs along the Yucatán Peninsula from Cancún to Tulúm. Little beach towns are scattered all along the coast…and one—Playa del Carmen—has grown to become a city.
One of the fastest-growing destinations in Mexico, Playa, as its known locally, offers a laidback beach vibe…and the upper-end shopping and restaurant scene of a larger city.
To enjoy small-town (but upscale) beach life on this coast, head to Tulúm. Once domain of backpacker travelers, today attracts fashionistas and other trendsetters who come to get away from it all.
Today you’ll find rustic, palm-thatched palapas alongside gourmet restaurants here…and a beach that’s considered one of the world’s most beautiful.
Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, has been an international beach resort for more than 50 years. Once a small fishing village, today the greater Vallarta area stretches for nearly 30 miles along the shores of Banderas Bay, one of the world’s largest bays.
This area offers pure First-World living, with shopping, restaurants, and real estate at every price point; an international airport; and a large, international expat community. Beaches and a long pier that borders the city are the principal’s attractive.
But Puerto Vallarta offers so much to do—from zip-lining and horseback riding in the hills, to fine dining and recent film releases in town—that you’ll have plenty to do, even if you never put a toe in the water.
If you want big-city life with the beach a short distance away, there’s Merida. Capital of the Yucatán Peninsula, this city of nearly a million residents lies about half an hour from the Yucatán Gulf Coast. Small villages dot this placid coast. This is where Mérida’s middle-class families have summered for generations.
Today expats have joined them, but many towns still have a family-oriented feel. Don’t look for boutique shopping or dining here, but if you’re seeking a laidback beach life at still-low prices, you can find it here.
Not everyone wants to live on the beach…. If you prefer temperate weather and Spanish-colonial style, then Lake Chapala or San Miguel de Allende, both in central Mexico, may fit the bill. Lake Chapala has an enviably near-perfect climate—spring-like almost all year—and a large, diverse expat community.
And being near Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, means easy access to its international airport and excellent medical facilities. San Miguel, about three hours north of Mexico City, is a beautifully preserved Spanish-colonial town that offers art galleries, gourmet restaurants, a wealth of arts and crafts, and a large expat community.
No country is perfect, and Mexico has gotten more than its share of knocks. But yes, some parts of Mexico should be avoided, while others are just not worth your time.
Some Mexican states bordering the U.S.—notably Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Chihuahua—have vast, empty interiors where you can be at the mercy of accidents and bad weather. If you’re looking to drive down into central Mexico or farther south (and many expats do), consider checking routes through other Mexican states like Nuevo León, Sonora, and Baja California.
Acapulco was once one of Mexico’s top beach resorts, but age and scattered violence has dimmed the city’s glitter. If you want to stay on the beaches of Acapulco’s home state, Guerrero, head north to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.
Finally, Tabasco may be a famous hot sauce, but the Mexican state is largely humid, low-lying land. It’s the boring, often wet stretch you’ll pass if you’re driving from central Mexico to the Yucatán Peninsula. Tabasco’s capital, Villahermosa, is a major business city, headquarters of Mexico’s oil industry and home to several museums. Take a quick look if you’re inclined…but with so many interesting places both north and south of it, you probably won’t want to linger.
Sunday, 14 May 2017
MEXICO: Is Mexico Worlds Second Most Deadliest Country? Mexico Disputes This
Mexico is the world’s second most dangerous country, according to a new study.
Only Syria is more a deadly conflict zone and Mexico is more dangerous than Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and other global hot spots, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Mexico’s drug wars and violence between cartels resulted in 23,000 deaths last year.
Mexico is Arizona’s largest trading partner and the two share a 300-mile border.
Commerce and trade as well as immigrants, smugglers and drug cartels traverse that border.
There are also plenty of tourism links between Arizona and Mexico’s resort and beach towns.
The death toll in Mexico’s conflict surpasses those for Afghanistan and Somalia.
This is all the more surprising, considering that the conflict deaths are nearly all attributable to small arms.
Mexico is a conflict marked by the absence of artillery, tanks or combat aviation, said IISS CEO and Director General John Chipman.
The IISS study shows 157,000 people died in armed conflicts in 2016 down from 167,000 in 2015.
Mexico accounted for 38 percent of Arizona exports in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. But state exports to Mexico were down 9 percent last year.
There are plenty of trucking, agriculture, manufacturing and other business links between Arizona and Mexico.
President Donald Trump made illegal immigration and border security a top issue in the 2016 campaign and wants to build a wall along the U.S border with Mexico.
The government of Mexico including the Consulate General in Phoenix is taking issue with a much reported report ranking Mexico as the second most dangerous country in the world.
The study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) ranked Mexico behind only Syria among countries with violent conflicts. IISS cites Mexico’s drug wars and the deaths of 23,000 persons last year in its ranking.
Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix Claudia Franco Hijuelos calls the report’s conclusions unfounded.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry are also challenging the ranking.
They argue there is a difference between Mexico dealing with organized crime and drug cartels and war zones such as Syria and countries battling terrorism such as Nigeria and Somalia.
Here, the report is treating nations with completely different situations, which are neither comparable nor measurable against each others, in a similar fashion, the Mexican agencies contend.
They also point out that other Latin American countries such as Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil have higher homicide rates per 100,000 people than Mexico.
The Mexican agencies also question whether to count all murders as part of the drug conflict is also valid.
Mexico is Arizona’s largest trading partner and the two share a 300-mile border.
Hijuelos points out in a letter to the Phoenix Business Journal that trade between Mexico and Arizona totaled $16 billion in 2016 and accounts for 111,200 jobs in the state.
She also said tourists from Mexico account for 68 percent of overnight international travelers in Arizona.
Only Syria is more a deadly conflict zone and Mexico is more dangerous than Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and other global hot spots, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Mexico’s drug wars and violence between cartels resulted in 23,000 deaths last year.
Mexico is Arizona’s largest trading partner and the two share a 300-mile border.
Commerce and trade as well as immigrants, smugglers and drug cartels traverse that border.
There are also plenty of tourism links between Arizona and Mexico’s resort and beach towns.
The death toll in Mexico’s conflict surpasses those for Afghanistan and Somalia.
This is all the more surprising, considering that the conflict deaths are nearly all attributable to small arms.
Mexico is a conflict marked by the absence of artillery, tanks or combat aviation, said IISS CEO and Director General John Chipman.
The IISS study shows 157,000 people died in armed conflicts in 2016 down from 167,000 in 2015.
Mexico accounted for 38 percent of Arizona exports in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. But state exports to Mexico were down 9 percent last year.
There are plenty of trucking, agriculture, manufacturing and other business links between Arizona and Mexico.
President Donald Trump made illegal immigration and border security a top issue in the 2016 campaign and wants to build a wall along the U.S border with Mexico.
The government of Mexico including the Consulate General in Phoenix is taking issue with a much reported report ranking Mexico as the second most dangerous country in the world.
The study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) ranked Mexico behind only Syria among countries with violent conflicts. IISS cites Mexico’s drug wars and the deaths of 23,000 persons last year in its ranking.
Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix Claudia Franco Hijuelos calls the report’s conclusions unfounded.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry are also challenging the ranking.
They argue there is a difference between Mexico dealing with organized crime and drug cartels and war zones such as Syria and countries battling terrorism such as Nigeria and Somalia.
Here, the report is treating nations with completely different situations, which are neither comparable nor measurable against each others, in a similar fashion, the Mexican agencies contend.
They also point out that other Latin American countries such as Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil have higher homicide rates per 100,000 people than Mexico.
The Mexican agencies also question whether to count all murders as part of the drug conflict is also valid.
Mexico is Arizona’s largest trading partner and the two share a 300-mile border.
Hijuelos points out in a letter to the Phoenix Business Journal that trade between Mexico and Arizona totaled $16 billion in 2016 and accounts for 111,200 jobs in the state.
She also said tourists from Mexico account for 68 percent of overnight international travelers in Arizona.
MEXICO: Record Number Of Foreign Tourist Visit Mexico
Mexico edged out Turkey last year to become the eighth most popular tourist destination in the world.
The record run has continued for the first quarter of 2017, according to the latest figures.
Some 9.3 million visitors bringing in $5 billion (4.6 billion euros) in revenue to Mexico have been recorded for the first three months of 2017.
"Tourism in our country is enjoying one of its best moments in history," said Gerardo Corona, of the federal Tourism Secretariat, Sectur, on Thursday. "Never has there been such a first quarter for the arrival of tourists at this level and in terms of revenue."
Last year saw a total of 35 million visitors to Mexico, an increase of 9 percent over the previous year, bringing in $19.6 billion in revenue, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
That result brought Mexico close to world-ranked seventh place United Kingdom which had just 600,000 more visitors than Mexico in 2016.
"The New York Times" named Mexico City as the number one place to go in 2016 and "Conde Nast Traveler" named San Miguel de Allende the fifth best city in the world.
Corona credited the growth in tourism in Mexico to the government's policies in coordination with the state and city authorities and tourism operators to make Mexico "one of the world's major destinations."
Best performing markets were the Riviera Maya, Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
The federal Tourism Secretariat said it provided travellers with activities and attractions that encouraged them to extend their stay and generate more revenue as a result.
Most visitors to Mexico come from the US, followed by Canada, the UK, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Brasil, Germany and France.
The number of visitors from the US increased by 12 percent last year over 2015, according to the UNWTO.
Sectur has expressed confidence that tourism revenues will overtake remittances from Mexicans working abroad in about three years' time.
In 2013, Mexico had fallen to 15th place in the world tourism list due to problems with security, most particularly with gang and street crime.
US President Donald Trump made a number of derogatory remarks about Mexico and Mexicans during his winning run to the White House last year.
Trump made a particular point of planning to build a border wall to separate the US from its southern neighbor.
Spring break planning: How to save time and money
The U.S. State Department is warning college students across the country not to spend spring break in certain parts of Mexico, where rampant crime has made travel dangerous for Americans.
The warning comes as students are finishing up midterm exams and heading out in search of warmer climes, salty margaritas and wild parties.
But Mexico, once among the most popular spring break destinations, is plagued with endemic levels of violence, according to the government.
“U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery in various Mexican States," the State department travel warning stated.
The warning, which replaces one issued last April, specifically cautions travelers of the dangers in 14 of Mexico’s 31 states, including the popular spring break destinations of Baja California Sur, Guerrero and Nayarit.
“The state of Guerrero was the most violent state in Mexico in 2015 for the third year in a row, and self-defense groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero,” the warning says of the state that is home to the popular beachside city of Acapulco.
Armed members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and, although not considered hostile to foreigners or tourists, are suspicious of outsiders and should be considered volatile and unpredictable.
Acapulco has taken over from the northern border city of Ciudad Juárez to become one of the centers of Mexico's bloody drug war.
The city suffers from being a strategically located drug trafficking hub on Guerrero's Pacific coastal highway, while mass tourism simultaneously provides gangs with a profitable local market for drugs.
The record run has continued for the first quarter of 2017, according to the latest figures.
Some 9.3 million visitors bringing in $5 billion (4.6 billion euros) in revenue to Mexico have been recorded for the first three months of 2017.
"Tourism in our country is enjoying one of its best moments in history," said Gerardo Corona, of the federal Tourism Secretariat, Sectur, on Thursday. "Never has there been such a first quarter for the arrival of tourists at this level and in terms of revenue."
Last year saw a total of 35 million visitors to Mexico, an increase of 9 percent over the previous year, bringing in $19.6 billion in revenue, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
That result brought Mexico close to world-ranked seventh place United Kingdom which had just 600,000 more visitors than Mexico in 2016.
"The New York Times" named Mexico City as the number one place to go in 2016 and "Conde Nast Traveler" named San Miguel de Allende the fifth best city in the world.
Corona credited the growth in tourism in Mexico to the government's policies in coordination with the state and city authorities and tourism operators to make Mexico "one of the world's major destinations."
Best performing markets were the Riviera Maya, Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
The federal Tourism Secretariat said it provided travellers with activities and attractions that encouraged them to extend their stay and generate more revenue as a result.
Most visitors to Mexico come from the US, followed by Canada, the UK, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Brasil, Germany and France.
The number of visitors from the US increased by 12 percent last year over 2015, according to the UNWTO.
Sectur has expressed confidence that tourism revenues will overtake remittances from Mexicans working abroad in about three years' time.
In 2013, Mexico had fallen to 15th place in the world tourism list due to problems with security, most particularly with gang and street crime.
US President Donald Trump made a number of derogatory remarks about Mexico and Mexicans during his winning run to the White House last year.
Trump made a particular point of planning to build a border wall to separate the US from its southern neighbor.
Spring break planning: How to save time and money
The U.S. State Department is warning college students across the country not to spend spring break in certain parts of Mexico, where rampant crime has made travel dangerous for Americans.
The warning comes as students are finishing up midterm exams and heading out in search of warmer climes, salty margaritas and wild parties.
But Mexico, once among the most popular spring break destinations, is plagued with endemic levels of violence, according to the government.
“U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery in various Mexican States," the State department travel warning stated.
The warning, which replaces one issued last April, specifically cautions travelers of the dangers in 14 of Mexico’s 31 states, including the popular spring break destinations of Baja California Sur, Guerrero and Nayarit.
“The state of Guerrero was the most violent state in Mexico in 2015 for the third year in a row, and self-defense groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero,” the warning says of the state that is home to the popular beachside city of Acapulco.
Armed members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and, although not considered hostile to foreigners or tourists, are suspicious of outsiders and should be considered volatile and unpredictable.
Acapulco has taken over from the northern border city of Ciudad Juárez to become one of the centers of Mexico's bloody drug war.
The city suffers from being a strategically located drug trafficking hub on Guerrero's Pacific coastal highway, while mass tourism simultaneously provides gangs with a profitable local market for drugs.
Sunday, 19 February 2017
MEXICO: 2016 Was A Good Year For Tourism
Mexico enjoyed 2016 for tourism, hitting "historic highs" in part due to a spike in the number of US travelers drawn in by the weakened peso, the government said Wednesday.
A total of 35 million foreign visitors went to Mexico last year, up nine percent from 2015, the tourism ministry said. Those tourists brought in $19.5 billion last year, 10.4 percent more than the year before.
The government said the figures showed that the tourism sector was "one of the main driving forces" for the country's economy.
The peso took a beating last year, largely due to the campaign and election that elevated Donald Trump to the US presidency.
Trump has pledged to renegotiate the free trade deal binding the US, Mexico and Canada, and to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to curb illegal immigration.
More than one million people legally cross the border every day, along with 400,000 vehicles. But those numbers could fall off if the wall project is carried out.
A total of 35 million foreign visitors went to Mexico last year, up nine percent from 2015, the tourism ministry said. Those tourists brought in $19.5 billion last year, 10.4 percent more than the year before.
The government said the figures showed that the tourism sector was "one of the main driving forces" for the country's economy.
The peso took a beating last year, largely due to the campaign and election that elevated Donald Trump to the US presidency.
Trump has pledged to renegotiate the free trade deal binding the US, Mexico and Canada, and to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to curb illegal immigration.
More than one million people legally cross the border every day, along with 400,000 vehicles. But those numbers could fall off if the wall project is carried out.
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