MEXICO: Desert Peaks National Monument in Las Cruces Attracts Thousands Of Tourists

New Mexico's Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in Las Cruces came under particular scrutiny this year after the Trump administration announced it was part of a review of monuments nationwide to see if they needed to be modified.

Three years since former President Barack Obama declared the area a national monument, the Las Cruces Sun-News crunched the numbers and found it has brought in anywhere between $8-34 million to the local economy.

Celerah Hewes, executive director of Albuquerque-based Thoughtfully Produced told Albuquerque Business First in May taking away the state's monument designations would negatively impact her organization's bottom line.

Hewes was one of over 180 business owners statewide who signed a letter sent to the New Mexico Congressional Delegation protesting the executive order. The letter was sponsored by Partnership for Responsible Business along with the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce.

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, whose district encompasses the monument, is the only member of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to oppose its designation, and the only Republican that is part of the delegation.

Pearce told the Las Cruces Sun-News the designation drove away a chile-based off-roading event that he said drew $4 million a year to the region.

Overall, the number of visitors to New Mexico and the dollars they spend have been growing year over year. About 34 million people visited New Mexico in 2015, according to a 2016 report released by the New Mexico Tourism Department.

The study said one in 12 jobs in New Mexico is sustained by visitor spending, and tourism generated $629 million in state and local taxes in 2015.

In 2016, 1.9 million people visited national parks in New Mexico, spending an estimated $108.4 million in local economies. According to a National Park Service report, the state’s national parks supported 1,700 jobs and had $132.4 million in economic output, up from $90.9 million in 2012.

Acapulco is the most famous Destination of Mexico with International level, thanks to the natural beauty environment, golden sand, tropical weather, warm sea water and its people.

Sea lovers find this destination so attractive obviously, but it is more than that, it has more attractions to satisfy all preferences for all ages, however.

In the Quebrada, which is a rock formation of 35 meters height over the seashore, you can see the cliff divers’ performance, at night lighted with torches.

La Serpiente emplumada, Diego Rivera´s mural painting, is exhibited in La Casa de los Vientos.

You will remember the majestic sea in Barra Vieja.

In Coyuca Lagoon, observe the different orange and red tones colors at sunset.

In Pie de La Cuesta, the continuous rhythm of the sea will accompany you while walking.

In Acapulco, you find the night cultural life with contrasting beaches, together, where you can swing, take a walk or enjoy the sunset.

It is an appealing fishermen village that offers you a familiar and safe environment, whose main attraction is its beautiful and highly protected bay just a few kilometers from the hotel zone. You can enjoy the clear and peaceful waters of the bay.

Ixtapa is a place surrounded by a mountain range that descends to the sea and frames this wonderful town.

Here you will enjoy a traditional atmosphere and peaceful environment that several beaches offer you in order to relax, or find activities such as sport fishing or bird watching and as a great closure for these activities, trying a fish that cannot be fresher.

The Mexican Caribbean offers warm waters in turquoise blue tones and fine sand beaches, where you will find a land blessed with a contrasting ecosystem.

Among the tropical forest, the wetlands, the white sand beaches, the coral reefs, the abundant wildlife and the wonderful archaeological sites, is the Costa Maya, which runs from Punta Herreros to Xcalak; close to the magical town of Bacalar, the pristine beach of Mahahual and the City of Chetumal.

It is the ideal place to practice alternative tourism and to really get in touch with the Mayan culture, since many of the communities here still maintain their ancestral traditions.

But if you are aiming to relax, its incredibly beautiful beaches are waiting for you; as many of them are pretty solitary.

For those looking for family activities, they will find diving and snorkeling areas in world-class coral reefs, magical towns, cultural values and traditions preserved for hundreds of years, dazzling nature that will make the most indifferent of humans dream with forests, jungles, lagoons and cenotes. Many of them suitable for bathing and swimming.

Playa del Carmen is one of the favorite destinations for vacation, especially in summer, according to Trip Advisor, as it is an idyllic place located in the heart of the Riviera Maya with fine white sand and blue-green waters, you will always find a Hammock and an umbrella to sunbathe and rest, especially in the edge of town that offers the quietest beach areas.

If you prefer action, in Playa del Carmen you will find water activities such as windsurfing, jet skis, kayaking or diving in the impressive Mayan coral reef.

Great musicians of Mexican and international jazz offer concerts every year.

The beauty of the beaches and the many activities that Playa del Carmen has for you will force you to come back.

New Mexico Tourism Department In 'New Mexico True Stories' Video

Santa Fe is known for many things, with history, art and culture often topping that list. At no time are those three interests more intricately woven than during “market season,” the busy summer months that play host to more than a dozen art markets in the City Different’s historic center.

Now, New Mexico has a new way to celebrate market season, while bringing attention to the handcrafted detail that goes into each piece created and displayed during these uniquely New Mexican events.

“Silversmith” features Navajo artist Roland Brady, who creates intricately handmade art and jewelry in his northwestern New Mexico home near Shiprock. His mother taught him to work with silver, melting down old coins and silver scrap and hammering the metal into something beautiful. Now, five decades in, Brady produces intricate and soulful pieces inspired from the landscape that he calls home. View “Silversmith” here.

Artists like Brady are drawn to Santa Fe each summer to showcase their handmade pieces and works of art, which, in turn, attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

“As consumers our values are changing, and we have a deep desire to know more about the food we eat, the experiences we have, and the art we buy,” said Rebecca Latham, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Tourism Department. “Markets allow consumers to have a deeper connection to what they’re purchasing, and also allow visitors to take a tangible memory of New Mexico home with them. ”

Fine arts and crafts will be on display many weekends throughout the summer, with the most widely known events being the International Folk Art Market (July 8-10), Traditional Spanish Market and Contemporary Spanish Market (July 30-31), and the SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) Indian Market (August 20-21).

“New Mexico is consistently seen as a top destination for people who appreciate handmade art,” said Latham. “Art markets drive visitors here from all over the world, and bring a significant economic impact to the state’s economy. These beautiful works of art are serious business for New Mexico, and the department is using this video to show a deeper look behind one artist to make people think about the bigger picture of art in New Mexico.”

“Silversmith” is the tenth video in the “New Mexico True Stories” series. Others in the series include “Aunt June,” which features a 91-year old Hatch native sharing her family’s history in the chile business; “The Visionary,” the story of a Native American veteran who returned from Vietnam without sight but the ability to create beautiful works of art from memory; and the recently-released “Cured Earth,” which tells the story of New Mexico’s unique adobe architecture and our relationship with mud.

CANADA: Suicide Tourism, Assisted Death Bill Coming

Canada's new assisted suicide law to be announced on Thursday will exclude non-Canadians, which means Americans won't be able to travel to Canada to die.

A senior government official said late Wednesday the new law will exclude non-Canadians, precluding the prospect of suicide tourism from the U.S. and elsewhere. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details ahead of the Thursday morning announcement.

The law will also will exclude those who experience mental illness or psychiatric conditions. It will also ban advance consent. That is, it won't allow requests to end one's life in the future.

The Supreme Court last year struck down laws that bar doctors from helping someone die, but put the ruling on hold while the government came up with a new law. New Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government asked for a four-month extension to come up with the new law. Canada's justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is due to announce details on Thursday.

Wilson-Raybould said earlier this week the bill would seek to protect "the conscience rights of medical practitioners," as well as vulnerable members of society.

Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Albania, Colombia, Japan and in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg allow doctors, under strict conditions, to euthanize patients whose medical conditions have been judged hopeless and who are in great pain.

Canada's Supreme Court declared last year that outlawing that option deprives dying people of their dignity and autonomy. It had been illegal in Canada to counsel, aid or abet a suicide, an offence carrying a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Last year's ruling immediately triggered emotional responses from both sides of the debate.

The decision was spurred by cases brought by the families of two British Columbia women, who have since died. The decision reversed a Canadian Supreme Court ruling in 1993. At the time, the justices were primarily concerned that vulnerable people could not be properly protected under physician-assisted suicide. But the top court said last year that doctors are capable of assessing the competence of patients to consent, and found there is no evidence that the elderly or people with disabilities are vulnerable to being talked into ending their lives.

It has been more than 20 years since the case of another patient with Lou Gehrig's disease, Sue Rodriguez, gripped Canada as she fought for the right to assisted suicide. She lost her appeal but took her own life with the help of an anonymous doctor in 1994, at the age of 44.