MEXICO TOPS US TRAVEL 'HOTSPOT' LIST FOR FIRST TIME

[Barbara Smith Cooperman]

MEXICO TOPS US TRAVEL 'HOTSPOT' LIST FOR FIRST TIME
Mexico, US, Caribbean, Central America, Latin America, Panorama International, ASTA, travel agents, tourism
 
Mexico has climbed to the top of US travel agents’ international ‘hotspot’ list for the first time, as Americans seek cheaper holiday destinations.

The country was named top location for 2010 by 15.0% of members of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), knocking Italy off the top spot.

The UK came in second with 10.5% of votes, followed by France (9.7%), Italy (9.4%) and the Caribbean (8%). The countries in the top five had not changed in the last five years but Italy had been number one since 2006.

“Mexico is a more economical choice,” ASTA’s director of research, Melissa Teates, told OPP. “It has always been in the top five, but perhaps the concept of ‘hotspots’ had some agents overlooking it since it is a regular destination.

“The Mayan Riviera portion of Cancun has seen a surge in popularity. In 2006, only Cancun made the list of top cities [but] now Mayan Riviera and Puerto Vallarta make the top ten cities as well.”

Economical choice
Mexico’s economical but developed holiday infrastructure has made it an attractive destination for families on a budget, said Stephen Drechsler, executive VP of Panorama International, which specialises in Latin American resort real estate.

“Practical considerations coupled with the current economic climate drive people to places like Mexico, Central America or The Caribbean,” he told OPP. “However, Central America remains largely undeveloped, and The Caribbean is a very expensive alternative, with substantial flight cutbacks making it logistically more complicated to visit many places, and is much less family-oriented than Mexico.”

Mexican efforts to counter the negative effects of last year’s swine flu epidemic on the tourist industry had been successful, he said. “The swine flu outbreak has largely if not completely disappeared as an issue.

“Of more current concern is drug-related violence, although Americans are beginning to understand the message the Mexican government is sending that most of this violence is occurring along the US-Mexico border and has not greatly affected the more popular tourist destinations. This is probably the number one issue affecting American travel to Mexico currently.”

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