In the List of the Top Destinations in the World, Mexico Rocks!

By: Suzan Haskins

Yes, Mexico Rocks!

A few nights ago, I settled down with my new November issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine that just arrived in the mail. It’s the 2004 Reader’s Choice Awards issue devoted to the top 100 Best in the World cities, resorts, islands, hotels and cruises, as selected by the magazine’s readers.

I wasn’t surprised to see that Mexico dominates the rankings in several categories ..........

For instance, San Miguel de Allende came in at # 4 on the list of top 10 cities in the Americas, behind Vancouver, Victoria and Quebec City in Canada…brrrrrr. It doesn’t surprise me that San Miguel ranks so high…for many years now, the discerning readers of this upscale travel magazine have consistently ranked San Miguel among its top five in this category. This year, another of my favorite Mexico locations – Oaxaca – came in at #7.

In a couple of categories, Mexico completely dominates the lists. For example, in the category of top 10 Central America hotels, Mexico claims eight spots (including, at # 8, the Casa de Sierra Nevada in San Miguel). Others are found in Cuernavaca, Mexico City (3), the Yucatán, Oaxaca, and San Jose del Cabo. (By the way, I know that technically Mexico is not in Central America but it seems the folks at Condé Nast prefer to categorize it that way.)

Mexico also had nine locations on the top 10 list of Latin America resorts. These included two locations in San Jose del Cabo, three in Cancún, and one each in Cabo San Lucas, Zihuatanejo, Punta Mita and Acapulco. _{Picture: San Miguel de Allende}

Cabo San Lucas The issue also featured a story called ‘Into the Mystic’ about three locations in central Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato and the state of Michoacán. It’s nice to see these places getting the publicity they deserve.

_{Picture: Cabo San Lucas}

Condé Nast didn’t stop there. In the ‘Deals of the Month’ section, they featured another of my Mexico favorites, Mérida. Mérida is the true heart of the Mayan culture and it is an especially value-packed place to visit. The ‘Word of Mouth’ segment featured magical San Cristóbal de las Casas, another wonderful places but one that seems to be more popular with Europeans than travelers from the US or Canada.

Merida On a final note, the Mexican Tourism Board is advertising heavily in Condé Nast and other publications. You have probably seen the new television commercials with the new theme, ‘Beyond Your Expectations.’ In this issue of Condé Nast, Fonatur, the government’s tourism development division, has a 2-page ad promoting the places they’re focusing on – those you know about: Cancún, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Loreto and Huatulco; and those you may not know as much about: Costa Maya, Nayarít and the Sea of Cortez. Fonatur is aiming these ads at investors: hoteliers, commercial and residential developers and individuals looking for early-in vacation homes.

Not surprisingly, Mexico continues to be an increasingly popular destination for foreign tourists. In his recent State of the Nation report, Mexican President Vincente Fox said that the country has been working hard to increase foreign tourism revenues.

Suzan and Dan Tourism revenues in 2003 were up 6.8% over the prior year. And private tourism investment in Mexico increased 12.2 % from 2002 to 2003. In the first six months of 2004, the number of foreign visitors rose by 11.1% and Fox said he expects them to number 20 million by the end of the year. He expects Mexico to attract more than $11 billion of tourism revenues in 2004, a record figure.