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In India, people ask you about China, and, in China, people ask you about India: Which country will become the more dominant economic power in the 21st century? I now have the answer: Mexico.

Impossible, you say? Well, yes, Mexico with only about 110 million people could never rival China or India in total economic clout. But here’s what I’ve learned from this visit to Mexico’s industrial/innovation center in Monterrey. Everything you’ve read about Mexico is true: drug cartels, crime syndicates, government corruption and weak rule of law hobble the nation. But that’s half the story. The reality is that Mexico today is more like a crazy blend of the movies “No Country for Old Men” and “The Social Network.”  (more…)

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THE ECONOMIST, Star Tribune

This week the leaders of North America’s two most populous countries are due to meet for a neighborly chat in Washington. The re-elected Barack Obama and Mexico’s president-elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, have plenty to talk about: Mexico is changing in ways that will profoundly affect its big northern neighbor, and unless America rethinks its outdated picture of life across the border, both countries risk forgoing the benefits promised by Mexico’s rise.

The White House does not spend much time looking south. During six hours of televised campaign debates this year, neither Obama nor his vice president mentioned Mexico directly. That is extraordinary. One in 10 Mexican citizens lives in the United States. Include their American-born descendants and you have about 33 million people, about 10 percent of America’s population.

In terms of GDP, Mexico it ranks just ahead of South Korea. In 2011 the Mexican economy grew faster than Brazil’s — and will do so again in 2012. Yet Americans are gloomy about Mexico, and so is their government: three years ago Pentagon analysts warned that Mexico risked becoming a “failed state.” That is wildly wrong. In fact, Mexico’s economy and society are doing pretty well. Even the drug-related violence, concentrated in a few areas, looks as if it is starting to abate.

(more…)

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The tourism promotion video “México en tus sentidos” (Mexico in your Senses), won the Grand Prix of Brazil considered the best international work.

In a statement the Ministry of Tourism reported that the recognition was obtained in Brazil Film Tour that took place last May 21, attracting the best creative in the tourism industry and image of the tourist destinations of Mexico.

With the award, this video has received 91 first places in various international competitions, including the ITB of Berlin, considered by tourism industry as one of the most important trade fairs worldwide.

In that contest, also won Gold in the category of best music and best video of Latin America.

Furthermore, on May 18 Merca 2.0 magazine granted the Editors Choice Award for video “México en tus sentidos” for its high standards of aesthetics and emotional photography.

By Michael Werz | June 28, 2012

The United States is overlooking a real economic and political success story in Mexico. Our southern neighbor is going through a transformation of historic dimensions, yet a large gap remains when it comes to U.S. public perceptions of Mexico, which are too often breathtakingly simplistic views of drugs and migration combined with an un-American belief in building walls and exclusion.

Mexican society has undergone a deep change during its decade-long process of democratization. The country has enjoyed strong macroeconomic growth, and this year its GDP is growing faster than that of the United States. But the crucial dimension of Mexico’s hidden success story is the rise of a middle class that is younger, more educated, wealthier, healthier, and more able to integrate women into the labor force than any previous generation.

“Although widespread poverty still exists,” write Luis de la Calle and Luis Rubio in their seminal study, Mexico: A Middle Class Society, “Mexico is no longer a poor country.” Within a few decades Mexican society achieved what took over a century when European industrialization created the first modern middle classes in history. (more…)

Take a look at this BBC article written just before the election:

News about Mexico in the past few years has been dominated by gruesome drug violence. But as Mexicans prepare to elect a new president on 1 July, David A Shirk of San Diego University’s Trans-Border Institute argues for an end to overly negative views of the country:

If Mexico were a stock, now might be the time to buy. The country has been severely under-valued in recent years.

Despite high rates of crime and violence elsewhere in Latin America, the media tend to focus relentlessly on Mexico’s drug war.

The murder rate is nearly 20 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, but this is significantly lower than in Brazil, Colombia, and Puerto Rico.

And the Central American nations of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras have murder rates nearly twice that of Mexico.

Still, because of exaggerated fears that Mexico is becoming a “failed state” or sliding into a “narco-insurgency,” many tourists and investors have shied away from the country.

And these fears in turn fuel often unfounded concerns about Mexico. (more…)

As Lonely Planet’s US Travel Editor, I frequently get asked if it’s safe to go to Mexico. I have always said that, if you’re thoughtful about where you go, The answer is Yes. But, after my most recent trip there, I’m answering the question with another question: Do you think it’s safe to go to Texas?

What you don’t get from reports in the US is statistical evidence Americans are less likely to face violence in Mexico than home,The gateway to Disney World, Orlando, saw 7.5 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010 according to the FBI; higher than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta. Yet in March, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised against “spring break” travel anywhere in Mexico. Why the singular focus? (more…)

2012 Travellers’ Choice® awards

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, today reveals Hacienda Alemana was chosen as a winner in the Top B&Bs and Inns in Mexico by TripAdvisor in its 2012 Travellers’ Choice® awards.

Now in its tenth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards honour the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travellers. Unlike any other hotel honours, TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travellers around the world.

“With the help of millions of travellers around the globe, TripAdvisor is thrilled to recognise the world’s most outstanding hotels for the tenth year of the Travellers’ Choice Awards,” said Christine Petersen, president, TripAdvisor for Business. “From the best bargain hotels to best luxury hotels, remarkable service, value and quality are the hallmarks of our Travellers’ Choice winners.”

As TripAdvisor has continued its growth globally, featuring sites in 30 countries and in 21 languages, the Travellers’ Choice Hotels awards now highlight a broader range of spectacular properties across the globe.

• See the reviews on Hacienda Alemana Hotel in TripAdvisor
• See the complete 2012 Travellers’ Choice list

By Laura Bly, USA TODAY

The U.S. State Department has updated and expanded its travel warning for Mexico, providing a more detailed, state-by-state security assessment and noting any restrictions on U.S. government workers traveling within the country.

The warning, dated Feb. 8, replaces one that had been in place since April 22, 2011. It notes that “millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business … there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major trafficking routes.”

But it adds that “crime and violence are serious problems throughout the country and can occur anywhere. U.S. citizens have fallen victim to TCO activity, including homicide, gun battles, kidnapping, carjacking and highway robbery.” According to the warning, the reported number of U.S. citizens murdered in Mexico increased from 35 in 2007 to 120 in 2011.

The updated warning cautions against nonessential travel to part or all of 14 Mexican states, including Chihuahua (which includes the Copper Canyon), Sonora (where U.S. citizens visiting Puerto Peñasco are urged to use the Lukeville, Arizona/Sonoyta, Sonora border crossing to limit driving through Mexico, and to limit travel to main roads during daylight hours) and Michoacán.

However, no advisories are in effect for such popular tourist areas as the state of Quintana Roo (Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum), southern Baja California (Cabo San Lucas), Guanajuato (San Miguel de Allende and Leon), Oaxaca (Oaxaca, Huatluco and Puerto Escondido) and Chiapas (San Cristobal de las Casas), as well as Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and nearby Riviera Nayarit.

The warning recommends that travelers stay within the tourist zones of Acapulco, Ixtapa, Monterrey, Zihuantanejo and Mazatlan – where, the State Department notes, “incidents of violence are occurring more frequently in tourist areas. (Government) personnel are permitted to travel between the Mazatlan airport and the tourist areas only during daylight hours. We recommend that any other travel in Mazatlan be limited to (Zona Dorada and the historic town center).”

Via: USA Today