Here are a few excerpts from an e-mail that I received today.

• “Mexico’s Drug War Doesn’t Stop Tourists” (msnbc.com) – Top Quote: “I live in New York City,” said Shari Prince, the owner of a residential real estate company in Manhattan who returned last month from what she called a “fantastic” five-day getaway with her three daughters on the Riviera Maya, which is just southwest of Cancun. “I’d be more concerned about the crime here than in Mexico.”

• “Tourism to Mexico jumps nearly 20%” (latimes.com) – Top Quote: “In a surprising turnabout, international tourism to Mexico showed a sharp increase this summer — a sign that tourists may be putting aside worries about the economy and fears of drug-related violence, analysts say.”

• “Tourism to Mexico is Up” (nytimes.com) – Top Quote: “In addition to having several of the top sun and beach destinations of the world, Mexico has 30,000 archeological sites, 110,000 monuments and 31 Unesco World Heritage sites. Many places have one or maybe two of these elements, but only Mexico combines all of them in one destination.”

• “Mexico Tourism Official: Agents Big Part of Resurgence” (travelagentcentral.com) – Top Quote: “Consumers are now aware that all of these problems are away from (where they will be visiting in Mexico),” Sumano says. “People are much more aware and we wanted to thank the travel agent community because of what they have shared with their clients.”

• The Pan American games are coming to Guadalajara in October 2011…this year! Guadalajara and Lake Chapala will have a lot of exposure during the games…promoting awareness of the area as a tourist, resident or business location. Since Lake Chapala is sponsoring the water-skiing portion, the area looks to benefit from the additional advertising and tourism coming to the area.

• With its profoundly rich Indian and Spanish culture, its spectacular beaches and charming colonial hill towns, its real estate bargains and its proximity to the United States, Mexico is the undisputed number one destination for American retirees. It boasts thriving expat communities in Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara; San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato; Baja California; and Cancún, in the Yucatan.

For the whole article go to:    Good News about Mexico from Around the Internet.docx (19.86 kb)

Most of us in Mexico get annoyed at the overdone media “bad news” we hear about “Mexico” – the country, when most of it pertains to isolated or specific areas of the country. Yes, Ciudad Juarez, at the border, in Chihuahua, is a very troubled area with rampant drug related crime. We never suggest  Americans  or Canadians visit or cross the border there.

However, look at the attached map; there are many green and yellow areas of the country of Mexico (coloured by  State), where bad news is rare. Mexicans as well as we tourists or expats from somewhere, enjoy a wonderful tranquil life here.

The state of Jalisco, which includes Guadalajara, (Mexico’s second largest city) – and by the way...

 # 1 in Economic Recovery in Mexico (top 10% in the world) for the past 2 years, of 150 major cities throughout the world).(Brookings Institute-Washington DC-Metro Monitor.)

 Close by are, Ajijic and Chapala, home to 10,000 plus American and Canadian retirees, and Puerto Vallarta (a 4 to 5 hour drive to the Pacific Ocean).

We just drove over to PV for a weeks R & R. Friends are visiting there and many other areas of Mexico on a regular basis. In the past month, many “snowbirds” have returned from various parts of the US and Canada. No driving or border crossing problems that we have heard reported; we always ask.

We are not suggesting there is no crime in Mexico- there is everywhere. We recently put a blog with a video clip (from the Canadian Club in the Ajijic area) on our web site. It compares a part of Florida to Jalisco. Take a look.   http://www.youtube.com/user/wrightteammexico#p/u

One should be prudent, as you would be in any country.

Check the map and a few statistics- there is a lot of beautiful Mexico to enjoy!                        Don & Linda Wright Dec. 2010.  www.wrightteammexico.com   to  Blogs