Mexico is bringing its
sun and sand to the chilly streets of North America this month. In
a unique tourism promotion, the Mexico Tourism Board is loading up
four separate trucks with sand, palm trees, scaled-down models of
archeological sites and "bathing beauties" and rolling them through
the streets of New York, Chicago, Montreal and Toronto in November.
The trucks hit the streets of New York
last week, making stops at Battery Park, the Museum of TV and Radio
and Central Park. This week's stops will include the Empire State
Building, Union Square and Rockefeller Center. Windy City stops
will include the Sears Tower, Union Station, Navy Pier and Hyde
Park. The trucks are emblazoned with Mexico's tourism campaign tag
line, "Mexico, Beyond Your Expectations,"
and the tourism board's toll-free number and Web site.
Aeromexico and
Mexicana: The Mexican government
is floating a proposal to merge the country's two major airlines,
Aeromexico and Mexicana, as part of a plan to sell a stake in the
combined company to investors by next year, airline officials
confirmed. As part of the deal, Cintra, the state holding company
that owns both airlines, will sell off Aeroliteral and Aerocaribe,
two small regional carriers that are units of Aeromexico and
Mexicana, also after merging the two carriers. Mexico's Federal
Competition Committee, the country's antitrust agency, must approve
the proposal. Aeromexico and Mexicana were placed under the Cintra
umbrella in 1995 when they faced financial difficulty in the wake
of Mexico's 1994 financial crisis. In October 2000, the Federal
Competition Commission recommended the breakup of Cintra, saying
competition would lower the price of air transportation in Mexico
and boost tourism. Aeromexico and Mexicana control nearly 80% of
the Mexican domestic air passenger market. If combined, the
resulting entity would be Latin America's biggest
carrier.
American
Eagle said it will launch daily
nonstop service between Dallas/Forth Worth Airport and San Luis
Potosi, effective Jan. 5, pending government approval. With the
addition of San Luis Potosi, American Eagle will serve six cities
in Mexico, including Aguascalientes, Leon, Guadalajara, Monterrey
and Torreon. The American Eagle flight will depart from
Dallas/Forth Worth at 6:16 p.m. and arrive in San Luis Potosi at
8:34 p.m. The return flights will depart from San Luis Potosi at
7:05 a.m. and arrive in Dallas/Forth Worth at 9:15 a.m. American
Eagle will operate one flight each day using 44-seat regional
jets.
Las Ventanas
al Paraiso in Los Cabos: Guests
lounging by the pool at Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos
can now request an iPod from the resort's pool
butlers. The iPods will come preloaded with nearly a thousand songs
in a number of categories, from jazz and classical to rock and hip
hop. In addition to providing iPods, Las Ventanas' pool butlers
offer guests towels, books and magazines, complimentary sorbets and
food and beverages from the poolside bar. To book Las Ventanas,
call (888) ROSEWOOD or visit www.rosewoodhotels.com.
Pleasant Holidays is offering a number of incentives at the Sheraton
Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa in Los Cabos. The first special
features the fourth night free when customers travel between Feb. 1
and April 3. Bookings must be completed by Dec. 30. Four-night,
land-only packages start at $417 per person, double. The second
promotion allows customers who book seven nights to receive two
nights free when they travel between Jan. 1 and 31. Bookings must
be made by Jan. 15. Seven-night, land-only packages start at $677
per person, double. For information or reservations, call (800)
448-3333 or visit
www.pleasantagent.com.