International
Mexico Tourism Up Despite Mexicana Mishaps, Mexico Tourism Bureau Reports
September 7, 2010
Despite dire news from Grupo Mexicana, which announced last month that it had suspended operations "until further notice," tourism in Mexico was up during the last two weeks of August compared to the same period in 2008 and 2009, the Mexico Tourism Bureau (MTB) reported last week.
Following the Aug. 25 announcement from Grupo Mexicana — which operates Mexicana Airlines, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink, all of which were grounded when their parent company filed for bankruptcy protection — Mexican officials held a joint press conference during which they said tourism numbers in 70 destinations were up during the last two weeks of August. Hotel occupancy, for instance, was up 2 percent this year compared to 2009 and 9 percent compared to 2008.
To further minimize the impact of Mexicana's financial troubles on tourism, Mexico Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo said the Mexican government has set up a domestic tourism help number to assist travelers affected by flight cancellations. In addition, she added, federal officials are working with airlines such as Air Canada and British Airways to increase Mexico's international air connectivity, and with domestic airlines within Mexico to obtain lower airfares for stranded Mexicana passengers.
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