Cancun

(Dive Travel Business News - February 16, 2012) --  The Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival will hold over 30 innovative events for lovers of wine, food, nightlife and culture in Cancun, March 15-18, 2012.  The festival celebrates 24 Celebrity Chefs from seven countries who will be exploring what they can do with the finest Mexican ingredients at the Tribute To Mexico Opening Dinner.

Events include a gala reception, wine & spirit tastings, mixology seminars, celebrity chef cooking demos, Cancun after-dark party, a gourmet tasting village, catamaran cruise and beach club dinner, panel presentations, networking luncheon, and a closing fiesta with Latin grill competition. Some events are by invitation only. Prices vary by event. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - February 17, 2012) --  The U.S. Department of State has updated its travel warning for Mexico to inform U.S. citizens about the security situation in the country and is detailing what areas are affected and which ones are not. This travel warning supersedes the Travel Warning for Mexico dated April 22, 2011.

The State Department’s updated travel warning for tourists planning to visit Mexico has the distinction of being more specific than previous versions. They include information on drug violence on a state-by-state and city-by-city basis. The travel warning urges Americans to defer nonessential travel to all or parts of the these 14 states: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan and Nayarit. Travelers should also exercise caution visiting all or parts of Baja California, Colima and Morelos.

The previous US travel warning issued for Mexico by the State Department, dated in April, advised American to avoid travel to all or parts of 10 states. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - October 26, 2011) -- Mexico issued a hurricane watch along the Yucatan coast and readied 1,130 storm shelters in Quintana Roo, the state that includes Cancun and Cozumel.  Authorities are evacuating fishing communities on Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast and some tourists began to leave, as Hurricane Rina took aim at Cancun and the island of Cozumel on Wednesday. 

Rina’s maximum sustained winds remained steady at about 110 mph (175 kph) early Wednesday, said the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, making it a Category 2 storm. Forecasters predict it will strengthen as it nears the Mexican coast Wednesday night before rolling over the island of Cozumel, a popular dive spot and cruise-ship port, then along the coast to Cancun.

State Tourism Director Juan Carlos Gonzalez Hernandez said there were about 83,000 tourists in the state, with about 45,000 of those on a stretch of coast south of Cancun that includes Tulum and Playa de Carmen, and almost 28,000 in Cancun. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News May 27, 2011) -- The most recent U.S. State Department alert, issued April 22, expanded the areas in Mexico that are experiencing drug-cartel-related violence and advised U.S. travelers to exercise caution in visiting some parts of Mexico. One of the more confusing things about the State Department’s warning was that it sometimes named cities, sometimes states,sometimes vaguely delineated portions of states, sometimes roads, routes or border areas: The result leaves many travelers with the impression that entire states posed a security risk for visitors. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - Nov 3, 2010) -- The Mexican Government is advising Tourists to be careful when visiting lagoons in and around the popular tourist resort of Cancun. The lagoons in the area, including the lagoon in Cancun's hotel zone, are a natural habitat for crocodiles. Cancun's crocodiles (principally American crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus) are a non-aggressive species that feed on fish and other small wildlife. Cancun's sprawling 5000 hectare Nicupté lagoon is home to approximately 25 of the species -- though most of them live away from populated areas.

Recently, a US tourist was attacked by a crocodile while attempting to answer the call of nature in Cancun. According to Mexican police, 20-year-old Andrew Dales of Dallas confessed that he had been on a mission to relieve himself at the edge of the local lagoon when a crocodile suddenly snapped at him. He suffered “multiple bite wounds” to his leg and neck and was also left with a head injury after the reptile knocked him to the ground, a police spokesman said.

Lagoons in the area are dotted with crocodile warning signs. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - August 11, 2010) -- International Whale Shark Day is August 30, 2010. The northern tip of the Yucatan is known for it's annual whale shark migration near Isla Holbox or Holbox Island.The migration starts mid-June until September where aggregations of up to 400 giant fish have been observed

The congregation of so many animals is unusual. Holbox Island is unique in that it is located where the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico join. There are upwellings of nutrient rich water that feed the food chain that contains everything from the tiniest plankton to schools of fish, sea birds, flamingos and ibis and of course, the giant yet vulnerable whale shark. It is truly a special place.

Holbox Island is only the second instance where marine scientists have discovered whale sharks are feeding on not just plankton but also fish eggs that are suspended in the upwellings. Marine scientists from a variety of organizations have been working with Mexican scientists for more than seven years on studying, tagging and tracking the world's largest fish that can grow to 10 metres in length. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - June 15, 2010) -- The Cancun and Isla Mujeres Underwater Art Museum is a step closer to becoming the world's largest underwater museum.  Phase 1 of the underwater project began November 14, 2009 with the sinking of three life-sized sculptures.  

Created by British/Guyanese artist Jason de Caires Taylor, the sculptures were placed near natural reefs and marine life in order to create an artificial habitat. 

The sculptures have been created with PH neutral concrete that will allow algae and small invertebrates to flourish, boosting the local ecosystem. The appearance of the sculptures will change over time as the coral reefs and marine life grow. read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - May 4, 2010) -- JetBlue gave a substantial boost to its Caribbean flight schedule this week, offering Boston travelers 25 percent more departures to cities including Aruba; Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and San Juan, Puerto Rico starting May 3, 2010. 

Key summer schedule highlights:
* Three additional weekly flights from Boston to Aruba (for a total of five);
* Two additional weekly flights from Boston to Cancun (for a total of three);
* One additional weekly flight from Boston to San Juan, Puerto Rico (for a total of 11);
* One additional weekly flight from Boston to Montego Bay, Jamaica (for a total of two)
* Daily flights from Boston to Bermuda (total of 7 weekly);
* Daily flights from Boston to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (total of 7 weekly).

Increased flight frequencies will be available on these routes year-round. A full rundown of flights schedules and fares is available at JetBlue. read more »

(March 26, 2008 - DTN) -- A recent decision to protect more than 98,840 acres of wetlands in Cancun expands the scope of tourist options at the destination, providing a special attraction for nature lovers and extra protection against the hurricanes that threaten the city’s beaches year after year.

The so-called “Nichupte Mangrove Swamps” Flora and Fauna Protection Area covers a total of approximately 10,511 acres of wetlands that are contiguous to Cancun’s hotel zone and make up a territory equivalent to 50 percent of the current developed area of Mexico’s leading tourist destination.

The wetlands not only will protect the coasts against the effects of storms and hurricanes but also will reduce the level of organic and inorganic material and contaminants in the water, generating environmental conditions favorable to the development of biological systems, as well as protecting and reducing the natural and human impact on other ecosystems. Visit cancun.info

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