The monopoly of political power exercised in Mexico for most of the last century by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was accompanied by - indeed many would say based on - monopolies in the economy, both private and public.

The 2000 election of Vicente Fox as president swept away the PRI’s political monopoly but huge swathes of the economy - beer, oil, soft drinks, cement, television, electricity and tele-phony to name a few - are still dominated by one or at most two big companies.
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There have been other successes. In 2005, the two state airlines - Mexicana and Aeroméxico - were hived off for privatisation and permits were granted for five new low-cost carriers. The following year, the number of air passengers grew by almost 12 per cent, more than in all the previous five years combined.

Flights from Mexico City to Cancún now can be had for less than $100. Previously it had been cheaper to fly to Cancún from New York.

Mexico’s seaside resort of Cancun takes centerstage for five days when the inaugural Cancun Intl. Film Festival (CIFF) kicks off Nov. 14. New event joins an increasingly crowded Mexican festival circuit, dominated by grand dame Guadalajara, which celebrated its 22nd edition last March.

The 5-year-old Morelia fest in October and the Mexico City-based Ficco in the early part of the year have grown in prestige, especially the former.

Cancun has set its sights on wooing UK scheduled services and moving away from its image of a cheap Caribbean package destination.

The Mexican coastal resort has been extensively rebuilt since being struck by the devastating Hurricane Wilma in October 2005, with hoteliers plunging in more than $2 billion to upgrade facilities.

HONG KONG, Oct. 22 Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels and resorts, currently operating 20 luxury hotels with a further 18 under development in Riviera Maya, Mexico (2007), Beijing, Boston and Hainan Island, China (2008), Barcelona, Chicago, Costa Rica, Dallas, Las Vegas, Macau, Marrakech, and Turks and Caicos (2009), Grand Cayman, Guangzhou, Milan, Paris, Taipei and St. Kitts. (2010). In total, Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development almost 10,000 rooms in 22 countries with 16 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and eight in Europe and North Africa.

How many are there? There are about 16 million Maya, including 10 million in Guatemala. The rest live mainly in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula (Cancun) and the State of Chiapas, and in the countries of Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua.

What language do they speak? The 26 Mayan tribes all speak Mayan dialects [like Yucatec Maya, K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Mam, Tzeltal, still spoken today]; many also speak Spanish.

Getting around: Chichen Itza and Ik Kil, and Xel-Ha and Tulum tours were arranged through our hotel’s concierge/travel agency. Ask about all-inclusive options, which can save you money. Air-conditioned buses delivered us to a central location in Cancun, where we found our bus for the day. Coming home, passengers are dropped off directly at their hotels. Several ferries make their way from Cancun to Isla Mujeres throughout the day and evening. We arranged for our golf cart while on the ferry, which saved a few pesos.

Sights and attractions: Chichen Itza, Ik Kil, Xel-Ha and Tulum are only a few of the attractions near Cancun. Tours of those sites will take from early morning to early evening. Cancun itself features beautiful beaches, shopping and restaurants for those who don’t want to venture far from their hotels.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Surrounded by lush jungle, Mayan ruins and miles of white sand beaches, Campeche Playa is sure to be Mexico’s hottest new resort destination. Located 45 minutes south of the historic City of Campeche, Campeche Playa is the largest resort in the Yucatan Peninsula. Unique design and tropical ambiance aren’t the only charms of this one-of-a-kind development. Campeche features a grand hotel, over 3,000 homes, international gourmet restaurants, 1 1/2 miles of pristine coastline, a large marina and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus - Signature Golf Course.

Campeche Playa selected LifeStyle Media (thinkinginmotion.com), an International Branding and Marketing Group, headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, along with the world’s leading golf course designer; Jack Nicklaus, to capture the grandeur of this new residential tourist complex. Jack Nicklaus was present, greeting the media and sharing the exciting details of his exceptional new golf course. A leading architect of some of the world’s finest courses, Nicklaus designed this course to combine Campeche’s unique natural beauty & world-class golf. Jack Nicklaus paid meticulous attention to detail in respecting the existing native vegetation of Campeche. The resort is scheduled for completion at the end of 2008 or early 2009. It is a ‘must see’ destination. Stay tuned to your local TV stations to see the majestic and tropical beauty of Campeche Playa captured by LifeStyle Media.

Mexico City, Nov 15 - Mexican anthropologists have discovered some 5,000-year-old cave paintings predating the Maya civilisation on Yucatan peninsula, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

According to Carlos Augusto of the Faculty of Anthropological Sciences at the Autonomous University of the Yucatan, they found some 60 paintings of man-like figures at the Kab cavern situated near the famous Chichen Itza archaeological site. There are also drawings of animal figures, birds or canines, Augusto said.

Mexico has long been considered a tourist haven and in recent years the Mayan Riviera has become a playground for sun worshippers from northern climates.

As beautiful as the beaches are, a visit to the Yucatan Peninsula would not be complete without a day trip to Chichen Itza and the pyramid of the sun. Nestled deep in the jungle, Chichen Itza is possibly the most famous temple city of the Mayan civilization and now one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Getting around: Chichen Itza and Ik Kil, and Xel-Ha and Tulum tours were arranged through our hotel’s concierge/travel agency. Ask about all-inclusive options, which can save you money. Air-conditioned buses delivered us to a central location in Cancun, where we found our bus for the day. Coming home, passengers are dropped off directly at their hotels. Several ferries make their way from Cancun to Isla Mujeres throughout the day and evening. We arranged for our golf cart while on the ferry, which saved a few pesos.

Sights and attractions: Chichen Itza, Ik Kil, Xel-Ha and Tulum are only a few of the attractions near Cancun. Tours of those sites will take from early morning to early evening. Cancun itself features beautiful beaches, shopping and restaurants for those who don’t want to venture far from their hotels.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Surrounded by lush jungle, Mayan ruins and miles of white sand beaches, Campeche Playa is sure to be Mexico’s hottest new resort destination. Located 45 minutes south of the historic City of Campeche, Campeche Playa is the largest resort in the Yucatan Peninsula. Unique design and tropical ambiance aren’t the only charms of this one-of-a-kind development. Campeche features a grand hotel, over 3,000 homes, international gourmet restaurants, 1 1/2 miles of pristine coastline, a large marina and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus - Signature Golf Course.

Campeche Playa selected LifeStyle Media (thinkinginmotion.com), an International Branding and Marketing Group, headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, along with the world’s leading golf course designer; Jack Nicklaus, to capture the grandeur of this new residential tourist complex. Jack Nicklaus was present, greeting the media and sharing the exciting details of his exceptional new golf course. A leading architect of some of the world’s finest courses, Nicklaus designed this course to combine Campeche’s unique natural beauty & world-class golf. Jack Nicklaus paid meticulous attention to detail in respecting the existing native vegetation of Campeche. The resort is scheduled for completion at the end of 2008 or early 2009. It is a ‘must see’ destination. Stay tuned to your local TV stations to see the majestic and tropical beauty of Campeche Playa captured by LifeStyle Media.

Mexico City, Nov 15 - Mexican anthropologists have discovered some 5,000-year-old cave paintings predating the Maya civilisation on Yucatan peninsula, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

According to Carlos Augusto of the Faculty of Anthropological Sciences at the Autonomous University of the Yucatan, they found some 60 paintings of man-like figures at the Kab cavern situated near the famous Chichen Itza archaeological site. There are also drawings of animal figures, birds or canines, Augusto said.

Mexico has long been considered a tourist haven and in recent years the Mayan Riviera has become a playground for sun worshippers from northern climates.

As beautiful as the beaches are, a visit to the Yucatan Peninsula would not be complete without a day trip to Chichen Itza and the pyramid of the sun. Nestled deep in the jungle, Chichen Itza is possibly the most famous temple city of the Mayan civilization and now one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

If you are thinking about making plans for Spring Break or a summer vacation, Mexico might be a good destination.

A low-cost Mexican airline is starting service out of Austin flying non-stop to Cancun, Guadalajara, Leon, Monterrey, Puebla and Queretaro.

MIAMI, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Even residents of the balmy Sunshine State dream of perfect vacations, and American Airlines is helping them get there.

American, its regional affiliate American Eagle, and American Airlines Vacations are teaming up to offer South Florida residents a chance to win one of six vacation getaways — complete with airfare and luxurious accommodations — to fabulous destinations in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.

The first round-the-world pub crawl has been set for departure on March 24, 2008 from London, offering travellers a month-long party across four continents.

It covers 11 worldwide destinations: London, Munich, Prague, Reykjavik, Dusseldorf, tiny Maria Alm in Austria, Phuket, Auckland and Queenstown in New Zealand, Honolulu and Cancun.

Have you got $10,208.45 burning a hole in your pocket and have you been looking for something bizarre to spend it on? An Australian tour company will drink to that. Actually, they’re hoping you’ll drink to that as they finalize details of what they’re calling the world’s biggest pub crawl.

The firm, appropriately called the Thirsty Swagman, aims to take travellers to such exotic locales as London, Munich, Prague, Reykjavik, Dusseldorf, Austria, Thailand, New Zealand, Honolulu and Cancun. But you won’t be there to see the sights or visit the tourist attractions. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to visit a number of bars in every one of those countries and cities.

Did you know you can fly nonstop from Detroit Metro to 26 international destinations? You can be in places like Tokyo, London, Paris and Amman in just hours. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Osaka and Nagoya (Japan) are also nonstop hops. Here’s the annual Free Press list of where every airline flies nonstop from Detroit Metro and nearby airports. Schedules can change, so be sure to doublecheck destinations and dates: