Travel in Mexico

Misaki and Amir Hajimirsadeghi got married on April 2, five years after they started dating and nearly 10 years after they met.

Airbnb execs have used the phrase “expanding beyond the core” to mean launching new products and services for guests and hosts, and also their hope to lift growth beyond the company’s main five markets: The U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and France.

JetBlue is doubling down on Puerto Rico, slashing service from New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), scaling back its winter Europe offerings, and deploying more of its Mint-equipped jets throughout North America.

Medical Tourism, whether it is traveling domestically or internationally, is on the rise. A year ago, several doctors who provided their opinions to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for a roundtable on the subject pointed to cost as one of the main drivers for this upward trend. While price is certainly a factor, the reasons aren’t only cost-based. Medical Tourism Magazine, the digital publication for the global medical tourism community, points to privacy and anonymity in addition to access to advanced treatments not offered domestically as additional key drivers.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has today announced that its Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) has achieved a significant milestone, with 3,400 properties now verified across almost 80 countries. Designed to help hoteliers on their first steps to improve their sustainability ratings and raise the bar of sustainability across the global hospitality industry, this independent global sustainability verification programme is overseen by internationally recognised verifiers Green Key and SGS.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, May 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

One of Marriott's newest and most affordable brands is slated to grow in one of the world's most-visited countries.

Two of the best travel rewards cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, both currently have sign-up bonuses of 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. There are many ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points, but you'll usually get the most value when you transfer your rewards to one or more Chase transfer partners.

Los Angeles, California — The United States has “serious problems” when it comes to international inbound travel that must be resolved if the country is to regain its competitive edge.That’s the assessment of the U.S. Travel Association and its leader Geoff Freeman, the organization’s president and CEO.Freeman delivered his sober take on the problems plaguing inbound travel to the United States during a press conference today in Los Angeles, California where a travel industry convention is taking place.“The United States remains the world’s most desired nation to visit, but at the end of 2019 we had 79 million visitors internationally and in 2023 we had 67 million international visitors," Freeman told the media gathered for the IPW 2024 convention. “That’s only 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels.”“When you look at travel as an export - before the pandemic we had a 12 billion [person] travel trade surplus. At end of last year we had about a 50 billion [person] travel trade deficit,” Freeman added.There's a handful of challenges that the United States currently faces when it comes to attracting international visitors and significantly ramping up inbound numbers, said Freeman. And some of those challenges are within the country’s ability to fix, while others are not.There’s not much that can be done, for instance, about the strength of the U.S. dollar, which makes this country very expensive to visit from many other parts of the world. Similarly, there’s not much U.S. officials can do about the current prohibitions surrounding flights over Russian airspace, which pose a major obstacle for airlines coming to this country from China.However, visa wait times continue to be a significant roadblock for international visitors — and that’s an issue U.S. officials can — and should — be able to fix, Freeman said.“On the visa side, I checked this morning — if you're a Columbian and want to come to the U.S. the wait times are over 600 days to get an interview at a U.S. consulate,” said Freeman. “If you’re in Mexico, the wait times are over 800 days.”By contrast, for visitors from India the wait timeline for visa interviews has recently been reduced to a somewhat more reasonable 150 to 200 days. Similarly, wait times for those visiting from Brazil have been reduced drastically — from what was once 500 days down to just 21 days, according to the U.S. Travel Association.“It shows us that it can be done. When the State Department uses their ingenuity and gets creative and puts resources in the right places, this problem can be solved,” explained Freeman. “But it’s been going on for far too long. It needs to be solved now.”

Nayarit is a land of natural beauty and incredible cultural and historical experiences for travelers to enjoy. If you’re not familiar with this destination, then this is the guide for you. 

Settling yourself for a week or a weekend on a car-free island can come with unexpected benefits: the joy of getting around via bicycle, the conversations that happen while walking from one place to another, the hilarity of golfcart transportation.  But while we all love a good road trip, sometimes the car is just a means to getting from point a to point b. On these islands, even the getting around is part of the fun. Not to mention its stress-free and incredibly freeing for everyone coming along on the trip. 

Summer is for music festivals and the best way to celebrate tunes and sunshine is at a new resort in the Riviera Maya. Located along Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya opened last June and is the place to be for an adults-only vacation with endless island vibes. The resort, inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of singer, songwriter, and bestselling author Jimmy Buffett, is beautifully decorated with quotes, photos, and artwork. There are murals of colorful parrots around the property and cheerful and laid-back Buffett fans are fondly known as “parrot heads”.

If you’re from Southeastern USA, you know what 30A is. If you’re unfamiliar, let me paint you a picture: 30A is a series of darling beach towns along a 24-mile scenic highway overlooking the white sands and turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 

Although not as well known as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas or Puerto Vallarta, Costa Mujeres, Mexico is fast becoming a preferred luxury travel destination for American travelers and second home owners. Costa Mujeres has all the natural beauty of nearby Cancun – pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters – but with fewer crowds and less distractions. Its laid-back atmosphere, along with fresh seafood and delectable cuisine, makes it an ideal location for a tropical vacation.

The high-desert city of Sedona offers both the ultimate escape and a sensory overload, whether you're visiting a vortex site to feel the Earth’s energy or trekking to a natural sandstone bridge with vertiginous views.

Whether one’s mother is just starting to take lessons or is the Singles Champ of her club, anyone can benefit from some serious tennis coaching. Since many tennis programs are also located in destinations that are tempting vacation spots as well, holiday time goes along with the training.

In a world of hyper-scale and global flag-planting for luxury brands, Belmond is taking a contrarian approach. The brand, known for its collection of hotels, trains, river cruises, and safari camps, is leaning into a style of luxury that is more deliberate and connected with its history. 

Gliding down rocky hillsides and winding lanes past great oaks, blossom trees, and Tudor manor houses, meet the grand iron gates of Fawsley Hall guarded by lion heads sat on gothic pillars as the thick misty fog sweeps over the rolling hills of Northamptonshire and you smell the scent of over 1,000 years of history burning in the air.

ARoman holiday is glamorous enough—but wouldn’t taking a spin in a luxury supercar make the Eternal City even more memorable? At Palazzo Manfredi, a luxury hotel located in a 17th century home that’s steps from the Colosseum, guests can book the Lamborghini Experience and tool around Rome in a Huracán EVO. Think of it as the coolest way to make your time go faster.

Summertime in the Texas can really heat up. When temperatures spike, Texans and those who visit have two choices when they want to cool down. They can stay indoors and crank the AC, or head for water—if the drought hasn’t dried it up.

Virgin Voyages will introduce its fourth ship next year on a tour of North America with stops in iconic destinations from New York City to Los Angeles, Alaska, the Panama Canal, and beyond.