Lopez Obrador travel tips

Southeast Mexico is brimming with archeological sites, biodiversity, and Pueblos Mágicos known for their rich cultural heritage. Many visitors barely make a dent in the region’s offerings, though, by flying to Cancún and heading straight for the beach, perhaps booking an excursion or two to Chichen Itza or Tulum, but generally not venturing further.

The Yucatan peninsula has welcomed the first part of a new tourist train that's being constructed to connect the region’s many resorts and archeological sites.Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attended opening ceremonies on Friday for what will ultimately be a 950-mile train line, which has been named the Maya Train. The $20 billion project is expected to be complete by February, according to a report from Associated Press. Once finished, the train will operate a rough loop around the Yucatan peninsula.The rail segment opened right now runs between the colonial Gulf coast city of Campeche and the popular tourist destination of Cancun. It's a stretch of train line that amounts to about one-third of the entire project.The train journey between Campeche and Cancun will take about 5 1/2 hours. The train will travel at an average speed of 50 miles per hour, Associated Press reported.

Mexico is holding a ceremony on Friday to commemorate the launch of its Tren Maya, a tourist train considered the flagship infrastructure project of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mexico published a decree on Monday that gives preference to trains transporting passengers over those transporting freight on railways under concession.

Mexican officials provided an update this week, saying the massive Maya Train construction project was still scheduled to debut to the public in December.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador revealed that the United States Department of Transportation would elevate the country’s air safety rating.

The Mexican government signed a deal with several aviation unions Friday to purchase the brand of the defunct Mexicana airline for 811.1 million Mexican pesos ($42.41 million), a union spokesman told Reuters.

Parts of Mexico’s remote southern jungles have barely changed since the time of the ancient Maya.

Mexico’s president said on Monday his country is safer than the United States, pushing back against U.S. critics of his security record following a deadly kidnapping this month near the border that claimed the lives of two Americans.