Traveling to Mexico this year? Check out Grand Costa Maya, located about four and a half hours south of Cancun by car. The destination will be strongly promoted by the tourism board of Riviera Maya in order to get travellers to experience the south of the Quintana Roo state.
The top destinations in the region include Chetumal—Quintana Roo’s capital—Bacalar and Mahahual. In Chetumal, top attractions include the Museum of Mayan Culture and Boulevard Bay, which, in essence, acts as a manatee sanctuary, according to the state. Bacalar is home to the Fort of San Felipe de Bacalar, which was built in 1733 in response to pirate attacks and incursions, and numerous cenotes, including the Blue Cenote, which, at 660 feet wide, is considered the largest in Mexico at ground level. Just off the coast from Mahahual, travelers can visit the Mesoamerican Reef. All of this in addition to six different Mayan archaeological sites.
Regional airline Mayair flies from Cancun International Airport to Chetumal Airport Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, with two daily flights on the first and last days. Return flights operate the same days.
In Mexico City, a new amusement park is in the works.
Grupo Diniz presented the new park, Kataplum, which will have an investment of more than 500 million peso ($26 million) and a regular entrance fee of 20 peso (just over $1). The park will occupy almost seven acres with an estimated influx of 1.2 million annual visitors.
Kataplum will be located inside the Parque Las Antenas shopping center located in the east of Mexico City. It is expected that both the shopping center and the park will start operations in the first weeks of July of 2018. Approximately 40 percent of the amusement park will be roofed to protect visitors from the weather and will have a separate parking to Plaza Las Antenas Park. There will be 13 food kiosks, two casual dining restaurants, a cafeteria and an auditorium with capacity for 60 people, among other amenities.
In addition to the openings of new hotels and attractions, and the promotions of new destinations, Rafael García González, president of the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels (AMHM), said the country needs to improve its infrastructure to attract more tourists from countries that aren’t the U.S. The statement was made during the International Tourism Fair in Madrid, Spain, where he added that greater air connectivity (within the country) as well as roads and trains are needed to attract more European tourists.
González expects to see a 10 percent bump in European visitors this year, and also plans to convince Spanish companies to invest in emerging destinations such as Huatulco, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo and Loreto.
