Now in its 39th year, Tianguis brings together travel agents, travel wholesalers, destination agencies, hotel and airline companies and the press. Many of those who attend annually seal friendships as well as deals, and displays from nearly all of Mexico's states remind even frequent visitors of the country's rich cultural and natural opportunities. The state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancún and the Riviera Maya, hosted this year's show, and attendees took full advantage of gorgeous beaches and lavish resorts. But reminders of ancient cultures and traditions shone through the region's modern trappings. An appearance by actor Kevin Spacey on the show's second day added a touch of intrigue.
President Enrique Peña Nieto (apparently a Spacey fan) kicked off the show with an inaugural speech announcing plans to invest $13.8 million in tourism infrastructure. A few days later, Secretary of Tourism Claudia Ruiz Massieu announced that the show attracted buyers and press from 61 countries including Vietnam, Nigeria and Norway. Conferences covered a wide range of topics including strategies to increase tourism from Russia to programs to enhance attractions in Chihuahua, Michoacán and other culturally rich destinations. Here are a few of the major announcements.
Culture and Nature in Quintana Roo
The most exciting development, in my opinion, combines Mayan culture and ecotourism in a program called Maya Ka'an. After many attempts, government agencies, eco-tourism groups and private businesses have come together with a solid plan for ensuring the sustainability of the Riviera Maya's natural attributes and its Mayan communities. Small tour companies and cooperativas are offering guided adventures to remote villages where healers demonstrate their use of local flora and homemakers teach guests how to cook in an earthen oven and weave sisal into ropes. Other tours visit small fishing villages where electricity is scarce and families rely on gathering lobster and conducting fly-fishing tours for visiting anglers.
Kayaking, bird watching and nature tours focus on Sian Ka'an Biosphere reserve, protecting a precious million acres of lagoons, canals, mangroves, and reefs along a relatively undisturbed Riviera Maya coastline south of Tulum. And, for extreme adventurers, there's a nighttime bike ride to a spooky cave where snakes hang from crevices in the cave's ceiling as they catch and devour flying bats.
Local licensed guides lead visitors around untrammeled archeological and natural sites. Other community members are learning how to interact with outsiders and develop small businesses producing souvenirs like honey products (including wonderful honey shampoo), handicrafts and jams. Maya Ka'an aims to prove that community-based tourism encourages the sustainable use of natural resources and improves the quality of life for people whose reap few benefits from the massive tourism activity in their homeland.
Circus in the Riviera Maya
On an entirely different realm, Cirque du Soleil showed of its new custom theater at the Grand Mayan resort, where the company will present "Joya,"a full-scale Cirque production with eight performances per week. Looking like an abstract UFO, the freestanding 600-seat theater was still under construction during Tianguis, but practice was underway for the elaborate show, which opens on November 8, 2014. Tickets range from $85 to $225.
Mazatlán cruises again

 http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1976680