Last October 27, Tropical Incentives Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit celebrated the official inauguration of their new offices along with Hotel and supplier friends. We are present for more than 15 years in Puerto Vallarta, the company opened its doors in 1984 as the first exclusive Groups & Incentives Destination Management Company in Cancun. Today we are managing high quality standards in each of our 4 destinations, Cancun, Los Cabos (since 1992), Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City (since May 2012).

The event started with the blessing of Father Job of the Church of the Pitillal town, he reminded us the importance of our commitments with our clients, providing great services and bringing more tourism. This will also create prosperity for more families thus creating job opportunities. Tropical Incentives Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit is proud to have a very solid team working for the company for several years, with a social commitment with this beautiful destination through the development of many community projects with our clients (Schools, ecological projects, etc.). A luncheon, kindly sponsored by our friends from Vallarta Adventures, closed this exceptional event!

We are confident that our new and more functional facilities, will contribute to the success of our company!

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has reached a settlement worth more than $1 billion in a case involving hundreds of lawsuits over acceleration problems in its vehicles.

The company said in a statement that the deal will resolve cases involving motorists who said the value of their vehicles plummeted after a series of recalls by the Japanese automaker stemming from claims of sudden acceleration defects.

Lawyer Steve Berman, a plaintiffs' attorney, said the settlement is the largest settlement in U.S. history involving automobile defects.

"We kept fighting and fighting and we secured what we think was a good settlement given the risks of this litigation," Berman told The Associated Press.

The proposed deal was filed Wednesday and must receive the approval of U.S. District Judge James Selna, who was expected to review the settlement Friday.

Berman said the total value of the deal is between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion. Toyota said it will take a one-time, $1.1 billion pre-tax charge against earnings to cover the estimated costs of the settlement.

The case was filed two years ago and divided into two categories: economic loss and wrongful death. Claims by people who seek compensation for injury and death due to sudden acceleration are not part of the settlement.

The first trial involving those suits is scheduled for February.

Cash payments to certain customers

As part of the economic loss settlement, Toyota said it will offer cash payments to eligible customers who sold vehicles or turned in leased vehicles between September 2009 and December 2010.

The company also will launch a program for 16 million current owners to provide supplemental warranty coverage for certain vehicle components, and it will retrofit about 3.2 million vehicles with a brake override system. An override system is designed to ensure a car will stop when the brakes are applied, even if the accelerator pedal is depressed.

The settlement would also establish additional driver education programs and fund new research into advanced safety technologies.

"In keeping with our core principles, we have structured this agreement in ways that work to put our customers first and demonstrate that they can count on Toyota to stand behind our vehicles," said Christopher Reynolds, Toyota vice president and general counsel.

Toyota has recalled more than 14 million vehicles worldwide due to acceleration problems in several models and brake defects with the Prius hybrid.

The company said plaintiffs' lawyers have been unable to prove that a design defect — namely its electronic throttle control system — was responsible for vehicles surging unexpectedly. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA were unable to find any defects in Toyota's source code that could cause problems.

Toyota has blamed driver error, faulty floor mats and stuck accelerator pedals for the unintended acceleration.

Plaintiffs' attorneys have spent the past two years deposing Toyota employees, poring over thousands of documents and reviewing software code. The results of their efforts have not been made public.

"We are extraordinarily proud of how we were able to represent the interests of Toyota owners, and believe this settlement is both comprehensive in its scope and fair in compensation," Berman said.

[readon1 url="http://news.ca.msn.com/world/dollar1b-settlement-in-toyota-recall-case-1"]Source:news.ca.msn.com[/readon1]

This is the first of three articles looking at how the economy will do in 2013.

To be an entrepreneur you must be able to think outside the box.

To some doomsday interpreters, completion of the Maya calendar cycle today is a sign of an impending apocalypse. For Mexico’s tourism industry, it’s hardly the end of the world.

Curiosity about the ancient Maya culture sparked by predictions for the end of days helped draw a record of at least 23 million visitors to Mexico this year, said Deputy Tourism Minister Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, the airport operator, said Maya-fueled travel boosted passenger traffic to Cancun to an all-time high in 2012, and hotelier Grupo Posadas says it helped spur a 40 percent jump in net income at beach destinations.

The Maya flourished in Mexico and Central America in cities with tens of thousands of people until about 1,000 AD. Their calendar’s 394-year count, known as a baktun, ended its 13th cycle today, sparking doomsday theories. Much like interpreters of the calendar who say Friday marked the beginning of a new era rather than an apocalypse, Mexican companies say they’re seeing a revival in tourism nationwide.

“Mexico is on a roll,” Ruben Camiro, chief financial officer of Mexico City-based Posadas, said in a telephone interview from London. Hotel bookings “really started to pick up by the second quarter and now we see a whole machine coming our way.”
Thanks to the Mayan apocalypse, Mexico was able to profit

Tourism is one of the biggest sources of foreign currency for Mexico’s $1.16 trillion economy after auto exports, oil production and remittances, bringing in $11.7 billion in 2011. Gonzalez said that while visitor numbers have climbed to a record this year, spending by tourists still ranks below a high of $13.3 billion in 2008, before the global recession and financial crisis.

More than 35 million international and domestic passengers will arrive this year at airports in the five Maya-area states of Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Chiapas, Tabasco and Campeche, an increase of about 12 percent from 2011, Gonzalez estimated in a telephone interview.

Visits from abroad will climb to 23 million or 24 million by year-end, he said, topping a previous record 22.6 million in 2008.

“Worldwide there’s a special interest in Mexico and in the Mayan world that means many more people are coming,” said Gonzalez, a former tourism minister in the state of Quintana Roo, whose beaches includes Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.

Rather than playing up the apocalypse predictions, which Gonzalez said he doesn’t believe, “we’ve been promoting the cultural and historic importance this event has for the world,” he said.

Events to mark the calendar’s end include the release of dozens of macaws, birds that the Mayans saw as representing the sun, as well as a floating candle ceremony at tourist venues, according to the Cancun Tourism Board.

Hotels in Cancun are booked at up to 100 percent capacity, compared with a maximum 98 percent last year, said Ximena de Cordoba, a public relations manager at the Cancun Tourism Board.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, known as Asur, celebrated this year’s 14 millionth passenger to Cancun yesterday, surpassing last year’s 13 million record, with a Mariachi band, Eduardo Rivadeneyra, a public relations director for the Mexico City-based company, said in a telephone interview.

“The Mayas had no idea they were giving us a marketing tool when they stopped writing their calendar,” Rivadeneyra said.

[readon1 url="http://www.voxxi.com/mayan-apocalypse-mexico-hotels/#ixzz2Fzdizoxb"]Source:www.voxxi.com[/readon1]

USAirways offers a steal of a deal to Guadalajara, Mexico,

During my recent vacation to Puerto Vallarta, I made the mistake of booking an expensive spa treatment at my hotel. Only to find out the next day, I could have saved 25% if I had used a coupon from a discount book.

This annoyed me because if I was home I would search for deals.

Don’t repeat my mistake; learn how to find the best spa deals in Puerto Vallarta.
Ask the Receptionist for Unpublished Specials

Most spas won’t tell you they have specials unless you ask. When I visited the Spa at the Marriott in Puerto Vallarta I asked and found out that if I scheduled my massage or facial before 11, I would get a discounted rate. If I had not inquired, I would not have known that I could get a deal based on the time of day.

I now make a habit of asking the spa receptionist if they have any unpublished specials.

Get Advice From Other Guests

You would be surprised at what a wealth of knowledge other guests can be. I found my favorite Puerto Vallarta Spa deal from a woman I meet in the elevator.

She directed me to the Puerto Vallarta Marina where I had a 2 ½ hour massage for only $60.00.
Look for Deals on the Internet

Check the hotel spas web site you will be staying at and browse other spas in Puerto Vallarta. Many spas post internet only specials but make sure you book it before you arrive.

I had found a special and mentioned it only to be told I had to pre-book to get the web only spa deal. Spas will occasionally post discount coupons on travel web sites and activity web sites so you should check them out as well.
Ask the Locals

Who knows the inside scoop better than a local? During a recent trip to Puerto Vallarta I meet an expat at a shop, she not only directed me to a fabulous spa she recommended a spa therapist. You will be surprised how many times asking a local has saved me money.
Book a Puerto Vallarta Spa Package

Most spas in Puerto Vallarta have spa packages; they offer them at a discounted rate. The only downside to getting your spa deal this way is if you don’t like the spa services they have bundled.

Don’t hesitate to ask for the spa manager and see if they would substitute a pedicure for a manicure.

Go to the Marina

Based on my experience I have found the best spa value to be in the small spa salons at the Puerto Vallarta Marina. The ambiance is not on a par with most spa resorts but the services are just as good if not better.

One of my favorites is the Day Spa Marina Vallarta where I got a 50 minute collagen facial for only $40.00. You can contact them at 322 22 101 76.

Another spa to try is the Millenium Spa Marina Vallarta where I got a 90 minute deep tissue spa massage for only $50.00. Their contact information is 322 22 1218 26. Make sure you bargain because prices in the Marina are negotiable.
Get Coupons From Travel Books at the Airport

Start your bargain hunting at the Puerto Vallarta Airport. I always pick up travel magazines when I first arrive.

You will be surprised to find out how many discount coupons are available throughout these magazines and flyers.
 
[readon1 url="http://www.allaboutpuertovallarta.com/blog/how-to-find-the-best-spa-deal-in-puerto-vallarta/"]Source:www.allaboutpuertovallarta.com[/readon1]

An increase of 4.0 percent over last year estimated President of Concanaco-Servytur Jorge E . Dávila Flores

This federal program considers the payment of two minimum wages per day ($ 118.00 pesos per workday) in a 08 hours 00 hours   at 13 00 hours which will include building tours preprogrammed in maintenance and ecological care of certain areas defined in a series of routes assigned to each work crew.

Those interested in joining this program must be submitted to the Municipal Utility offices, located at Calle Pelicanos # 136, Colonia Los Sauces, from   Thursday 20 December and Friday 21 during a time of 09:00 to 13:00 the following simple copy documentation: birth certificate, CURP, IFE and proof of address.

For further information are invited to contact us by telephone April 22, 85 06 with Luis Gonzalez Guevara deputy city environment and ecology, who is in charge of the logistics of beach cleaning program that requires the collaboration of several government agencies to benefit  the community.

[readon1 url="http://http://www.vallartaopina.net/index.php?mod=sec&cat=loc&ele=19884"]Source:www.vallartaopina.net[/readon1]

Here’s some trivia. Which of these countries has the highest average income:

According to the Mexican government bicentennial satellite will also contribute to "E-Government", ensuring that each municipal throughout the country will have extensive coverage in telecommunications. Also help provide financial and banking services in remote communities and network administration for payroll and inventory management of federal institutions.

Orbital and Boeing are the companies behind the development of the satellite will be operational in full in mid-January 2013. This will join the project that seeks to rebuild Mexsat a satellite network that can be controlled by the Mexican government to ensure coverage throughout Mexico, as Mexico now has four satellites operated by private companies: the "Solidaridad 2" , "Satmex 5" and "Satmex 6" and "QuetzSat 1".
Bicentennial Satellite Data sheet:

    Owner: Mexsat.
    Manufacturer: Orbital Sciences Corporation.
    Satellite Type: Fixed Communications.
    Release Date: December 19, 2012.
    Launch vehicle: Ariane 5
    Site: Kourou Spaceport.
    Lifespan: 15 years.
    Application: Communications.
    Weight: 2,900 kg
    Power: 3.5 kW
    Type of orbit: 114.9 ° West.
    Transponder 12 C-Band, Ku Band 12
    Spectral bands: C-Band and Ku Band

Other satellites planned to join the network are the Morelos Mexsat 3 and Centennial, all will be operated in the Control Center and Satellite Monitoring Mexicano, inaugurated by President Felipe Calderon last November.

Admission Bicentenario Mexico Launches Satellite (MEXSAT 3) appears first in ALT1040 .
    
Mexico has a satellite more, that would benefit the most remote areas of the country will improve satellite telephone systems, Internet, telemedicine systems and which can improve communication in emergencies.

Three of the afternoon with 49 minutes, launch pad, Kourou, French Guiana.

The Ariane 5 rocket, the only commercial satellite launcher capable of carrying simultaneously two satellites into space.

Literally the Ariane 5 carrying two passengers, the satellite Mexsat government Bicentennial of Mexico and the Skynet 5D British defense ministry.

After the main engine burn, burned the two rocket boosters that made the takeoff at the appointed time.

Everything is handled by the control station from the building in the center of Jupiter launch from Kourou, French Guiana and the computers onboard the aircraft.

The rocket took about 9 minutes off and go into orbit, carrying a speed of about 9000 411 meters per second to reach an altitude of 584.7 kilometers.

The Ariane 5 rocket, carrying a weight of 735 kilos 7000 corresponding to the two satellites.

At 4:16, the Ariane 5, released the British satellite and four in the afternoon with 23 minutes Mexsat Bicentennial was released.

The main body of the rocket Ariane 5, after serving his mission fell on the coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea.

This satellite will provide emergency care, to prevent any weather event like a hurricane or an earthquake occurs and when phone systems are interrupted.

"The satellite will also allow us Bicentennial, bring the internet and other services for voice, data and image in broadband communities it is not possible to link the other way than satellite technology and expand coverage of health services and educating the population in marginal conditions, "said Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Secretary of Communications and Transport.

The Bicentennial Satmex will be operated from two satellite control centers, one located in Mexico City and one in Hermosillo, Sonora.

It has prepared a group of engineers from universities and colleges in the country, trained in the operation and control satellite, which operate continuously in receipt of national security data.

The bicentennial fully operational in mid-January 2013, is the first of three satellites that will make up the Mexican satellite system, between 2013 and 2014 will be released two more.

[readon1 url="http://noticierostelevisa.esmas.com/nacional/539578/asi-ocurrio-lanzamiento-del-satelite-bicentenario/"]Source:noticierostelevisa.esmas.com[/readon1]

Bank branches, the BMV and other financial institutions will close on December 25, there will be transactions by phone, internet or ATM
 
Bank branches in the country, and the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) and other financial institutions suspended its work on 25 December due to the Christmas celebrations.

The banking users can perform some operations at ATMs, telephone lines and websites of banks.

The center will operate half-day trading on 24 December from 8:00 to 12:00 hours and will be closed on the 25th, according to its rules and the provisions of the provisions of the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) .

Credit institutions, brokerage firms, mutual funds, securities rating institutions, leasing companies, financial factoring companies, limited purpose finance companies, finance companies regulated multiple purpose, among others, laborarán not the 25th.

The stock market and financial institutions to resume operations on Wednesday, December 26th at its regular time.

[readon1 url="http://noticierostelevisa.esmas.com/economia/539315/navidad-llega-bancos-cierran-25/"]Source:noticierostelevisa.esmas.com[/readon1]