Two tour operators with strong ties to Mexico, Apple Vacations and Pleasant Holidays, are forecasting a banner winter season, based on forward bookings for 2013 and significant gains and growth in the Mexican market thus far in 2012.

Apple announced an expansion of its U.S. gateways and new vacation flights to eight destinations in Mexico, including the new service to Puerto Vallarta service from Lansing, Mich. (It is also launching new programs from Rockford, Ill., to Montego Bay and from Hartford, Conn., to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic).

The expanded offerings represent a 15% increase on air seats this coming winter season compared with last year, and include the three new U.S. markets of Austin, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; and Kansas City, Mo.

Apple is working with Sun Country Airlines, Frontier, JetBlue and AirTran, according to John Tarkowski, vice president of planning and sales development.

When Apple decided to shut down its airline affiliate USA3000 last year, the company negotiated a deal with Frontier to take over some of Apple's U.S.-Mexico contracts.

"We had to protect our gateways, so we signed a long-term lease with Frontier and expanded our other carrier relationships," Tarkowski said.

How Apple decides what new nonstop flights to offer to which destination from what gateway is based upon a combination of factors that includes feedback from and strategy sessions both with agents and consumers, according to Tarkowski.

"We meet frequently with our agent advisory board to discern trends and patterns in travel, bookings and sales," he said.

"Apple also does consumer surveys on all our flights; we meet frequently with our airline partners and discuss new properties and booking patterns with key hotel suppliers," Tarkowski said.

Tim Mullen, president, agreed, adding that "we try to make our customers' vacation experiences the best they can be. Many times it starts with where they want to go and how easily they can get there. This is where that experience begins."

Pleasant Holidays CEO and President Jack Richards also predicts a strong 2013 for Mexico.

"We've seen significant gains and growth all year," Richards said. "Going forward, bookings are tracking ahead and we are very optimistic. Mexico may have its best year ever in terms of visitors."

Mexico welcomed 23.4 million visitors in 2011, a record-breaking year, and is on track to top those numbers this year. It reported a 5% increase in arrivals from January through May compared with the same period in 2011.

Where Pleasant is seeing a particularly large surge in bookings is in the group market and the destination wedding segment.

"Both markets have come back strong," Richards said. "We're getting corporation business again, and the bridal bookings are robust."

Pleasant is putting a lot of emphasis on the luxury and high-end resorts, especially in the suite categories of accommodations.

"We are laser-focused and upselling in select properties," Richards said, adding, "We're not adding new destinations but are picking up new hotel inventory," including additions to Pleasant's AMResorts roster.

"The company is an important partner for us, and we see a lot of growth in those hotel programs," he said.

In fact, Pleasant is holding its annual sales meeting in Los Cabos later this year so that staff can personally visit the three Zoetry, Dreams and Secrets properties there (a second Secrets will open in November 2013).

Pleasant's current $250 airfare credit offer, valid on new bookings at 21 participating beachfront properties through Sept. 2 for travel through Dec. 22, "is selling well and is a good lead-in to the winter season," Richards said.

For Caribbean and Mexico news, follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly.

[readon1 url="http://www.travelweekly.com"]Source: travelweekly.com[/readon1]

In a letter sent Tuesday to national officers and board members of the Allied Pilots Association, the union representing American Airlines pilots, American Airlines said it would seek an injunction if pilots continue to engage in "unlawful conduct" allegedly affecting the airline's operations.

The letter, sent by AA human resources executive Denise Lynn, said, "This unlawful conduct is taking the form of discretionary pilot actions including such things as delaying departures for unnecessary checks, increased and late-filed maintenance write-ups, increased block times due to slow taxiing and circuitous routings."

With flight delays plaguing the airline for more than a week, "we must take appropriate steps to protect the company and the many constituents who depend upon it," Lynn wrote.

[readon1 url="http://www.travelweekly.com/"]Source:travelweekly[/readon1]

The package for a client traveling overseas for medical purposes could include meet-and-greet services on the jetway, a hospital staff that handles the baggage, even massages in a hospital room large enough to accommodate sleepover relatives. These are just examples of what might be offered by a hospital, not a travel company.

In addition, the hospital staff-to-patient ratio can be double that found in the U.S., according to David Boucher, president of Companion Global Healthcare, a medical travel facilitator.

Yet with all this pampering, he said, the cost savings to Americans for major procedures can be as much as 75% to 90%. For dental work, the savings can range from 50% to 75%

Just the same, medical travel can be nerve-wracking for the patient. For American medical travelers, typically ages 50 to 65, the trip generally requires 10 to 20 days away from home, and it can involve "in-country support with companions," Josef Woodman told delegates to the Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference 2012, held this June in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The patient needs "trusted support for the logistics," said Woodman, who is CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, consultants and publishers of reference materials for medical travelers. "This is more complex than just booking air on Travelocity."

Further, although many patients have traveled internationally before seeking treatment, about a third have never owned a passport. Mixing a lot of truth with a touch of hyperbole, the printed program at the Scottsdale conference stated that these neophytes "are traveling to a country they don't know much about for surgery by a surgeon they have never met coordinated by a company they never heard of and conducted in a language they don't speak."

Focus on Medical TourismEnter the travel agent.

Intentionally or otherwise, most agents have bypassed that stage cue. The situation is changing, though, as indicated by the Scottsdale conference, which was sponsored by Well-Being Travel, a unit of the American Marketing Group (AMG), parent of Travelsavers.

For its affiliated agencies, Well-Being Travel selected a preferred medical travel facilitator and a preferred complications insurance provider.

Almost simultaneously this summer, the Medical Tourism Association launched a program to train agents as specialists in the field of planning medical travel.

That's not a coincidence. Looking ahead a few years, Ted Cromwell, a former travel agent and Hickory executive, is betting that agencies of all sizes will expand their role to become medical travel facilitators. He plans to launch a business by Jan. 1, if not earlier, to provide insurance and training support for that evolution.

In addition, although they aren't ready to announce it publicly, a few corporate agencies already are considering becoming medical travel facilitators, professionals trained to offer patients a selection of appropriate care providers, transfer medical records and make the appointments. Ideally, they are working with a network of providers that they or their partners have vetted for quality.

For now, however, most travel agents are not prepared or inclined to take on the liabilities that being a facilitator implies. They might refer clients to or receive referrals from facilitators, with a view to booking the actual travel.

Bumrungrad HospitalA few agents have tested these waters. It was a natural for Kathy Kocharhook, who is both owner of Sail-n-Travel in Cupertino, Calif., and a registered nurse.

She participated in a medical tourism fam to Thailand in 2011 because "I wanted as much experience as possible and wanted to experience some services." She arranged for preventive care in Thailand. In Costa Rica this summer, she arranged for on-site dental services. She will attend the Mexico Travel Health Forum in Puerto Vallarta this month, as well.

Kocharhook accompanied her first (and so far, only) medical-travel client to Thailand. "It was a business experience and investment," she said.

The experience taught her that medical travelers have more needs than most other clients, and for that reason their trust is "more important than ever." The agent must not recommend the medical care, she said -- that is the role of the facilitator -- "but the agent still needs to understand what the client's needs are" in order to get the right services to complement whatever the hospital might offer.

For that reason, Kocharhook said, "the client divulges more personal health information than usual. It's a different arena for trust."

In addition, she said it's important to anticipate issues: for example, urging the client to book for a longer trip than the doctors recommend.

Moreover, she said that no matter how gracious the hosts at the destination, the experience can be intimidating. For that reason, the agent should be ready to explain what will happen at the destination. It is important for the client to be accompanied and "handheld as much as possible."

Kiana BrightKocharhook's preferred facilitator is Thailand Medical Travel & Tourism in San Diego, where Kiana Bright is vice president.

Bright, a speaker at the Scottsdale conference, said special needs also might include early hotel check-in, an in-country personal assistant and sightseeing options with a lot of flexibility in the event the patient does not feel up to touristic activities.

Kocharhook said she is a "big believer" in insurance but had not even known complications insurance was available when she booked her first client.

Staci Blunt, owner of Vacation Visions in Chandler, Ariz., said she offered travel insurance to the 30 or so medical travelers she has served, but since most are self-payers, she said, "they usually don't take it; they are so eager to save money."

Speakers at the Scottsdale event recommended booking medical travelers in business class or other premium service, partly for flexibility to reschedule if necessary. But Blunt said that for her cost-conscious clientele, it was "still cheaper with a nonrefundable ticket even if you have to make changes. The client just pays for the changes."

She said her customers, who traveled to either Costa Rica or Mexico, used "regular hotels, not resorts, usually [European plans]. Some wanted nice, familiar hotel brands." The hospital packages could include some or all transfers and a bed for companions staying in the hospital room. Blunt said she filled in whatever the hospital package did not include.

Her business came in the form of referrals from a facilitator, MedToGo, in Tempe, Ariz. Although she did not help choose health providers and does not speak Spanish, she had dealings with the hospitals. Now, she said, she is handing off the referrals to an agency with Spanish-speaking staff; she will be the backup.

Some overseas hospitals provide all-in quotes for medical care plus transfers or other services. Woodman told his Scottsdale audience there is the opportunity for travel companies to organize co-branded packages.

When Well-Being Travel was created in 2010, it announced it would create medical travel packages that include air and hotel. A spokeswoman said there should be "more news on that" later this year.

Shark repellents

A key reason travel agents are not often seen in the medical tourism arena is fear of liability should something go awry during a client's out-of-town medical procedure.

That risk is real, said Mark Pestronk, travel attorney and Travel Weekly columnist. Still, he added: "This is a good area. It is growing, lucrative and, for the agent, a chance to do good for clients."

Pestronk told delegates to the Scottsdale conference that U.S. courts rarely hold agents liable for the failures of suppliers or for "acts of God." However, he said there has never been a case where an agent was sued after something went wrong on a client's medical trip, so there is no reassurance to be taken from court precedents.

Well-Being Conference Mark PestronkBesides, international medical trips produce their own "huge legal problem," Pestronk said. It's not about whether the agency can be held liable for someone else's failure. It's about finding someone to sue.

He called it the "shark's dilemma," the shark being the plaintiff's attorney, who can't sue foreign doctors and foreign hospitals in the U.S. because the courts, with a few exceptions, don't have jurisdiction.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled one cannot sue anyone in the U.S. unless that defendant has minimal contacts here, such as working, entering contracts or advertising here.

Pestronk said the plaintiff's lawyer could associate with an overseas lawyer and sue overseas, but the legal systems in almost all medical tourism destinations "don't provide meaningful compensation in malpractice cases. Israel is the exception. In other countries, there is no such thing as a contingency fee, and damages are small. If you pay Third World prices, you get Third World damages."

In addition, in some countries, there is little malpractice law, or litigation takes longer than in the U.S., and the plaintiff may have to appear in court.

Pestronk made his point with eye-opening examples.

In India, he said, malpractice awards are "in the low thousands [of dollars]. There is nothing for loss of earnings, nothing for pain and suffering, no plaintiff's experts, and cases can take 15 to 20 years. The parties dispose of records when a problem arises, and courts can't enforce a judgment."

In Mexico, he said, the estate of a dead plaintiff can collect only $17,800 maximum, and an injury award would be four times the minimum wage in that country, which is $4 a day.

As a result, he said, there are more malpractice cases in the U.S. brought by Mexicans and Americans against Mexican health care providers than there are in Mexico.

Given those realities, Pestronk said, "the shark goes after the little fish, the travel agent." In addition, given that the case is about major medical complications, the shark will be someone "used to multi-tens of thousands of dollars in settlements."

Bumrungrad Hospital lobbyPestronk offered delegates the "Pestronk shark repellent kit":

• Get a signed disclaimer and release, in which the client releases the agency from all claims of negligence. In most states, this is effective, he said, provided the concepts are clear and brought to the clients' attention.

Travel companions as well as the patient must sign, he said, "no doubt about it." He offered a copy of his model disclaimer at www.pestronk.com/free.html but urged delegates to discuss it with their own attorneys.

• Always use a medical travel facilitator. American agents should use a U.S.-based facilitator, he added. Don't recommend any health care provider or even a destination for treatment, he urged, so the liability shifts entirely to the facilitator.

Besides, he said, if there is a contract between the U.S.-based facilitator and the foreign hospital, the shark could sue both in the U.S., "and the judge would be very reluctant to dismiss the hospital from the case."

That's not to say there is a guarantee that such contracts will establish U.S. jurisdiction over the foreign facility. For that reason, he said, when considering a facilitator with which to partner, it's a good idea to ask if it has contracts with the facilities it uses, which would improve a plaintiff's odds of getting U.S. jurisdiction.

• In the agency contract with the facilitator, he said, "make sure the facilitator indemnifies you and pays your legal fees" in the event of a post-trip malpractice suit.

(For agencies affiliated with Travelsavers or the Network of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel [NEST], Well-Being Travel has tapped Companion Global Services of Columbia, S.C., as its preferred facilitator. This deal does not provide blanket indemnification for all Travelsavers and NEST agencies that refer clients to the facilitator.)

• Offer a medical travel insurance policy. "Making the offer is the most important thing, regardless of what the client does," Pestronk said. He urged agents to not attempt to interpret the insurance policy, instead referring clients to the insurance company.

Finally, he recommended that agents study their errors-and-omissions policies to determine if they cover medical travelers.

Well-Being Conference PanelistsSeparately, Greg Takehara, senior vice president at Berkely Travel, provider of most agency E&O policies, told Travel Weekly that Berkely's policies have "no specific exclusion governing medical trips, but ... an allegation against an agent for negligently selecting a medical facilitator, that would not be covered. If there were a nonmedical accusation against an agent [regarding] a medical trip -- i.e., a visa issue, wrong date, hotel problem -- there very well could be coverage."

When asked about booking travel for inbound patients, Pestronk said his disclaimer would not protect agents against charges of negligence in the E.U. and other countries. "Consult a lawyer in the country the patient is coming from," he advised.

Speakers at the Scottsdale conference urged agents to promote their services to all clients, including corporations. But Pestronk warned that those who hold themselves out as specialists to businesses will be held to a higher standard of care if they are sued.

The disclaimer is the "first line of defense," he said, along with the other components of his "shark repellent kit."

Complications insurance

At least two insurance companies offer coverage tailored for medical travelers who are treated outside the U.S. Both products were introduced in the last three years, and both companies sell through agents. Because the policies, often termed "complications insurance," are for a range of procedures with different price tags, the premiums vary widely. They could range up to several thousand dollars if the procedure is major, such as heart surgery.

The insurance companies are Custom Assurance Placements of Columbia, S.C., and Seven Corners of Carmel, Ind.

Almost all standard travel health insurance policies will not cover a traveler for any incidents occurring during a trip whose purpose is medical treatment.

MH Ross Travel Insurance Services is an exception. According to Paul Salamone, vice president of sales and marketing, MH Ross will sell its standard policies to medical travelers "but cancellation must be for anything other than the medical procedure. [Clients] could get hit by a bus."

Custom Assurance's Global Protective Solutions is the preferred supplier for AMG's agency groups, Travelsavers and NEST.

Tracy Simons, Custom Assurance PlacementsGlobal Protective Solutions covers expenses triggered by complications that occur during the first six months after the medical procedure, and, like standard policies, it covers for travel-related accidents. The policy will be amended to cover for unrelated illness, as well, said Tracy Simons, president of Custom Assurance.

Benefits include an emergency assistance service, available 24/7.

Simons said patients must use an approved overseas facility that is accredited by the U.S. accrediting organization known as Joint Commission International (JCI) or an equivalent accrediting organization.

The policy does not cover baggage, nor does it cover trip cancellation or interruption. Except by special exception, it is not available for travelers under 18 or over 70, and it does not cover pre-existing medical conditions that are unrelated to the reason for the medical travel.

It will be sold exclusively through Travelsavers and NEST agencies, plus any U.S. and Canadian agencies that register with AMG's Well-Being Travel. Agencies that have previously sold the product are already effectively registered.

The Seven Corners product, Bordercross Worldwide Medical Procedure Insurance, covers for complications that occur within 60 days of the medical procedure, but patients must choose one of the world's 350 JCI-accredited facilities if they require inpatient care.

This policy also excludes pre-existing conditions, but it covers more events that are included in standard insurance policies.

According to Valerie Baker, customer service representative, Bordercross covers for illness or accidents unrelated to the medical procedure, trip cancellation and interruption for reasons related or unrelated to the medical procedure and medical evacuation. It also covers for lost or damaged baggage.

If the patient has a traveling companion, he or she must also be insured.

Bordercross marketing director Suzanne Munson said some hospitals are embedding this insurance into the pricing of their treatment packages.

The learning curve

Last month, the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), an international organization of health care providers and buyers, launched a program to certify agents as medical travel specialists.

Bangkok HospitalJonathan Edelheit, the association's CEO, said, "We will educate agents about the roles of others [in the field], what to expect from the medical travel facilitators and how to protect themselves from liability."

To be certified by MTA, agents must attend, in person or via the Web, an MTA-created, eight-hour training program and pass an exam. The cost of the training, exam and certification for two years is $1,500. Renewals, good for three years, are $500. There will be ongoing education requirements.

The first course will be offered Oct. 27 after the MTA's annual conference in Fort Lauderdale. The online version will be available by Dec. 1, the MTA said.

Edelheit said 100 to 200 agents usually attend the MTA's annual conferences, but that number will probably be higher this year because of the certification program and because the MTA has been "in discussions with several travel [entities] on creating a joint project to educate their agents." He said he was not free to name any prospective partners at this time.

Edelheit said the MTA will have a search function at its website so medical travelers can find MTA-certified agents or validate that an agent is certified.

The association, he said, launched a certification offering for medical travel facilitators two to three years ago. The same committees, with input from two travel agents, modified the facilitator program for the trade.

"We wanted to know how agents think and what role they were interested in having," he said. "They will be handling the travel, not the medical records."

For the agent, he said, "the key is to get the waiver [disclaimer and release described by Pestronk] from patients and to choose the right facilitator. We will show agents how to pick facilitators. ... The facilitator is the potential source of liability" if the agent makes a poor choice.

"Some facilitators have been found guilty of criminal activity that is shocking," Edelheit said, including "swindling doctors, and one is under investigation by the FBI."

The Hartford Courant reported the city of Hartford, Conn., last fall canceled its contract with a facilitator after learning the firm's founder had been convicted of wire and mail fraud, sentenced to 51 months in prison in 2004 and ordered to pay $36.4 million in restitution. The city, facing big health care costs, has not given up on medical tourism, however.

Edelheit said, "We would suggest one of our MTA-certified facilitators or that agents pick up the phone and check references. Too often people don't do that."

Medical Tourism Fam TripAnne Marie Moebes, executive vice president of Well-Being Travel, also suggested that agents ask if their prospective facilitator is paid by medical facilities for delivering customers, the presumption being that if the facilitator is paid in that way, the facilitator's advice may be biased.

Well-Being Travel vetted and selected Companion Global Services as its preferred facilitator. Patients or their employers pay Companion Global for services.

Any agency could piggyback on the vetting undertaken by Well-Being Travel or, in the future, other trade groups.

At the Scottsdale conference, Moebes said her organization hoped to provide another training option through the Travel Institute.

Patty Noonan, director of sales for the Travel Institute, confirmed there had been discussions regarding a medical tourism module, but the challenge is to find someone to underwrite the project, she said.

Fam trips are another learning alternative. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) operated fams to Thai hospitals in each of the last two years, most recently in June, for a total of about 25 participants, said Peggy Peterka, TAT marketing manager in Los Angeles. As these fams become more popular, she said she expected TAT to "extend our reach ... in invited guests."

Piyalak Intognkum, a marketing officer at TAT in Los Angeles, added that this year's itinerary included sightseeing and up to two visits to medical facilities per day. It also provided a personal experience with services, a half-day general checkup.

She said participants were representing self-insuring corporations as well as travel agencies.

Agents as facilitators

Cromwell said he plans to create a business that makes it realistic for agencies of all sizes to be medical travel facilitators, because he believes the addition of facilitator services is "a natural" for the growth of the agency business.

It makes sense, he said, that patients would want to deal with one source for travel and medical arrangements. Besides, he said, travel agents, with their customer-service experience at the personal level, are natural candidates to provide a one-stop service that includes the medical planning.

Bumrungrad HospitalHowever, if liability is a worry for those selling medical travel, it is much greater for agents who would be facilitators.

Cromwell said his new firm, as yet unnamed, will combine the training designed to give agents more confidence in their own abilities with insurance to cushion against liability.

There is insurance for facilitators today, he said, but his plan would require agents to be certified as facilitators to qualify for his insurance.

The facilitator certification program will be aimed only at travel agents, and for now, only those at ARC-affiliated agencies. Cromwell said he is not sure how he will deal with independent contractors.

The certification, a proof of expertise, would help control the cost of premiums, he said. Also, premiums would be priced based on the number of people who are certified at a given agency, which is why Cromwell said he believes that small or midsize agencies, as well as the megas, could be facilitators.

The new firm also will offer certification for agents wishing to sell medical travel without being facilitators, he added.

Since the MTA already offers these certification programs, Cromwell said he is discussing with the MTA the possibility of implementing some part of his program through the association.

Cromwell was, until this summer, an executive vice president at the Hickory corporate agency trade organization. Previously, he was a senior vice president of BCD Travel.

[readon1 url="http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Preventive-measures"]Source:travelweekly.com[/readon1]

Washington, D.C., won a court ruling against online travel agencies (OTAs) over who's responsible for millions of dollars in annual hotel taxes when rooms are booked through intermediaries.

The decision marks what may be the highest-profile legal victory for municipalities in the five-plus years that municipalities and the OTAs have been fighting over the issue.

Judge Craig Iscoe of the D.C. Superior Court wrote that the defendants are responsible for transient taxes on the gross amount collected for hotel rooms from customers, and not just on the net amount paid by OTAs to hotels.

The defendants were Expedia Inc. (comprising the Expedia, Hotwire, Hotels.com and Travelscape brands), Priceline, Travelocity and Orbitz, The four companies collectively account for more than 90% of U.S. travel sold through OTAs.

"Based on the structure of the statute and its clear purpose, the court finds that the [OTAs] are making a retail sale that is taxable under this statute, any party making a retail sale is considered a vendor for purposes of the statute, and the statute seeks to include the total cost of a transaction in calculating gross receipts," Briscoe wrote. "Defendants, therefore, are providing a service which is taxable under the D.C. gross sales tax law."

Joe Rubin, president of Washington-based trade group the Interactive Travel Services Association, called the ruling "incorrect" and "an outlier," adding that he expected OTAs to appeal the decision. Priceline declined to comment, directing questions to ITSA. Neither Expedia, Travelocity nor Orbitz immediately responded to requests for comment on Tuesday.

"Most other courts have ruled in favor of the [OTAs]," said Rubin. "And every state legislature in the 2012 legislative session to consider amendments to expand the tax to travel intermediaries, including OTAs, has rejected them."

More than two dozen municipalities have taken on the OTAs in court because OTAs typically pay about 25% less per room than they charge the customer, leaving millions of dollars worth of occupancy taxes in dispute.

Other municipalities that have taken on the OTAs in court and lost include Houston; Philadelphia; Anaheim, Calif. (home to Disneyland); and Branson, Mo. Notably, a 2010 ruling that awarded the city of San Diego $21.2 million was overturned last September.

Out of the 29 cases where a municipality has taken the OTAs to court over alleged tax shortages, 22 were decided in favor of the OTAs, while another four involved rulings where the OTAs weren't liable for back taxes, according to Rubin.

The most notable exceptions to this trend, prior to the Washington case, involved San Antonio and Florida's Orange County, which includes the city of Orlando and the Walt Disney World Resort. Orange County last year reached a settlement with Expedia in which Expedia paid the county an undisclosed amount to resolve a 2006 case.

Meanwhile, in a July 2011 ruling involving San Antonio and 172 other Texas cities, including Dallas and Austin, the OTAs lost a $20.6 million decision. The presiding judge ruled that the OTAs were sometimes, in effect, charging consumers for the tax by imposing a surcharge that the OTAs kept.

As for Washington, how much money the OTAs will have to pay is unclear. In Monday's statement announcing the ruling, D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan noted that the decision wasn't limited to the customary three-year statute of limitations on back taxes, and added that no total tax tab has been tallied.

"The court's ruling today is an important step in our efforts to ensure that the District receives the substantial sums it is owed by online companies selling hotel rooms in D.C.," said Nathan.

[readon1 url=""http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Online-agencies-lose-hotel-tax-case-to-Washington-D-C"]Source:travelweekly.com[/readon1]

Chicago, New York and Minneapolis levy the heaviest travel-related taxes on visitors

• First weekend after launch

The demand exceeds the rate of replenishment, has forced many users to wait for the product

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (24/SEP/2012.) - Apple said Monday that it sold more than five million units of its new iPhone 5 in the first weekend after its release and that demand has "exceeded supply initial ", forcing many users to wait for the product.

"Demand for the iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working very hard to make the iPhone 5 gets into the hands of every customer that needs it as soon as possible," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.

[readon1 url="http://www.informador.com.mx/tecnologia/2012/406607/6/apple-vendio-mas-de-5-millones-de-iphone-5.htm"]Source:informador.com.mx - Translation by Suyapa Ajuria[/readon1]

• Some consumers will have to wait until October

Followers of the brand make long lines to be among the first to premiere the new smartphone model

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (22/SEP/2012.) - Apple fans endured long queues in Asia, Europe and North America to become the new model of its smartphone, the iPhone 5, which seems to break sales records despite criticism about the lack of technological innovation and its mapping program.

Rows with thousands of eager buyers in the shops nearby Apple promised become a commercial success Apple's latest release.

"I've been waiting for eight days, I'm so happy right now," confessed Keenen Thompson, one of the first among hundreds of people gathered in the store that Apple has on the famous Fifth Avenue in New York.

Some analysts estimate that it will sell about 10 million units in the first five days.

In Mexico, there is still no official date, but is expected to later this month Apple made public new dates for the rest of the world. Specialised sites have reported that on September 28 could reach the country.

On the first day of ticket sales, pre-sales volume of iPhone 5 reached more than two million units, which exceeded one million orders were for the iPhone 4. Apple said yesterday that demand exceeded the team's initial inventory, so probably a large number of deliveries could be delayed until October, even though the scheduled date was scheduled for this Friday.

In Sydney, the loyal fans filmed their experience on their iPhones and iPads and staff inside clapped and cheered when the doors opened at 08:00 am on Thursday.

"Seven of us are here for our company from noon on Tuesday," said Todd Foot, 24, who was first in line and works for an agency that examines mobile phones.

Apple has sold more than 224 million iPhones since the first version in 2007

[readon1 url="http://www.informador.com.mx/economia/2012/406200/6/pese-a-criticas-fans-de-apple-reciben-el-iphone-5.htm"]Source:informador.com.mx - Translation by Suyapa Ajuria[/readon1]

San Jose Iturbide, Guanajuato (21/SEP/2012.) - More than 6,000 tons of eggs were imported from the Ministry of Economy authorized the entry into the country of the input, because of the shortage crisis caused by avian flu Jalisco, said the head of the Secretariat of Economy (SE), Bruno Ferrari.

"The price of egg-official-said going down and the hens in Jalisco replobación going well."

The project was announced to take place in states such as Querétaro, Puebla and Aguascalientes, to diversify egg production in the country and not concentrated in Jalisco.

Only in Querétaro, exemplified, production could be expanded from 10 to 20%, so it is supporting the creation of egg-producing farms.

On the cost per kilo of the input, said Ferrari headed dependence has records amounting to 26 pesos on average nationally.

Optimism

As he led the inauguration of the first floor of Ferrero in Mexico, Guanajuato, which involved an investment of 200 million dollars, the Secretary anticipated that some ads are still needed investment, providing they can capitalize on automotive and electronics industry .

He said further that there are about 10,000 different projects across the country and this year is expected to be able to realize acquisitions by 21.000 million pesos which had been estimated.

[readon1 url="http://www.informador.com.mx/economia/2012/405988/6/diversificaran-produccion-de-huevo.htm"]Source:iformador.com - Translation by Suyapa Ajuria[/readon1]

Not far from its original Marina Vallarta venue, The No Name Bar & Grill has relocated to a warmer and more comfortable space at Royal Pacific L-128. Here, patrons can enjoy their international menu, which includes their renowned BBQ ribs, chicken and shrimp, along with imported steaks, burgers, saladas and a variety of Mexican offerings.

The No Name originally opened on Puerto Vallarta's Malecón in 1993, where it remained until 2008, when it relocated to Nuevo Vallarta. An ideal space to re-open south of the Ameca River was not found until recently, in Marina Vallarta, less than a block from the marina lighthouse, where loyal customers along with new ones can enjoy a scenic view of the marina. A bonus: it is air conditioned!

The eatery is open for breakfast, lunch and diner, and features Canadian, American and Mexican satellite feeds, allowing clients to enjoy events that few places in the city can broadcast. Locals get a 10% discount on their bill!

By Gay Nagle Myers

Hotel occupancies in Puerto Vallarta jumped 10% from July 2 to Aug. 19, to 71.8%, according to Mexico's Secretariat of Tourism.

The destination's increase of nearly 9% year to date doubled Mexico's 4% overall hotel occupancy growth.

The hotel occupancy increases in Puerto Vallarta have been on an uptick since March, which recorded a 9% increase and 140,000 tourists. The destination maintained similar occupancy rates and visitor numbers in April.

From January through June, international visitors occupied 613,854 hotel rooms as compared with 590,921 for the same period in 2011.

However, international air arrivals dipped 3.8% from January through August in comparison to 2011. Flights from the U.S. decreased by 236 from January through July, a time when flight schedules generally are reduced from the peak winter season schedule.

[readon1 url="http://www.travelweekly.com/Mexico-Travel/Puerto-Vallarta-increased-occupancies-in-summer/?a=hotels"]Source: www.travelweekly.com[/readon1]

The companies said that in the second quarter of 2012 faced more favorable compared to the previous quarter

GUADALAJARA, JALISCO (19/SEP/2012.) - In the second quarter of 2012, three out of 10 Mexican companies obtained new bank loans.

According to the results of the Quarterly Survey of Credit Market Conjunctural Assessment, conducted by the Bank of Mexico, the companies agreed to bank financing have faced expressed more favorable conditions the previous quarter in terms of deadlines and amounts offered and best interest rates.

The central bank also reported that in the period from April to June this year collateral requirements and commissions and other expenses associated with bank loans remained virtually unchanged.

As for the conditions to refinance loans and credit resolution times, the perception of credit applicants was less favorable compared to the previous quarter.

Bank credit

The results for the second quarter of 2012 show that 52.6% of companies surveyed had bank loans at the beginning of the quarter, higher than the previous quarter (45.5 percent).

In turn, 48% of companies with up to 100 employees said they had bank loans, while the proportion for all companies with more than 100 employees was 55.3 percent.

The percentage of firms obtained new bank loans was 29.8%, while in the first quarter of 2012 was 24.4 percent. With respect to total financing companies not hired, 61.6% said they did not apply, 5.4% said they applied for credit and is being authorized and 1.4% indicated that they applied for credit and was not authorized. In turn, 1.8% reported that although the credit requested rejected on the grounds that it was very expensive.

The main sources of financing for qualified offeror companies were reported by providers, with 78.4% of firms (82.9% on the previous quarter), commercial banks, with 39.3% of the companies (35.2% in the quarter prior), other companies in the corporate group and / or the home office, with 21% of the total (25.5% in the previous quarter), foreign banks, with 4.3% of the companies surveyed (6.2% in the previous quarter), the debt issuance, with 2.5% of companies (3.4% in the previous quarter) and development banks, with 5.6% of them (5.1% in the previous quarter).

The results of the funding sources by firm size show that a high proportion of both companies over 100 employees and in that of those employing between 11 and 100 people, is funded by suppliers (79.5% and 76.6% , respectively).

In regards to credit from commercial banks, the percentage of companies with over 100 employees pointed out as a source of funding (41.1%) was higher than in the case of companies with up to 100 employees (36.2 percent) .

Of all the companies surveyed:

47.8% said that the current conditions of market access and cost of bank credit are not a constraint to carry out the operations of your business.

36.1% indicated that these conditions are a minor limitation.

16.1% considered that these conditions are a major limiting to-day operations of your business.

Source: Bank of Mexico

[readon1 url="http://www.informador.com.mx/economia/2012/405488/6/tres-de-cada-10-empresas-acceden-al-credito.htm/"]Source: www.informador.com.mx - Translation by Suyapa Ajuria[/readon1]

Hospitals in Puerto Vallarta are cutting edge, with public and private medical services to the domestic and foreign tourists can be used if necessary.

Vallarta has become known for the quality of the services in the medical field, from cosmetic surgery to specialized treatment. Our destination offers qualified health professionals in all specialties and medical fields (including neuropathology and homeopathy) that meet individual needs.

For a long time the Puerto Vallarta has been known for excellence in this services and the warmth of people. This certainly extends to the field of medical tourism. Medical professionals make an increasingly important role in the health of the community, and provide world class services in various languages, from Spanish and English to French or German.

The first International Medical Tourism Congress held in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in August 2010, with extraordinary health professionals throughout North America and Europe.

[readon1 url="http://www.visitapuertovallarta.com.mx/vive-vallarta/servicios-medicos/"]Source:visitapuertovallarta.com.mx - Translation by Suyapa Ajuria[/readon1]