Evening star., 1947-11-02
Mexico Prepares for Growing Number
OF Winter Garden Spot Visitors

served Tor hundreds OF years. He
subscribes to the idea that "the
easier it is to obtain a tourist card,
the more people will travel"
Mexico is supporting the plan for
a pan-American tourist card OBJ
tainable in any country and good
for travel anywhere in the Americas
and Canada.
Despite Mexicos efforts to sim
plify and speed up tourist routine
at the border, there are frequent de-
lays, due in part to the fact that
at certain seasons 1000 visitors cross
The frontier daily.
Hotel accommodat tions are crowd
ed, but the immediate outlook for
more rooms is good, Mr.. Buelna
said, because the New Del Prado
Hotel owned by the government is
expected to be ready in early jan
uary with 500 rooms, the Posada
Del Sol will have 500 rooms in early
1s48 and the Prince opened with
$50 rooms. The Hotel Barbara An
mex, nearing completion, will add
200 rooms.
Hotel costs are comparable with
f1rst-class hotels in the United
States. Resort hotels are higher.
Service does not equal that in the
United States, but is as good or
better than in other Latin Amer
lean countries.
Rates at the best hotels in
oS
per person. This includes three
meals.)
Food costs, especially for United
States type dishes, are high. Ma
tive cooking is cheap, but hot
and Is not for the uneducated pal
ate. The tourist department checks
restaurant and hotel prices. Vio-
lations of price ceilings bring fines,
overcharges on hotel rooms carry
an automatic 1000 peso $4,000 fine.
60 Per Cent by Auto.
The average tourist spends about
$270 for trip to Mexico, including
transportation. The figure is con-
servative, Mr.. Buelna said.
About 60 per cent of the tourists
come by automobile. From Jan
uary through August, 1880 auto
mobiles, averaging three persons to
the car, crossed the border. Fed
eral highways are in good condi-
ton and the government has under
way nationwide highway program
to open new tourist routes.
Mr.. Buelna will meet with Rob-
ert r. Quinn, director of the de-
partment of publicity for Miami,
Fla, and DR.. Alberto Crusellas, pres
ident Of the National Tourist Bu-
reau of Cuba, to discuss a new auto
mobile ferry service between Cuba
and the Yucatan Peninsula.
Most Of Mexico's tourist traffic
comes from west of the Mississippi
River, but with opening OF ferry
service to the peninsula, Mr.. Buelna
said, I'VE will tap the Eastern
United States tourist trade"
Al new highway will link gulf
coast cities with the peninsula, now
reachable only by plane or boat.
When the road Is finished and ferry
service started, Mr.. Buelna said,
I'VE will prove that the automo-
bile tourist from Los Angeles can
save 1900 miles OF driving on a
trip to Miami by way of Mexico
City and Merida and from there to
Cuba and Miami by ferry.
Many Entertainments.
There are many entertainments
for tourists, including horse racing,
bullfights, jai alai fronton), soccer,
scores Of night spots and programs
at the National Palace OF Fine Arts.
A tourist department survey
showed nearly every visitor attends
a bullfight or jai alai game. One
bullfight, however. generally suffices.
Within easy reach of the capital
are the famed floating gardens at
xochimilco, the Pyramids to the Sun
and Moon built by forgotten civili-
zation, the Desert of Lions-an age
old church homeycombed with dark
and Taxco, silver manufac-
turing center.
Also there is Puebla and Cholula, |
the holy city, with hundreds of
churches scattered over the country
side. The winter sun is warm on the
beaches at Acapulco, Mazatlan and
Guaymas on the west coast and on
the gulf coast there is fishing and
other sports at Veracruz, and
Tampico and the Mayal1 ruins on
the Yucatan Peninsula near Merida. !
Distributed b. the Associated PressD