Is Mexico Safe for Travel and Tourism? Tours.com's Travel-Intel Investigates

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Apr 4, 2012) - Tourism to Mexico is on the rise despite the best efforts by the state of Texas and US travel safety alert systems to warn visitors away. And perhaps that is because in the country's well-traveled touristic zones, there is less crime than happens in most U.S. cities on any given day.

Travel-Intel took time at Tourism Mexico's 37^th annual Tianguis tourism conference to talk to tourism officials and walk the streets in popular tourist destinations to find out just what's afoot these days for people who want to make Mexico their vacation destination.

Tours.com's Travel-Intel, is a newsletter that goes out twice a month to the travel industry to keep more than 103,000 North American travel agents and travel sellers up on what's happening in the roller coaster business of travel. As Mexico receives some 22 million international visitors per year, mostly from North America, Travel-Intel was able to get a close-up look at what Mexico is doing to keep the travelers coming and ensure their safety.

Recent issues of Travel-Intel have looked at the changing trends in the cruise, hospitality and airline industries, and featured destination close-ups.

The April 1 issue of Travel-Intel offers a glimpse into river cruising trends through a one-on-one interview with Viking River Cruises CEO Torstein Hagen. It also sheds more light on Mexico travel with highlights on destination Riviera Nayarit and a look at the exclusive Imanta Punta Mita, a member of the prestigious Kurtz-Ahlers collection.

Finally, the April 1 issue of Travel-Intel offers a barometer of the travel industry by presenting the results of a recent survey conducted by the American Society of Travel Agents on travel agency health and revenue trends. And as the new film The Hunter, starring Sam Neill and Willem Defoe, is released this week, Travel-Intel features details on a package to Tasmania, possibly the film's biggest star, as launched this week as well by Tourism Tasmania.

Travel-Intel is a digital newsletter sent to more than 100,000 opt-in travel agents in the U.S. and Canada. Travel-Intel is then posted on Tours.com for those seeking answers in Tours.com's comprehensive directory of tour companies and travel information.

"The travel industry is in as much flux as the economy and travel agents as well as traveling consumers need good information to make the decisions they have to make where value is most at stake," says Lark Ellen Gould, content director for Travel-Intel. "Travel-Intel provides that with news of trends in the industry and updates on destinations."

Gould, a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 20 years, brings her incisive perspective to the publication and emails it on the 1st and 15^th of each month to more 103,000 travel agents in the U.S. and Canada, before posting the travelzine on Tours.com and Sightseeing.com. Travel-Intel also partners with CanadaScope and Britain Magazine for easy access to added sources of information.

About Tours.com: Tours.com is the Official Directory of Tours & Vacations Worldwide. On-line since 1995, tours.com has a deep and searchable database of tour and vacation companies searchable by company name, destination and/or activity. A one-stop resource for major Travel Channels such as travel insurance, passport & visa information, major travel booking sites and categories such as hotels, air, cars, cruises, barges, yachts & ferries, railroad & rail travel, etc., plus all other pertinent travel categories/channels. The Find a Travel Agent search field allows one to search for travel agents certified with in-depth knowledge in their chosen specialty. For more information visit www.tours.com