Subscribe to our free email update service by sending a blank email to mexico-on-the-web-subscribe@egroups.com for reminders and news about upcoming columns.
Tourist information on the web can assist travelers not only in choosing their destinations but making the most of their vacation time. That said, online information about Mexico tends toward a glitzy review of its coastal resorts. As a result, the tourism pages are rather indistinguishable from bland brochures. But there are other resources available for savvy web travelers and we'll review them in the first of a two-part series.
The government's official website is based in Canada, which explains why the information appears static. It used to be one of the ugliest and most unfriendly websites, however, recent additions allow greater feedback and this website is one that deserves to be bookmarked and revisited on a regular basis.
Currently the site is graphics-heavy. If you are visiting the site in text-only mode, it's difficult to make sense of it. Also, text files are rarely linked, so it takes a great deal of searching to connect information in a logical manner. The most frustrating aspect is that the site overuses windows within windows, and readers must be careful of where to click or the screen continually diminishes in size.
The site could be vastly improved with up-to-date information. Under its official press releases, the only documents online date to 1996. There is good information here, but you'll have to hunt for it.
There are better sites to visit for specific information, and in Part 2 we'll review the websites featuring Oaxaca and Acapulco.
This article originally appeared in Business Mexico
magazine.
For
subscription information,
visit their website at
http://www.amcham.com.mx
or e-mail
busmex@amcham.com.mx
Ron Mader (ron@planeta.com) is a journalist
and author of
Mexico: Adventures in Nature
.
He also hosts Planeta.com (http://www.planeta.com) which in
1999 was awarded the "Lente de Plata" award from The Tourism
Secretariat (Sectur) for best Mexico-related website.
