Mexico Spring Break Tourism Falls Amid Violence
Bloomberg
Foreign tourism may fall as much as 88 percent in Acapulco this year as spring breakers cancel trips because of reports of violence, El Universal reported.
Hotels in Acapulco, Mazatlan and Puerto Penasco are seeing a smaller-than-normal influx of college-age revelers after the U.S. advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to 18 Mexican states, the Mexico City-based newspaper reported, citing Guerrero State’s tourism ministry and travel agency StudentCity.
Violence in Mexico has increased since President Felipe Calderon started sending military troops to fight drug gangs. Drug-related deaths rose to 15,273 last year from 9,612 in 2009, according to government figures.
Earthquake Hits New Zealand
Wall Street Journal
New Zealand’s second-largest city was rocked Tuesday by an earthquake that destroyed part of its cathedral, killing residents and trapping workers as offices and buildings collapsed.
The initial 6.3 magnitude quake hit 10 kilometers south-east of Cristchurch at 2351GMT according to the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management. The first quake was followed by aftershocks, including one measured at 5.6 magnitude. Tremors from the earthquake were felt as far away as the city of Dunedin, about 320 kilometers south of Christchurch.
Las Vegas-themed airline promises holograms, full frills
USA Today
Are you ready for a new “Las Vegas-themed” airline?
A Nevada businessman thinks New Yorkers are, telling the Las Vegas Sun that he hopes to get his planned LV Air charter operation off the ground by August.
LV Air chief Sean Smith says his carrier would offer VIP-oriented service on four daily round-trip flights between Las Vegas and New York JFK. He plans to lease widebody Boeing 767 jets for his regularly scheduled commercial charter operation.
Fed Taxes Make Airfare More Expensive than Cigarettes
GoBankingRates.com
Current Federal taxes imposed on airfare are higher than those placed on cigarettes, according to a new article from Fortune Magazine. The article found that while Federal taxes on cigarettes can reach as high as 18.2 percent, airfare taxes can reach as high as 20 percent, making the cost of air travel nearly unbearable for the average traveler.
Why Are Airfare Taxes So Costly?
Just a quick glance at the number of taxes imposed by the government when purchasing a ticket makes it quite clear that there is a lot of taxing going on.
Here is the average list of taxes to expect:
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