Mexico complains of mask-less tourists, closes ruin site
FILE - This Jan. 5, 2021 file photo shows tourists, some wearing masks and others not, at the Mayan ruins of Tulum in Quintana Roo state, Mexico, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with some wearing masks while others are not. Authorities in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula complained Friday, March 26, 2021, about tourists not wearing face masks, as Mexico braces for a surge of Easter Week visitors. (AP Photo/Emilio Espejel, File)MEXICO CITY โ Authorities in Mexicoโs Yucatan peninsula complained Friday about tourists not wearing face masks, as Mexico braces for a surge of Easter Week visitors. "It was truly frustrating to see hundreds of people walking around without face masks,โ noting that tourists were the worst offenders. Federal authorities have decided to close the Chichรฉn Itzรก Maya ruin site in neighboring Yucatan state from April 1-4 to avoid the possible spread of coronavirus.
Good deals available as Houstonโs travel and tourism industry begins a slow recovery
HOUSTON โ Houstonโs travel and tourism industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Houston hotels still strugglingBut the outlook for the Houston areaโs hotel industry isnโt as clear. โThe accommodation sector is at nearly a 35% unemployment rate,โ said Sawan Patel, who owns several Houston hotels with his father. Great travel deals availableThe good news that there are great travel deals available as airlines and hotels try to boost their businesses. Find hotel and dining deals in HoustonFind hotel and dining deals in AustinFind hotel and dining deals along San Antonioโs famous Riverwalk
Are you wizard material? New Zealand city looking for a replacement city wizard
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand A man who gets paid to provide acts of wizardry and other wizard-like services to promote a city in New Zealand has begun his search for a replacement, CNN reported. Channell is paid 16,000 New Zealand dollars (approx. Ive invented a wizard out of nowhere, Channell told CNN. Freeman has been learning the ropes of being a city wizard for six years. I want the wizard phenomenon to continue, and I will totally fulfill that role, Freeman, a music teacher who also performs in a psychedelic funk band, told CNN.
Corpus Christi official issues plea to tourists: Stay home, weโre in โfree fallโ
HOUSTON โ Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales issued a plea Monday to tourists: Donโt come to Corpus Christi beaches and stay home. Canales, who spoke with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, called the request โalmost unthinkableโ amid โfreefall (COVID-19) conditionsโ believed to be linked to the sheer numbers of tourists drawn to the Gulf Coast. โFor the next few weeksโฆ the coast is just not clear to come home to right now,โ Canales told the newspaper. โPlease do everything you can to help us stabilize. We are not stable โ we are in a free fall โ and we need some help from Texas.โFor more, go to the newspaperโs full report.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority is now paying for visitors to leave
(CNN) โ Hawaii's state agency that is dedicated to welcoming visitors to the state is temporarily helping those visitors leave. The Hawaii Tourism Authority has set aside $25,000 for the costs of sending tourists away if they refuse to abide by the state's 14-day quarantine. The Visitor Aloha Society arranges for the travel back home, and pays for the ticket if the visitor can't afford it. David Ige established a mandatory two-week self-quarantine for any out-of-state visitors and inter-island travelers on April 1. On April 6, John Monahan, president of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, sent a letter to various publications asking them not to promote travel to Hawaii.