Mayan Riviera Gets Hype in Europe as Cultural Destination

The Mayan Riviera Trusteeship is off on a cultural motorcade all across Europe to advertise that region of southern Mexico where tourists bask in the sun and visit archeological sites.

Jeannette Rigter, a representative of the Trusteeship for the artistic and cultural promotion of the Mayan Riviera, said the grand tour teed off in Lisbon and went on to Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Brussels. The caravan´s next stops will be Paris, Berlin and Milan.

Nearly 40 Belgian and European travel agencies, as well as media organizations specialized in the travel industry, went to the Mexican Foreign Office to the European Union in Brussels to brief authorities on the cultural and tourist attractions the Mayan Riviera has to offer.

"The goal here is to promote the Mayan Riviera as a cultural destination, a multi-destination teeming with ecological parks, Mayan ruins and the Mayan culture that has lived out the test of time," Mrs. Rigter commented.

"We hope people will now be interested in learning about the Mayan Riviera as a cultural destination and about Mexico´s riches across the board. That´s the message we want to put across," she added.

The Mayan Riviera stretches out from Puerto Morelos -13 miles south of Cancun- all the way to Felipe Carrillo, a seaport in southern Quintana Roo state. In all, the Riviera embraces 75 miles of beaches and a total surface of 110 miles.

The presentation was backed up by the works of arts of two local painters, Gerardo and Patricia Zuñiga, who exhibited some 30 paintings and donated "Courting," a three-piece work depicting birds in flight, to the Mexican embassy in Brussels.