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This holiday season we aren't going to bore you with Mexico insurance news. We are just going to provide you with all the resources your clients need to have a safe and Happy Holiday in Mexico!

This holiday season we aren't going to bore you with Mexico insurance news. We are just going to provide you with all the resources your clients need to have a safe and Happy Holiday in Mexico!

Our November newsletter focuses on how you can increase your agency revenues. One, by capitalizing on the large number of people who will be driving to Mexico to celebrate the season. Snowbirds and retirees have started their annual migration to Mexico, and more than a million people will be returning to Mexico to visit friends and family for the Holidays. We also provide tips on creating a monthly newsletter your clients will want to read.

Up to three items can be added to a vehicle permit, including trailers, scooters, ATV's (Maybe a Truck Camper) but see the "Gray Area's" section below.

Most flights resumed to Mexico's Caribbean coast on Friday as local workers swept up after Hurricane Rina wrecked travel plans and paralyzed the heart of the country's tourism industry.

As a travel product, Mexico has strong staying power and offers numerous reasons for clients to visit and revisit, he said.

To imply that all of Mexico, and all tourists traveling in Mexico, face daily and constant danger is false, misleading and does a disservice both to Mexico and to our fellow citizens possibly interested in visiting our neighbor. It’s no wonder that recently I meet more Europeans than Americans when I travel.

The National Weather Service in Mexico has issued a Hurricane Warning for the Yucatan Peninsula from Punta Gruesa (just north of Chetumal Quintana Roo the Capitol City in Quintana Roo) to Cancun and there is a Tropical Storm Warning in effect from Chetumal to Punta Gruesa as well as Belize.

The new US-Colombia free-trade deal, signed into law last week, includes a clause that removes an exemption from the tariff for travellers from the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.

Included are important updates and information regarding all of our Specialty Personal Lines products! This is the busiest time of year for these products. Grow your agency by capitalizing on insuring these growing demographics. The season is coming...are you ready??

During the time that the Mexico Auto market has been decreasing, we have created several new products. Our parent company, www.SpecialtyInsOnline.com, offers U.S. Specialty Coverage for Vacant and Rental Dwellings, Vacation homes, RV's, Travel Trailers, Motorcycles, Manufactured Homes, Commercial Auto, and Watercraft. These provide very exciting opportunities that will enable you to expand your Specialty Personal lines books.

Effective June 11, 2011, Mexico has implemented a new policy for the issuance of temporary vehicle permits.

The Changes are as follows:

1. The fee for importation of a vehicle is $44.00 USD plus IVA; this fee is the same whether the permit is obtained at the border, consulates or online. [http://www.banjercito.com.mx/site/siteBanjer/Bicentenario/iitv/instruccionesIITV_ing.html]

2. A guarantee deposit for the return of the vehicle to the US, regardless of the form of payment, we be applied to all vehicles. The amount of the guarantee will be determined by the year of the vehicle. The guarantee will be refunded upon cancellation of the permit at Banjercito offices, as long as it is prior to the expiration date of the permit. The refund will be made in the same form as the deposit was made.

2007 - Newer $400 USD

2001 - 2006 $300 USD

2000 - Older $200 USD

3. If the vehicle is not returned to the US prior to the expiration date on the permit, or the permit is not canceled upon exiting Mexico, the guarantee deposit will be forfeited.

4. Before Banjercito issues a permit, they will verify the VIN # to make sure the vehicle does not have any restrictions to be driven in the US or Canada, in which case the permit will not be allowed.

It is important that we remind our customers to cancel the permit at the border prior to returning to the US, to ensure that they receive their guarantee deposit back.

Our recommendation, as long as the customers have enough time (between 7-10 days), is that they process the temporary importation permit online. This will improve their experience and avoid the time spent at the border crossing. [http://www.banjercito.com.mx/site/siteBanjer/Bicentenario/iitv/instruccionesIITV_ing.html

Mexico is not the horrible place the media makes it out to be. Travel there is still safe regardless of the current "threat level color." We surfed uncrowded waves, ate plenty of amazing seafood, and of course drank a few cervezas.

The following checklist was compiled by Samuel Logan, regional manager for the Americas at iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, a Maryland-based intelligence, business resiliency and security-services firm. This information is provided to encourage an informed, common-sense approach to travel below the border, as well as to international travel in general.

Mexican tourist areas have responded to the U.S. De­part­ment of State's expanded travel warning issued in April, differentiating their locations from those that have suffered drug-related violence.

Page isn’t the only one who thinks that Mexico is a big part of the future of U.S. health care. The idea is part of a trend in Arizona and across the nation of U.S. health care businesses reaching across the border.

Make sure your documents are in order and be prepared to declare all goods and products imported to the United States — otherwise you’ll likely face a fine and can even be deported.

“Hotels.com (which is owned by Expedia) reported that bookings have increased by 25% in the past year,” says the report and credit card operator Visa has revealed that “people spent 10% more (from $4 billion in 2009 to $4.4 billion in 2010) on their credit cards” in Mexico during the same period.

In light of these economic, financial, and health care access barriers, a sizable proportion of border residents resort to Mexico to meet their health care needs--with much more affordable prescription medications as well as services from dentists and doctors.

Elevating tourism to a cabinet-level post he has made the industry's success an issue of national priority - and it seems to be working. Despite growing violence, tourism numbers for 2010 were up 6% from the previous year.

Pro-amnesty lawmakers reintroduced the DREAM Act in both the House and Senate last Wednesday. (ABC News Tucson, May 11, 2011) Like their predecessors, S. 952 and H.R. 1842 grant amnesty to the roughly two million illegal aliens who entered the country and meet certain educational or military requirements, authorize in-state tuition to illegal aliens, and provide illegal aliens access to federal financial aid for colleges and universities.

The Mexico Tourism Board is very upset with the travel alerts issued by the united States. According to tourism board these alerts are inaccurate and sends wrong message to the tourists.

Mexico is a good example of a country where there have been issues of concern, a travel warning has been issued, but not all travel there is unsafe.

Those travel alerts that were headlining 'If you want to stay alive, don't travel to Mexico,' we felt they were not only totally inaccurate but irresponsible," Mexico Tourism Board CEO Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete told Reuters on Thursday.

In a recent CNN.com special report by Lonely Planet Travel Editor Robert Reid, the news website highlighted the safety and security of Mexico as a tourist destination. According to Reid, the vast majority of Mexican tourist destinations are located far away from areas threatened by criminal drug syndicates, and reports of crime should not deter Americans from visiting Mexico.

New reports have been released by Expedia and Visa which have revealed a sharp increase in interest in travel to Mexico in the past year.

Drug-related violence has, for the most part, been concentrated along the U.S.-Mexico border in decidedly non-touristy areas. As SFGate's Mexico Mix columnist Christine Delsol writes in a recent column: "Stay away from the trouble spots and exhibit some common sense, and you're more likely to perish in a tequila-fueled Jet Ski mishap than at a homicidal drug trafficker's hands."

MIO's New Mexico Homeowners Insurance product has been extremely successful. Expats and others from the U.S. and Canada are feeling more comfortable in their homes in Mexico, knowing they are protected with U.S.-style homeowners insurance. Offer it to your clients today.

There have been conflicting reports on conditions in Rocky Point or Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, also called "Arizona's Beach". We cover both sides of the story to help you inform your client in making an informed decision about travel to Mexico this summer.

Early summer is a great time to hit the beaches in Mexico. We've included information on Festivals & Events happening in Mexico this May!

There are some important things your clients should know before traveling to Mexico, so we've included them; they include U.S. State Department recommendations, information on border crossings and a link to current border crossing times.

Read these stories and more in the MIO Mexico Insurance Online May 2011 Newsletter.

The CPTM wants to tell the "untold story" said Mr. Lopez Negrete. The violence occurs in specific areas thousands of miles away from the major destinations such as Cancun and Cabo which remain extremely safe for visitors.

Travelers have determined that something can really happen to them while away and are turning to travel assistance to provide safety and security when traveling.