mxroutes

media type="custom" key="6436385" align="right"Redesigning Mexico Routes
related: mexico flickr collection: [|lessons from mexico] youtube: [|mexico playlist] blog'd: [|mexico premiere] hashtag: [|#mexmonday] (more info about tags and tagging) editing: [|Mexico]

Let's deepen the interaction of Mexican travel using social web channels including Facebook, Flickr, Google Earth, Google+, Twitter and Youtube. Our proposal: develop an array of partnerships with friends in and outside of Mexico that connect locals and visitors.

What would we like to see? For more than a decade we have been asking locals and visitors what is on their map of Mexico: what they want to show off, where they want to go and how they want to connect. Planeta.com's award-winning [|Mexico coverage] is the result of this dialogue. We would like to take this to the next phase by co-creating relevant materials, be they actual take-away maps or innovative mash-ups using Google Earth and smartphones. Much of this work will start off on the Planeta Wiki.

Our objective is not to duplicate existing materials. There is a great deal of information available, but most of this is located in 'silos' -- independent websites and resource centers. Also, much of available information is available only in español and often in a language that has been used since the 1960s. Tourism cannot survive if it becomes stale.

Proposal
If there is an opportunity to work with Mexico tourism pros, I suggest a collaboratively developed campaign directed toward individual travelers who are the most likely candidate to go off the beaten route in search of the wonderful long tail of Mexico tourism! We'd like to participate in lively and helpful conversations, using online //and face-to-face meetings//.

Let's reflect on how best to engage people seeking any of the following
 * Eating delicious Mexican cuisine
 * Interacting with indigenous peoples
 * Retracing Mexico's colonial past, the independence movement and revolution
 * Understanding of Mexico's fantastic wildlife

Interest in all of these topics is certain to grow in the coming years. The question is how to engage locals and visitors in ways that create win-win situations for all.

For example - how do we take advantage of the Web and these face-to-face encounters to highlight sectoral exchanges. For example connecting foodies around the world with the foodies in Mexico. Or the indigenous peoples developing tourism around the world with the ... indigenous peoples developing tourism in Mexico. Those who are not foodies or not indigenous can take heart that the benefit of these conversations have tremendous spillover effects.

Let's consider how to raise the capacity and web-savvy of local artisans, mom and pop tour operators, restaurant owners and others catering to tourism. Let's also get the government officials up to speed. Wish us luck and if you can help out, there are plenty of ways to get involved.

Organizer
Ron Mader

Videos
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Key Routes
Adventure - Art - Biodiversity - Colonial History - Culture - Festivals - Food - Indigenous Peoples - Markets - Parks - Sports - Trees - Wildlife

Official Rutas Website
This work is inspired by the official [|Rutas de Mexico website] which frankly as of June 2010 left a lot to be desired. There are few ways to participate. No comments are allowed on the articles, there's neither a forum nor a wiki. Inexplicably, the site announced [|press trips that have already occurred]!

[]


 * [|Wine Country and the Aquarium of the World]
 * [|The Millenary Tarahumaras]
 * [|The magic of Traditions and Nature]
 * [|The Birthplace of History and Romanticism]
 * [|The art of Tequila and Music under the Sun]
 * [|The Huastecas and their Outstanding Beauty]
 * [| Thousand flavors of Mole]
 * [|The Mystery and origin of the Maya Culture]
 * [|A Colonial Experience]
 * [|Fascinating encounter between History and Modern day Mexico]

Elsewhere
http://vidamaz.blogspot.com/2010/05/las-rutas-de-mexicothe-routes-of-mexico.html http://www.mexicopremiere.com/?p=3702 http://www.magicofmexico.com

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Tweets
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