By Judy Newell
Mexico News
Mexico Anti-Smoking Law Takes Effect
One of the world’s strictest anti-smoking laws is live in Mexico. There is now an outright smoking ban in public spaces which includes parks and beaches. It also includes hotels, shopping centers, and entertainment venues.
Approved in 2021, it beefs up the previous ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. Advertising and promotion of cigarettes is also banned.
The General Tobacco Law is among the strictest smoke-free laws anywhere. It effectively bans smoking in almost all urban settings outside the home.
International News
Free Singapore Tours Return at Changi Airport
Singapore’s Changi Airport has relaunched its free Singapore tour program for transit passengers. The popular free city tours were suspended over two years ago.
The tours are organized in collaboration with the airport, Singapore Airlines, and the Singapore Tourism Board. They include the existing City Sights Tour, Jewel Tour, Heritage Tour, and a brand-new shorter Changi Precinct Tour.
The Singapore tours can now be booked online at Changi Airport’s website. They are available for transit and transfer passengers with a minimum of 5.5 hours up to 24 hours’ layover.
Transit passengers make up about 30% of Changi’s passenger traffic.
Cruise News
Princess Cruises Unveils its 2025 World Cruise
It will become its longest voyage ever. Island Princess will visit Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Mediterranean, Central America, Africa, and Asia, offering access to 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Departures are available from Florida on January 5, 2025, and Los Angeles on January 20, 2025.
It includes an overnight in Dubai, as well as 11 late-night stops in Cartagena, Casablanca, and Sydney, among others.
AmaWaterways Offering Unique Black History and Cultural Experiences
AmaWaterways has added new 2024 dates for its “Soulful Epicurean Experience” cruises. The first-ever sailings in 2023 on the Rhône in France will allow guests to celebrate the African and Black Diaspora on the rivers. These unique experiences give passengers a chance to discover and celebrate aspects of Black history and culture unique to each country.
The first “Soulful Epicurean Experience” cruise in France scheduled for 2023 sold out almost immediately. In 2024 the cruises will celebrate and appreciate the diverse Black heritage found in France and Egypt.
Secrets of Egypt and The Nile Experiences
The 11-night “Secrets of Egypt and The Nile” itinerary includes a seven-night cruise from Luxor plus three nights pre-cruise and one-night post-cruise in Cairo. The city has a long and rich heritage dating back to Black ancestry.
During the cruise, there’s a chance to explore a Nubian village and meet ancestors of an ancient African civilization that once ruled Egypt.
Colors of Provence Experiences
Guests will start or end (depending on the departure date) with a three-night land package in Paris. They’ll take a Black history of Paris tour and explore slavery and its abolition as it pertains to the cultural and political relationship that developed between the United States and France.
A full-day tour of the city gives guests the chance to visit several sites including the Monument to the Abolition of Slavery, and learn about the Code Noir, a decree passed by King Louis XIV in 1685 defining the conditions of slavery.
In the city of Montmartre, guests will explore how cabarets and jazz musicians left their mark, take a walking tour through the African district, experience African food and street vendors, and visit a gallery space and cultural initiative called Little Africa, which is located in the La Goutte d’Or district.
The tour will also visit the Latin Quarter and Pantheon Square where Josephine Baker, a U.S. born black entertainer and civil rights activist, was inducted in November 2021. Then follow in her footsteps and other black artists such as Claude McKay and Alexander Dumas as you explore Marseille, the oldest city in France, during a full-day Black Heritage tour.
Deal of the Week
You can BOGO to Iceland
Save big during Hurtigruten’s biggest exclusive promotion offer ever! Now through May 31, when you book an expedition to Iceland, you can bring a guest for free. Solo travelers can receive a discount of 50%.
Visitors to Iceland enjoy both the cosmopolitan European love for life as well as the off-the-beaten-path geological discoveries—volcanic lava fields, black-sand beaches, towering waterfalls, and so much more.
Circumnavigating Iceland – The Land of Elves, Sagas, and Volcanoes
Beginning and ending in the capital Reykjavík, this nine-day voyage reveals modern Iceland as well as its storied past. Guests spend time enjoying the extraordinary New Nordic cuisine and the engaging museums before taking in the tiny coastal villages, geological oddities, and geothermal spas.
Departures May, 2023 – July, 2023; nine days from US$4,721 per person. Buy One, Get One
Ring of Fire and Ice – Summer Circumnavigation of Iceland
You will sail around Iceland from the capital city of Reykjavík and back enjoying 11 days of Icelandic adventure. The urban delights of shopping the boutiques and wandering the galleries with outdoor pleasures are mixed with visits to glaciers and mountains, waterfalls, and hot springs. Whale-watching and a visit to a puffin colony are also on the agenda.
Departures July, 2023 – August, 2023; 11 days from US$5,120 per person. Buy One, Get One – Up to US$1500 off.
Are you traveling solo? Pay no single supplement on select expedition cruises to stunning destinations.
Judy Newell, an international travel consultant for over 50 years, heads Perfect Journeys and specializes in unique travel experiences to destinations around the world. She custom designs journeys that are tailored to suit client’s interests, physical abilities, and budgets. Please contact Judy for further information on Travel News topics, Mexico, and international travel. Cell phone 415 111 8765; Vonage 949 300 3682; email at judynewell@perfectjourneys.net. Her office is in Rancho Los Labradores on the highway to Dolores Hidalgo.
Sources: Travel Mole, Travel Awaits, and Hurtigruten Group.
