dMAP Travel Guide

Jungle tour in Cancun - Marina Aquatours

2008-09-11T09:42:00.001-07:00

Enjoy the popular and exciting tour, driving your own two-person speed boat through the green mangrove channels along the Nichupté Lagoon. www.aquatours.travel

Cozumel Mexico, escenario de Miss Hong Kong

2008-05-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Cozumel se posiciona en el mercado asiático, toda vez que arribarán a este destino turístico 20 señoritas del concurso Miss Hong Kong a efectuar una tomas en diversas locaciones de la isla.
El Fideicomiso de Promoción Turística de Cozumel, dirigida por Raúl Marrufo González; el titular Turismo municipal, Ignacio Cureño y representante de la Agencia Consignataria, Israel Suárez Flores, anuncian la llegada de 20 señoritas participantes del certamen de belleza Miss Hong Kong y las cuales estarán brindando una importante promoción a la isla en el mercado asiático.
Asimismo señalaron que durante la visita de las concursantes, estarán recorriendo el primer cuadro, grabarán en Chankanaab y comerán en Playa Mía para que a las 16:30 horas suban al crucero porque parte a las 17:00 horas.
El representante de la Agencia Consignataria Israel Suárez Flores, dio a conocer que recibieron un correo dirigido al gobernador del estado, Félix González Canto del gerente de Hong Trial Travel Services LTD, Balwin Yeaun desde Hong kong, donde le solicitan apoyo para que 20 concursantes de ese país oriental efectúen unas tomas en diversos puntos.
Aseguró que el comité organizador eligió Cozumel, por la proyección que se le brindó a este destino turístico a través del concurso de Miss Universo, por lo que siendo una oportunidad para que la isla se posicione en el mercado del lejano oriente, es que el miércoles 28 de mayo en el crucero Enchantment of the Seas a las 08:00 de la mañana llegarán 20 señoritas asiáticas, con todo el staff del concurso de Miss Hong Kong que hacen un promedio entre 80 y 90 personas.
Agregó, el titular de Turismo, Ignacio Cureño, señaló que con el apoyo del Fideicomiso de Promoción Turística, Gobierno del estado, municipal, agencia consignataria, Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel, Playa Mía, Dolphin Discovery, es que Cozumel será proyectado en el mercado asiático, y más de siete millones de televidentes podrán observar las locaciones de la isla a través de las concursantes.

PARQUES REUNIDOS ACQUIRES SEA LIFE PARK

2008-04-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Spanish Company is Among the World’s Largest Entertainment Groups

HONOLULU – Sea Life Park, the renowned aquarium and the largest marine mammal facility in Hawaii, has been sold to Parques Reunidos Group, one of the world’s leading entertainment companies.

Parques Reunidos, which is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, has acquired Sea Life Park from Dolphin Disco very, the Cancun, Mexico-based company that has owned the 22-acre attraction since January 2005. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to announce our acquisition of Sea Life Park, a world-renowned marine attraction that is enriched by excellent staff and the cultural traditions and beauty of the Hawaiian Islands,” said Richard Golding Executive President of Parques Reunidos Group. “We feel honored and privileged to enter the Hawaii community and look forward to making the Sea Life Park experience even more exciting.”

There are no personnel changes resulting from the sale. Jesus Bravo, formerly with Dolphin Discovery in Mexico and appointed General Manager of the Park in December 2006, will stay on under the new ownership. Sea Life Park has approximately 200 employees and in 2007 entertained about 300,000 visitors.

Parques Reunidos already owns the largest collection of dolphins and marine mammals in Europe. This Spanish Group operates several prestigious zoos and aquariums over the world, including the famous Madrid Zoo, L’Oceanographic Marine Park in Valencia, Spain, and Marineland in Antibes, France, as well as other facilities in Italy, United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Argentina and the United States of America.

According to Jose Diaz, Managing Director of Parques Reunidos, the new owners will invest in the continued improvement of Sea Life Park. “Our goal is to refine and elevate Sea Life Park’s reputation as a world-class attraction where visitors and residents alike can discover and enjoy the wonders of Hawaii’s vibrant marine life,” he said.

Commenting on the sale, Eduardo Albor, President and CEO of Dolphin Discovery, said, “Parques Reunidos approached us few months ago with the prospect of purchasing Sea Life Park as part of their strategic plan to expand their entertainment venues around the globe.
“We were finally influenced to sell Sea Life Park to Parques Reunidos because they are one of the most experienced operators of zoos and aquariums in the world and are well placed to further develop the Park’s business and brand. On the other hand, this sale will also enable Dolphin Discovery to consolidate and build upon our operations closer to home in Mexico and the Caribbean, where we already have other projects under development,” he said.

Albor added, “We have accomplished many goals in our three years of ownership, especially in the area of interactive experiences, educational programs, and research. Working alongside our great team of employees we have achieved yearly growth and consistent profitability. Sea Life Park and Hawaii have been a wonderful and unparalled experience for Dolphin Discovery.”

Dolphin Discovery was founded in 1994 and is currently ranked among the top dolphinarium companies in the world. The company operates dolphin/marine parks in Cancun, Cozumel, the Mayan Riviera as well as in Puerto Vallarta, all in Mexico, and on the Caribbean islands of Tortola and Anguilla. A new facility is scheduled to open in Grand Cayman later this year.

Parques Reunidos, which has the financial backing of London-based Candover Investments, now operates 62 amusement, water and animal parks in Europe, the United States and South America, and was ready to expand to this side of the world in the Pacific. Its annual revenues exceed USD $700 million and total annual visitors to its facilities in 2007 were approximately 22 million.

Founded in 1961 in Madrid, the company now has operations in Spain, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Argentina and the United States. As part of its global expansion strategy, Parques Reunidos recently acquired Palace Entertainment, the largest owner and operator of water parks and family entertainment centers in the U.S.
Sea Life Park is one of the top aquariums in the United States with 24 dolphins, and a large collection of sea lions, monk seals, penguins, turtles, stingrays and many more fish from Hawaiian waters.

It is also home to the famous wholphin Keikamalu, the only known hybrid of dolphin and false killer whale, who is also mother of Kawili Kai, born at the Park three years ago.

Sea Life Park offers a variety of marine-life themed shows, exhibits and educational programs for all ages and is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Among its most popular features are the swim-with dolphin programs. The Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums The Park also hosts an evening luau three times a week.

For Further Information:
Parques Reunidos Group: www.parquesreunidos.com
Dolphin Discovery: www.dolphindiscovery.com
Sea Life Park: www.sealifeparkhawaii.com

The day of Earth

2008-04-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

The day of the Earth is the next 22 of April and there are a lot of places around the world who celebrate and have made a special program of events, expositions or conferences, anything to help in the care of our planet. I was reading that in Canada is not only the Earth´s day, but the Earth´s Month! It means that the entire month of April we should celebrate life and nature, at the time we take care of the environment.

- Caring about people and environment must permeate all our work
- Oceans bring bewitching sea life...
- Shells create beautiful pearls...
- Intelligent dolphins make you smile…

...What do you give back to nature?

Sea Life Discovery Plus - Dolphin Discovery

2008-04-04T17:20:00.001-07:00

This is the program: Sea Life Discovery Plus in Puerto Aventuras in the Mayan Riviera more info at http://www.dolphindiscovery.com/mayan_riviera/rmy-sea-life-discovery-plus.asp

royal swim women island

2008-04-04T17:14:00.001-07:00

Cancun and Isla Mujeres are the most famous tourist destinations in Mexico and the world. Visitors come to enjoy the incredible submarine life—ideal for scuba diving and snorkel and its warm, transparent waters are the perfect home for dolphins—as well as the land enchantment, nature, history and Mayan treasures.

DJ TIESTO IN CANCUN... THIS WEEK!!!

2008-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Take advantage of your vacations this week in Cancun and assist to DJ Tiesto concert this Thursday 27 of March at Dady´O discotheque in the heart of the Hotel Zone in Cancun.

A GREAT DAY WITH THE DOLPHINS

2008-03-20T12:40:00.001-07:00

The following is a testimony we received from Paulo Rosales, Cancun visitor and guest to Dolphin Discovery Cancun.

My visit to Dolphin Discovery at beautiful Isla Mujeres

"My name is Paulo and I feel so great to have been for 15 days in the marvelous and beautiful paradise of Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean. For the first time, I was invited by my sister, Marisa, to join a fantastic voyage to Isla Mujeres to swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery.

At the first time, Jupiter, a young male dolphin was with us, but his girlfriend was with the group besides us and amazingly, he decided to leave us and join the other group, then Shelley came with us. That means that dolphins can even decide by themselves which group or behavior they will develop. That was very good for me to know, as DD uses a rewards program to train these amazing marine mammals.

Shelley was specially fun with me, because she used to stand in front of me the most of the time, "smiling" (I am sure she was!) and making funny movements. The trainer said that she was comfortable with me =) I must say that the trainer Lidia was extremely professional and she loves her dolphins, she is kind and kiss and hug them when they made well their behavior.

Thanks to everyone at DD. I really had a great time there!!!!"
Paulo Rosales - Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

February in Cancun

2008-02-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Mexican Caribbean is a tourist destination ideal for romancing. For a wedding, honeymoon or anniversary, there are idyllic landscapes, intimate corners and tours designed to spend memorable moments with your beloved one, like the romantic Lobster Dinner Cruise, where the couples just married, honeymooners and the couples in love will have one of the best sunset, evening and dinner during their trip to the Mexican Caribbean.

Ask to the experts. In Cancun any subtle dream is able to become a beautiful and splendorous reality.

10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE!

2008-01-28T16:57:00.001-08:00

In 2003, the BBC of London made a survey with 20,000 viewers who made a list of 50 different topics. Guess which wish is in one of the first places!!!!

www.beforeyoudie.co.uk/50-Things-To-Do-Before-You-Die.htm

Of course!! Swim with dolphins is a dream many people have all around the world. Should be great to have a 2008-updated survey with people from everywhere through facebook and other sites. What do you think?

Swimming with Dolphins at Isla Mujeres

2007-12-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

My sister and I were really excited! It was the first time we were going to swim with dolphins. We went to Lobster Beach and at 11:00 the crew invited us to board the ship. The staff gave the information we needed about the trip and the security. And when we arrive to Isla Mujeres, we saw were the dolphins just right in front of us!

Our program was scheduled for 1:00 pm so we had time to kayak and take pictures of the toucans and monkeys. Then we went to the orientation and the trainer explained us about the dolphins, its anatomy and the activities we were going to do while we swim with them.

When in the water, the trainer introduced us the dolphins: Jupiter and Shelley, we kiss them and receive a handshake. My sister and me could give Shelley a hug together. The dolphins gave me a ride while I hold their dorsal fins, but the most amazing part was when I swam far from the platform and when I wasn’t expecting, the dolphins came and pushed me in a speed you would never imagine!! The experience of the foot-push was incredible!!

Sadly, the 30 minutes were over, so we leave the water and went to watch the video and the pictures of the kiss and the hug. We were extremely excited because of the experience… but sad because it was over! Finally, we went back to the ship and enjoyed the Caribbean Sea while we return to Cancun...

Swimming with dolphins in Cozumel

2007-12-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

It was an awesome experience!

Location: Dolphin Discovery, Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel

Knowing more about Dolphins

2007-11-30T16:27:00.000-08:00

Dolphin lovers want to know about these intelligent animals. In fact they are not fish; they are marine mammals that need to breath... just like you and me!

Dolphins use a complex system of echolocation with their “sonar”, a sensing way where they emit high-pitched clicks and sense them as they bounce back off the objects, for example, to find food, to feel a predator, like a shark, or to locate other members of their pod.

The common color of the bottlenose dolphins is gray, varying from a dark tone at the top to the dorsal fin, changing to a light gray (almost white) that covers the belly. This combination makes them difficult to see, both from above and below, when they are swimming. It is usual that a group of females form a pod along with their calves, while juveniles use to live in a mixed pod. Many of these pods can join together conforming larger groups, some of one hundred dolphins or more.

There are lots of things we can learn about dolphins, one of the most smart and intelligent creatures of our wonderful world.

Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean as Romantic Destinations

2007-11-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Mexican Caribbean is a beautiful place, with spectacular landscapes and a superb climate. Talking about romance, Cancun offers all imaginable options: luxurious resorts with beautiful ocean view or the intimate atmosphere of a cabin next to the beach. Services for groups include transportation, lodging and activities. And the wedding planners take care of each detail to make a great occasion!

Here you have activities in and out of the water, jungle tours, snorkel, scuba diving, kayak, and all the wonders of the submarine world at the Great Maya Reef and ecotours will take you to impressive archaeological sites and communities where this enigmatic culture is still alive.

Relax while an expert therapist gives you a great treatment in a spa adorned with candles and aromas. The next day go shopping! Cancun has world-renowned boutiques and fine artcrafts from all the corners of the country. Experience the golf circuit trying the gorgeous golf courses.

Dinner options are delicious! Many of our restaurants have been awarded by international associations (Michelin Guide or AAA – American Automobile Association) and variety has no end: regional, spicy and delicious food, international haute cuisines, the rich Oriental flavors or a delicious fine cut with wine and candle lights. Cancun’s nightlife is an interminable parade of lights, music and color. Try a romantic atmosphere with smooth notes of jazz, or the discos to dance all night... Enjoy your romance in the Mexican Caribbean!