TIJUANA.- This summer, residents and visitors alike will be able to take hot air balloon rides, in the skies above the Valle de Guadalupe winery corridor, in Baja California.

Erick Reyes Melendez, Marketing Director with Baja's Tourism Department SECTURE, has officially confirmed that this new attraction was recently finalized at the recent tourism convention in Cancun, Quintanta Roo that took place this month. Negotiations had been in the works for quite some time and were finalized at the event that Baja attended.

At a cost of $150.00 per person (taxes included), the hot air balloon ride will enable visitors to fly over the area 1,200 feet in the air, and enjoy a view of the vineyards and nature, along with other nearby vistas. From the air, you will also be able to see Playas de Rosarito and Coronel Hill to the North, and Todos Santos Bay and Punta Banda to the South; to the east the Rumorosa Mountains and Centinela Hill.

The Hot Air Balloons will depart from the "El Cielo" and "Baron Balche" wineries for a test period during the month of June, at which time authorities and the companies in charge of operations will be testing the attraction out and ensuring that as of August operations can take off in full.

AX Transporter, a company with more that twenty-five years experience, will be operating and offering these tours. Reservations are available on their website, and the one hour tours (subject to weather conditions) will include :

Ground transportation to the meeting spot and back Specialized bilingual pilots In-flight refreshments. A minimum of four people are required per tour.

For reservations, click here or call 01152 646-1892-466

Ensenada ranking as international tourist destination

Additionally, SECTURE has announced that it is working on ensuring that Ensenada is on the list of primary destinations for cruise ships in Mexico. Currently, the municipality is second only to Cozumel.

To this end, a recent workshop planning for cruise ship strategy took place and included participation by all three levels of government. It is Baja's hope that it will be considered by various cruise lines as a prime destination during the next couple of years.

Just this year alone, an increase of 43% is expected in cruise ship arrivals, which equates to a forecast of 279 ships arriving in Ensenada this year, which in turn equals 723 thousand passengers and a significant positive economic impact of around 482 million pesos.

"Ensenada is regarded by the Federal Tourism Department as a strategic destination because for many reasons; we want to take advantage of national interest and create synergy with this topic [cruise ships] and reach this goal", stated Ives Gabriel Lelevier Ramos, Vicepresident of Baja's tourism department.

Brenda.colon@sandiegored.com

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