FERIA ROSARITO 2010

www.facebook.com/feria.rosarito

http://www.bajainvestment.com/

College Project Focuses On Media Accuracy in The Coverage of Rosarito Beach, Mexico

By Ron Raposa

A public affairs class from Boston’s prestigious Emerson College for the second year will focus on conveying an accurate picture of this tourist city and dispelling misleading U.S. media reports.

The RediscoveRosarito project is that of a graduate class in public affairs led by Emerson College professor Gregory Payne, whose family also has a home in the tourist and vacation city 30 miles south of San Diego.

Payne originated the idea for the project in international public affairs after seeing some U.S. media reports that presented a picture of Rosarito far removed from the city that he had known for years and to which he is a frequent visitor.
“One of our major objectives it to ensure that the stories and narratives are backed with facts and not sensationalized solely to get the attention of the public,” Payne said.

“Last year and this year, we see the mediated reality at odds with the facts. Rosarito is a safe and secure city for tourists to visit and expatriates to move to and enjoy the Baja Mexican lifestyle.”
He cited a recent segment on ABC World News Tonight as an example of misleading coverage.

“Mexico under the leadership of President Felipe Calderon is conducting a serious battle against drug cartels. But despite what some media reports have indicated, regular residents and visitors to Baja California are not the targets.”
Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres said he was very appreciative of the work of Payne and his class, 10 of whose members visited Rosarito when the project was launched. He said that inaccurate perceptions had badly damaged the city’s tourism-based economy.

“It’s gratifying to have such a prestigious U.S. college as Emerson advocating for us and helping our story be told in a fair and balanced way,” Torres said. “With our new tourist police force and other steps, Rosarito with its population of 14,000 expatiates is safer and more welcoming than ever.”

Emerson students this year will continue the bi-lingual RediscoveRosarito website, the second Rosarito Student Film Festival, and a media ethics project - rosaritofactcheck - dedicated to making sure the media’s message is fair and accurate.
The results of this media audit will be presented at the National Communication Association`s Annual Convention in Chicago this November and at the International Academy of Business Disciplines Annual Convention in Los Angeles, Spring, 2010.

Results of the audit will also be submitted to Media Ethics, a scholarly publication on the role of ethics and the media, as well as to local news affiliates in California and Mexico, Payne said.
Emerson students also are working on a collaborative project with students from Southern California colleges dedicated to promoting Rosarito as a great place for spring break and weekend trips.
A public relations campaign will be developed to promote this effort by the class at Emerson, founded in 1880 as the only school devoted exclusively to communication,

RE/MAX Baja Realty
www.remax-baja.com

Legendary Rosarito Beach Hotel Offers $29 Introductory Rate Through Feb. 12

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---The legendary Rosarito Beach Hotel, Baja’s largest and most historic resort, is offering a special $29 rate on standard rooms through Feb 12.
“We’re offering this largely to introduce people to the expanded and refurbished Rosarito Beach Hotel,” said Laura Torres, executive director of the 500-unit beachfront resort about 30 miles south of downtown San Diego.
The rate is the lowest offered since the 1990s, Ms. Torres said. Advance registration is required and availability limited. Fridays, Saturdays, holidays and select blackout days are excluded.
“The $29 rate applies only to standard rooms in our Coronado and Playas towers, but we expect that people will take the opportunity to visit our new Pacifico Tower while here,” Ms. Torres said.
The 271-suite 17-story beachfront Pacifico opened Aug, 2. The tower is a condo-hotel, where people can purchase a unit as well as stay as guests.
The $29 dollar offer, made possible in part by the dollar gaining strength against the peso, also is a way to reward loyal guests and counter some recent bad publicity about Baja.
“Coverage of Mexico’s war against organized crime has made some people worried about security in Baja,” Ms. Torres said. “We hope this offer will help make people aware that Baja remains a safe place for visitors.”
The Rosarito Beach Hotel opened in 1925 and was a popular stop for the Hollywood crowd, with guests including Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth and Frank Sinatra.
It features two restaurants, a world-class European Spa, and folkloric ballet show on weekends. The resort has a quarter-mile fishing pier and hosted the Mexican surfing championships.
Rosarito Beach is a popular tourist destination which attracts more than a million visitors a year. Its lively downtown, rich in shopping and entertainment, is a short stroll from the hotel.
Attractions including the world-famous Puerto Nuevo lobster village and theme park of Xploration, where Titanic and Master & Commander were filmed, are just a few miles away.
“It’s fresh lobster season and a great time do some early holiday shopping,” Ms. Torres said. “With this $29 offer, there never will be a more affordable time to visit.”
Additional information is available on www.RosaritoBeachHotel.com

GUSTAVO TORRES
www.remax-baja.com
1-866-588-2252

Baja Tourism Secretary Announces New Campaign

Oscar Escobedo Carignan, the Secretary of Tourism for the state of Baja California, Mexico, announces the implementation of a new campaign to promote tourism throughout the state of Baja. Rosarito artesan furniture event is part of initial campaign efforts.

Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico (PRWEB) August 24, 2008 -- In a statement issued in the just-released August/September issue of Baja Breeze magazine, Oscar Escobedo Carignan, the Secretary of Tourism for Baja California, Mexico, announced that the government is implementing a new promotional campaign to encourage tourism in the state of Baja.

Escobedo noted that this new effort has been designated as "do Baja". The initial campaign efforts are being launched primarily throughout Mexico and the United States, and focus on activities that are specific to Baja, such as gray whale-watching during their migration periods; sport-fishing; boating, bicycling, and off-road races; tours of the emerging Mexico wine country; historic tourism, featuring Spanish missions and exploration of prehistoric cave paintings, as well as the more traditional pastimes of shopping for silver, ceramic-ware and art, and native and handcrafted items from area artisans and regional Indian tribes.

The goal of "do Baja", says Escobedo, is to increase awareness of Baja's many destination locations, as well as to highlight opportunities for continued development in ecotourism, as well as the culinary, wine, olive oil and cheese industries. In addition, a special thrust will be made to promote conventions and meetings in Baja.

Among the first activities to be promoted as part of "do Baja" is Rosarito's Home & Furniture Expo, September 4-7, at the new Pabellon Rosarito Grande. This three-day extravaganza features vendors, a Tequila Show, wines from Baron Balche, and food festivals including Paella (Saturday, September 6) and Steak and Lobster (Sunday, September 7). The event is sponsored by AFAMARO, www.afamaro.com, a trade association formed recently in Rosarito Beach by manufacturers of fine and rustic furniture in wood and wrought iron, artisans and accessory dealers. Many of these vendors represent familial businesses that began decades ago in northern Baja and that have preserved a legacy of artesenal quality in the crafts and arts of Mexico.

Escobedo believes that what has been referred to as the 'Baja Bloom' is not over. He cites the fact that there are currently more than 100 residential and tourism developments under construction, comprised of approximately 23,000 condominiums and living units. He adds that Baja is the third most important destination for cruise line arrivals in Mexico, with more than 500,000 passengers arriving in the port of Ensenada, alone, this year.

www.bajainvestment.com