TABLE OF CONTENT. 1. WELCOME LETTER Page INTRODUCTION Page GENERAL HANDBOOK Page MEXICO CITY AND ITS TOURISTIC ATTRACTIONS Page 12

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3 TABLE OF CONTENT 1. WELCOME LETTER Page 3 2. INTRODUCTION Page 5 Mexico City Page 6 3. GENERAL HANDBOOK Page 9 Air and Land Connectivity Page 9 International Flights Page 10 Customs Page MEXICO CITY AND ITS TOURISTIC ATTRACTIONS Page 12 City Transportation Page 12 Traditional Dishes Page 13 Time Page 14 Holidays and Tourist Season Page

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6 2. INTRODUCTION Mexico City is the first destination of the Mexican Republic. Some facts that back up this affirmation are: Receives more than 12 million tourists a year Generates more than 4 billion dollars a year in tourism More than 280,000 people is employed in this concept Contributes to 7% of the city s GDP According to the International Congress and Convention Association, Mexico City is the 43 most important city to host congresses and conventions. It is the 8 most important city in the Western Hemisphere. Official Name: Political Capital: Political System: Population: United Mexican States Mexico City Representative, Democratic Federal Republic 111,211,789 (July 2009 est.) Total Area: 1,972,550 square kilometers.. Currency: Religion: Official Language: Mexico City Time Area: National Day: Mexican Peso Mainly Catholic, but there are several other beliefs. Spanish, but there are many indigenous languages that are spoken all over the country. GMT -6 (regular time) GMT -5 (daylight saving time) September 16th Is a privileged city, since it offers what very few other cities can: it is the center of culture, nature, tourism, education, entertainment, healthcare, religious centers and night life. Located in the nation s center (99º 09 W longitude, 19º 24 N latitude, GMT -6), the city is surrounded by mountains that rise from the remains of seven ancient lakebeds and has an average elevation of 2300 m above the sea level. 16 5

7 Mexico City Is a privileged city, since it offers what very few other cities can: it is the center of culture, nature, tourism, education, entertainment, healthcare, religious centers and night life. Located in the nation s center (99º 09 W longitude, 19º 24 N latitude, GMT -6), the city is surrounded by mountains that rise from the remains of seven ancient lakebeds and has an average elevation of 2300 m above the sea level. Population Mexico City has a 9 million population administratively divided in 16 Political Boroughs. Along with the Metropolitan Area it adds up to 18 million inhabitants. Mexico City itself produces more than a third of the nation s GNP. Currency The Mexican currency is the Peso ($ or MXP). It is issued in bills of $20, $50, $100, $200, $500 and $1,000 pesos, and in coins of $10, $20, $50 cents and of $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 pesos. The most commonly used credit cards are Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are available 24 hours a day and can be found in shopping areas and at banks. The exchange rate for the Mexican peso is $11.28 pesos to US$1.00 and $17.11 to $1.00 Euro (July, 2011). Foreign currency can vary at the Airport, banks, hotels and some other places. Weather Mild during Winter and warm and dry during April and May. The rain season starts in May and ends around October. Mornings and evenings, especially in Winter, can be cold. Month Max Min January 21 C-70 F 8 C-46 F February 23 C-73 F 8 C-46 F March 26 C-78 F 9 C-48 F April 26 C-78 F 10 C-50 F May 26 C-78 F 13 C-55 F June 26 C-78 F 13 C-55 F July 24 C-75 F 14 C-57 F August 26 C-78 F 14 C-57 F September 26 C-78 F 14 C-57 F October 26 C-78 F 11 C-51 F November 23 C-73 F 9 C-48 F 17 6 December 21 C-70 F 8 C-46 F

8 Main Economic Activities The main economic activities of Mexico City are basically finances, commerce and tourism. The latter is actually the main source of income and employment of the City thus, it counts on a great infrastructure in terms of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, tourists guides, car rentals, touristic transportation, entertainment activities and night life. Mexico City is one of the few that receives several important international congresses and conventions. We recently hosted the IV World Water Forum and the World AIDS Congress with 18 and 16 thousand participants each. Mexico City s history Very few cities in the world have such a rich and ancient history as the one Mexico City has; its metropolitan Area has housed very important human settlements for over two thousand years. PRE HISPANIC ERA (2000 b.c ) México Tenochtitlán, whose name means in the navel of the Moon was founded by the Aztecs in 1325.After taking advantage of several tactical opportunities in the midst of a series of military conflicts between the riverside cities of the Lake of Texcoco, Tenochtitlán quickly became the center of an empire that, after an intense expansion campaign, extended its domain to distant lands such as Chiapas and Central America throughout two centuries. This is how, Tenochtitlán grew until it became one of the most prosperous and populated cities of the world by the XV Century. 7

9 VIRREINAL ERA ( ) After the conquest of Tenochtitlán, the Spaniards settled for a brief period of time in one of the south riverside areas, Coyoacan, from where they started the military advance during the first years of the Conquest. In 1528, Mexico was pointed as the seat of the government and, 8 years later, as the capital of the Virreinato de la Nueva España. Having built the Spanish city over the remains of the ancient indigenous city, only the octagonal design of its main avenues and the open spaces of the ancient ceremonial area were preserved. This Area, with the course of the years, became the great Central Plaza of Mexico City around which, the Virreinal Government seat was built and the first stone of the Cathedral, seat of the Catholic power, was placed. XXI CENTURY Mexico City receives the new Century with 8.5 million inhabitants, which makes it the most populated city of the western hemisphere and the city with the largest number of Spanish speakers in the world. In the early years of the XXI Century, several urban rescue programs were initiated for the central areas that are appealing to an important number of investors to places like the Historic Center (Mexico s downtown) and Paseo de la Reforma. The city faces great environmental and demographic challenges that are manifested on the public transportation expansion programs, as well as on various social initiatives. The city also presents great potential in terms of economy, tourism and finances thanks to the growing strategic roll of Mexico in the world economy and to the cultural weight of the city as the seat of many important national and international communication media, cultural and entertainment centers and home to one of the most important Universities of America; these are some factors that place Mexico City as the city with the 8th highest Gross Domestic Product in the world and as a melting pot of races, cultures, history and diversity; one of the most dynamic urban epicenters of the world of our times. 8

10 3. GENERAL HANDBOOK Mexico City has an enormous offer of hotels with different spaces to hold meetings: Name Category Number of Rooms Number of Spaces Capacity (m2) Camino Real México GT ,579 Fiesta Americana Grand Chapultepec GT JW Marriot GT Nikko GT ,730 Presidente Intercontinental GT ,843 W Mexico City GT Sheraton Historical Center 5* ,675 Gran Hotel 5* Holiday Inn Zócalo 5* NH Historical Center 5* Best Western Estoril 4* Fiesta Inn Historical Center 4* Camino Real Airport 5* Hilton Airport 5* Holiday Inn Plaza Dali 5* Four Seasons GT Meliá GT Marriot GT Marquis GT Sheraton María Isabel GT ,266 St. Regis GT Casa Blanca 5* Air and Land Connectivity The Mexico City International Airport (MCIA) is the largest airport in the country. 25 airlines operate international routes to and from MCIA, including Aeroméxico, Air France, Air Canada, American Airlines, Lloyd Bolivian Airlines, LAN Chile, Varig, Avianca, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines, amongst others It operates almost a thousand daily flights It offers a wide variety of services like restaurants, VIP lounges, migration facilities and an expceptional shopping area Mexico City has the Airport of Toluca as an alternative 9

11 International Flights: Number of destinations with direct flights to Mexico City: 59 in 23 different countries Number of destinations with direct flights from Mexico City: 62 in 23 different countries Major distance flight: Tokyo- Mexico City of 13 hours, 25 minutes. Direct flights from Number of flights in 2010 Direct Flights to Number of flights in 2010 AMSTERDAM 354 AMSTERDAM 346 ATLANTA 1,196 ATLANTA 1,193 BARCELONA 722 BARCELONA 721 BIRMINGHAM 1 BIRMINGHAM 1 BOGOTA 1,515 BOGOTA 1,355 BUENOS AIRES 496 BUENOS AIRES 495 CALGARY 166 CALGARY 166 CARACAS 229 CARACAS 288 CHARLOTTE 381 CHARLOTTE 381 CHICAGO 1,661 CHICAGO 1,653 CINCINNATI 238 CINCINNATI 237 DALLAS 1,956 DALLAS 1,954 DENVER 319 DENVER 319 DETROIT 315 DETROIT 315 EDMONTON 6 EDMONTON 6 FRANKFURT 359 FRANKFURT 359 FRESNO 2 FRESNO 1 GUATEMALA 1,174 GUATEMALA 1,174 HOUSTON 3,870 HOUSTON 3,968 LA HABANA 1,136 LA HABANA 1,137 LAS VEGAS 951 LAS VEGAS 955 LIMA 860 LIMA 870 LONDRES 302 LONDRES 306 LOS ANGELES 4,070 LOS ANGELES 4,165 LOUISVILLE 247 LOUISVILLE 247 LUXEMBURGO 218 LUXEMBURGO

12 MADRID 1,165 MADRID 1,163 MANAUS 21 MANAUS 3 MEDELLIN 47 MEDELLIN 2 MIAMI 2,994 MIAMI 2,923 MINNEAPOLIS 14 MINNEAPOLIS 14 MONTREAL 463 MONTREAL 461 NEW YORK 2,528 NEW YORK 2,530 NUEVA ORLEANS 87 NUEVA ORLEANS 85 OAKLAND 16 OAKLAND 22 ONTARIO, CALIF. 16 ONTARIO, CALIF. 27 ORLANDO 573 ORLANDO 573 PANAMA 1,140 PANAMA 1,140 Airlines with direct flights to Mexico City Customs Europe North America Central America South America AirEuropa Aeroméxico (Aeroméxico Connect, Aeroméxico Travel) Copa Airlines Aerolíneas Argentinas Air France Air Canada Cubana de Aviación Avianca British Airways Alaska Airlines Grupo TACA Copa Airlines Colombia Iberia American Airlines LACSA LAN Airlines KLM Continental Airlines LAN Perú Lufthansa Continental Express operado por ExpressJet Airlines Delta Air Lines United Airlines US Airways TACA Perú 6 airlines 9 airlines 4 airlines 6 airlines 25 Airlines Mexico City s International Airport has modern and advanced customs services. Due to Mexico s opening to foreign trade, the customs services have been modernized to cover the commercial demand of imports and exports throughout the country. With the purpose of facilitating the operations of customs in the airports, an automated control service has been instrumented. This procedure, also known as fiscal light handles the responsibility of classifying the merchandise and defining its value. The installation of ultimate technology in every area of the airport has saved time and problems to all the passengers. 11

13 4. MEXICO CITY AND ITS TOURISTIC ATTRACTIONS Mexico City, founded in 1325, is the main tourist destination of the country. It has a large and diverse touristic offer that includes 9 pre- Hispanic archeological sites, close to 1,500 colonnial buildings, as well as more than 150 museums, 300 art galleries, zoos, urban forests, green areas and hundreds of modern buildings. Mexico is the only City in the world that has 4 sites declared Humanity s Heritage by the UNESCO; these are: The Historic Center, the Xochimilco Canals, the National University and the House of the Architect Luis Barragán. We strongly suggest that you should take the time to get around the city so you won t miss: The Historic Center: the Zócalo Square, the Templo Mayor Archeological Site, the National Palace and the Diego Rivera muralist paintings, the Ayuntamiento Palace, the Mexico City s Museum, the Santo Domingo Square, the Palace of Fine Arts and the Latin American Tower. Reforma and Chapultepec: In these areas you will find our great historic and national monuments such as the Independence Angel, the Emperor Cuauhtémoc s Monument, the Hunting Diana Monument, the National Museum of Anthropology, the Chapultepec Castle, the Chapultepec Lake and its Zoo. Towards North: Tlatelolco Archeological Site, the Guadalupe Shrine and the wonderful Teotihuacan Pyramids. Towards South: the Areal Neighborhoods such as Coyoacan and San Angel; there you will find the House of Frida Kahlo and the House / Study of Diego Rivera. More to the South: Cuicuilco Archeological Site, Xochimilco, the Dolores Olmedo Museum and the National University. Another way to get around Mexico City is the Turibus, a Double Decker bus that offers guided tours through headphones where you can listen to the explanations in English, French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. The participants of the 2016 World Buiatrics Congress will get special discounts to ride the Turibus as well as to attend the National Folkloric Ballet. If you require any tourist information, visit the official web site of the Mexico City s Secretary of Tourism gob.mx or call Languages: English, French, Portuguese. City Transportation There are almost infinite options for getting around in Mexico City. While its public transportation system can be complicated, some of its options offer top level services, such as the subway system, known as the Metro, which is one of the world s largest, most efficient and most economical ones. The Metro transports more than 4 million passengers every day along 175 stations divided in eleven lines that practically link the entire city. Other options such as Trolleybuses, the Metrobus and the Light Rail (known as the Tren Ligero ) help reduce air pollution. For those who seek greater comfort there are taxis and auto rental services. Subway The cost of a Metro ticket is one of the lowest in the world, as the fare has been 2 pesos since

14 Unlike some other subway systems around the world, a ticket allows passengers to transfer from one line to another and get to numerous destinations without having to buy another. Without a doubt it is the best, quickest and safest way to get around town. Metrobus This modern public transportation system offers an alternative for the city s transit problems since it runs a straight line aside the normal traffic flow. The fare is $5 MN and is paid using an electronic card purchased for $11.50 MN, which includes the card s refundable deposit value of $8 MN plus one fare. Taxi (Cab) An official or approved taxi (cab) is a unit that must be painted with the current official colors: white, cherry and golden, with the logos of the Independence Angel and with the new Car Tags that distinguish it as individual public transportations of passengers. Traditions Mexico City has always been characterized by its open-arms reception of all visitors and so it s in many ways the collective expression of millions of newcomers who ultimately decided to make their homes there. Many of them arrived fleeing brutal dictatorships or religious persecutions, but they now give Mexico City a cosmopolitan air that can be perceived in every step and every corner. Meals and dishes It s quite common for most visitors to try different foods here, so if you are a gastronomic adventurer you re going to be tempted by Mexico City! Traditional Dishes: Quesadillas Corn tortillas filled with cheese, vegetables, chicken or beef. Cheese and Squash blossom quesadillas, or those made with Huitlacoche (an edible fungus that grows on corn) are not to be missed. Tacos Tacos come in an enormous variety and you can eat them any time and almost in any place. Tacos de Canasta are small corn tortillas filled with beans, potatoes or meat stocked in a big basket that keeps them warm. There are also the traditional Tacos de Suadero (small tortillas filled with fried beef) and Tacos de Carnitas (typically larger and filled with fried pork). Tamales Traditional for breakfast or dinner, Tamales are eaten throughout Latin America, but they vary greatly, being corn the main ingredient. Mexico City tamales are made from cornmeal and small amounts of hot peppers, chicken or pork, and wrapped in corn husks. They are often accompanied by Atole, a hot, sweet pre-hispanic beverage also made with corn or rice. Tortas Sandwiches made with white rolls and stuffed with cheese, eggs, beef or chicken In fact, the possible combinations are really only limited by the imagination. Pan Dulce (Sweet Pastries) Going into a Mexico City traditional bakery is an icredible and tempting experience; there are seemingly 13

15 innumerable options: shell-shaped Conchas, elephantine Orejas, Cuernitos (croissants), Churros (fried-dough bars sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon) and many kinds of pastry slices with cream filling, are just a few of the elaborate creations that have been around since the Areal times. Time The time of day in Mexico City corresponds to GMT -6, and daylight saving time is observed in summer. Activity begins about 5 am and continues past 12 am. Most shopping centers and other businesses are open from 9 am to 8 pm, Monday to Sunday. Banks have more restricted hours, 9 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday. An extensive network of ATM machines is available. Most museums and points of interest are open from 9 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, the latter often offering free admission. Most public transportation systems operate from 5 to 12 am. Holidays and Tourist Season Any time of the year is a good one to visit Mexico City, however, during spring and summer breaks the City will offer you a great deal of artistic and cultural activities. The south of the city is especially appealing in November due to one-of-a-kind Day of the Dead celebrations. Government offices, banks and schools are closed on holidays, but most museums, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, amusement parks and other attractions stay open, often with special hours. 14