Mexico's president becomes tv adventure guide to spur tourism

President Felipe Calderon is figuratively going out on a limb — and literally down a sinkhole, up a river (with a paddle) and over the top of a few pyramids — in an attempt to boost Mexico's flagging tourism industry.

The balding, 49-year-old leader is personally trying to Change his country's violent reputation by appearing as a sort of adventure tour guide in a series of TV programmes to be broadcast starting in September on Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States.

The president dons an Indiana Jones-style hat and a harness and descends a rope into the 375-metre Sotano de las Golondrinas cavern, accompanied by Peter Greenberg, host of the The Royal Tour TV series.

Calderon also straps on scuba tanks to lead Greenberg into a sinkhole lake known as a cenote in Yucatan. And he helps a Lacandon Indian paddle a boat down a river in a jungle in Southern Chiapas state.

Source: Gulf News