Lee Kraft, right, after being sworn in as the new German Consul. Left: Dr. Edmund Duckwitz, German Ambassador to Mexico, Center: Mario Wichtendahl, former German Consul for the State of Guerrero.
In a move that has been in the making since 2008, the German consulate for Guerrero has been relocated from Acapulco to Zihuatanejo. The change took effect Monday, May 9, 2011. The consulate office is now located inside hotel La Quinta Troppo, on the road to Playa La Ropa in Zihuatanejo. Long time Zihuatanejo resident and Germany born Mexican national, Lee Kraft, was appointed Consul.
Before moving to Zihuatanejo, Kraft specialized in operating tours from Mexico to Europe. His company, Destinos Mundiales was No.1 nationwide producer of tour passengers for Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and American Airlines. He was also representative of El Al Israel Airlines and Aerolíenas Argentinas in Guadalajara.
A long time presence in travel, tourism and international promotion of Mexico, Kraft’s previous work in Zihuatanejo has included numerous posts such as being the founding member and past president of Skal International Ixtapa; founding member and treasurer of Eco Ixtapa; founding committee member of the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival; Executive Director of the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo OCV from 2001 to 2003; Latin American Representative for the Frankfurt International Airport (FRAPORT) for 19 years; owner and director of Intermar Ixtapa Travel Agency from 1995 to 2005, as well as working as a columnist for Mexican travel trade publications and a guest columnist on tourism and travel for this publication, ADIP. Kraft is now owner of the designer boutique hotel La Quinta Troppo.
Ixtapa is also home to a US Consular Agency, which is an extension of the US Embassy in Mexico City, but this is Zihuatanejo’s first Consulate. A wonderful new addition to Zihuatanejo and a great way to acknowledge the increase in European visitors to the area, hopefully with Kraft at the helm it will only help bring more visitors and more cultural exchange.
For more information on the German Consulate and the services it provides you can contact them at La Quinta Troppo, Tel. +52 (755) 554 3423, www.laquintatroppo.com, troppo@prodigy.net.mx
