It's one of the most comprehensive sites about Mexico anywhere on the internet and was created here in Bristol by Matthew Harrup.

He told the website that loves Bristol how the project came into being.

"I'm going to launch a website about Mexico" was my reply when some friends asked what I was going to do after leaving my job.

Mildly astonished, they reminded me that the dot-com bubble had burst more than a year ago.

I should know, I had been working in corporate land for over 10 years - the last five of which were dedicated to Internet-related work.

The website I was preparing to launch was Mexperience - a site about all things related to Mexico.

I began sketching out ideas on scrap paper for a "Mexico site" more than three years ago, but ended up shelving them.

Matthew Harrup quit his day job to set up Mexperience

In the spring of 2001, I found my sketches in a storage box, and decided I would start to flesh out the concept further to see where it may lead.

I walked into WHSmith one evening and bought a ring-bound notebook; the notes and ideas I scribbled into it were to become the blueprint for Mexperience.

For a while, I would spend some of my spare time sitting in coffee shops writing notes and getting ideas for what the site might look like.

I eventually mapped out a design in that notebook, and started building the website in my spare time.

After 10 years working in the corporate sector, I took a decision to leave my job and work independently.

Potential

The Mexperience project was by no means ready or capable of providing me with a living then, but I felt it had potential, if I could only give it the time it needed.

So, after weeks of contemplation, I left my job and set out to work for myself.

"…and why Mexico?" my friends also asked, which is a fair question; after all, it's not the most obvious topic that springs to mind as you ponder ideas for a website.

Americans and Canadians have holidayed in Mexico for years

Commercially, Mexico makes sense as a destination to promote in Europe.

The Americans and Canadians have been going there for years, but it's only in the last five years or so that it has begun to emerge as a popular destination here.

In fact, Mexico is now one of the fastest growing destinations for European travellers.

Most of the information sites about Mexico are US-focussed, so there was space in the market for a comprehensive alternative.

Mexican links

I have connections with Mexico that go back to my childhood.

I was born in Britain, but grew up in Mexico from an early age and have siblings who still live and work there.

Mexico's stereotypes of sombreros, tequila and cactus plants are a distant cry from modern Mexico.

Today's Mexico is a country undergoing rapid development; with a maturing economy and good domestic infrastructure.

It has a lot of work to do in some key areas, as all developing nations do, but the people I talk with who visit Mexico almost universally come away raving about their experiences there.

You'll be hard pushed to find locals in sombreros in modern Mexico

When I was sketching out ideas for Mexperience, I had it in mind to design a site that would cover a wide range of topics about Mexico.

"Who's going to read a thousand pages?" a friend remarked when I told him how big the site had become recently.

Very few, if any, but people will drift toward the areas they are interested in, and the information they want will be there.

But the site is about much more than just a Mexico travel guide - and it's this diversity that helps to make Mexperience one of the most comprehensive sites about Mexico.

Although Mexperience is already comprehensive, a website is never finished.

This autumn, a distinctive initiative is being launched that will provide visitors with the most up-to-date information about Mexico and provide a unique insight into the country.

More about this soon! In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy visiting the site, and keep checking back to find out what's new and exciting about one of the fastest growing destinations for European travellers!