IN 2017, about 35 million American citizens traveled to Mexico, visiting beachy spots such as Puerto Vallarta and historic sites such as Chichen Itza.

But as political tensions flare between Mexico and its northern neighbor the United States, one airline decided to be proactive.

AeroMexico, Mexico’s largest carrier, unveiled a program called “DNA Discounts,” which offers discounts on flights to Americans who can show by taking a test that they have Mexican DNA.

The amount of the discount depends on the percentage of Mexican ancestry. For example, a person who has 15-percent Mexican heritage qualifies for 15-percent off.

The promotion is specifically targeted at states in the western United States, including Arizona and Utah.

The commercial features representatives from AeroMexico interviewing some residents of Wharton, Texas, on their opinions about Mexico.

Several interviewees express their dislike of Mexico, saying they have no interest in visiting. One man says: “Let me stay here in peace, and let those folks stay on their side of the border.”

Others say they enjoy Mexican exports such as burritos and tequila, but have no interest in traveling to the country.

That, of course, is where the big reveal comes in. The same people are told on-camera what percentage Mexican DNA they have. Some are dismayed, others confused.

One couple looks pleasantly surprised at the news, with the husband teasing his wife about his percentage being higher than hers.

And this isn’t the first time AeroMexico has addressed political issues in its commercials.

In 2016, the company released an ad entitled “Fronteras” (Spanish for “Borders”) that featured moody black-and-white shots of children pressed up against walls and chain-link fences.

(SD-Agencies)

(SD-Agencies)

In the latest headline-grabbing move by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, the founder and CEO of major online fashion mall operator Zozo Inc. has announced a plan to dole out 1 million Japanese yen to 100 individuals to mark a successful New Year’s sale.

Maezawa, who is scheduled to take a trip to the moon in 2023, wrote on Twitter late Saturday that he would give away a total of ￥100 million in cash out of his own pocket to 100 followers on the social media service who follow his account and retweet his post by the end of Monday.

“The Zozotown New Year’s sale was the fastest ever to reach sales of ￥10 billion,” he wrote, “So as a gesture of my appreciation, I will personally be giving a present of ￥1 million in cash to 100 people for a grand total of ￥100 million.”

The tweet quickly went viral, garnering more than 2.5 million retweets as of late Sunday after smashing the previous Japan retweet record earlier in the day. It also prompted an incredible upsurge in users following Maezawa’s Twitter account, which went from some 500,000 prior to Saturday’s post to some 2.94 million by late Sunday.

In another tweet Sunday, the Zozo chief thanked those who had already participated, saying he believed a “dream,” not cold, hard cash, was the motivating factor behind the attention surrounding his plan.

“I think that what everyone wants is a dream, not the money,” he wrote. “If you have ￥1 million, you want to use it for something like friends, family members, society and animals. This makes me want to cry because the use is aimed at things other than yourselves. Japan, you’re not half bad. You have many dreams. As for the retweets, I understand we hit a new Japan record. ... Thank you.”

In mid-September, Maezawa captured global attention after announcing he would embark on an 800,000-km trip around the moon and back aboard the BFR spacecraft developed by Elon Musk’sSpaceX, along with several artists he plans to invite.

The billionaire, who would become the first private lunar traveler, said he hopes to contribute to world peace, a desire that was given greater urgency following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Because of this, he said he was seeking “artists committed to making the world a better place.”(SD-Agencies)

(SD-Agencies)