Mexico witnesses surge in tourists despite violent incidents

Saturday, April 28, 2018

According to travel operators Cancún and adjoining Riviera Maya on Mexico’s Caribbean coast are carefree beach resorts with something for everyone from spring break party people to families. However, a surge of violence, linked to drug gang rivalry, threatens the travel industry in the region like a storm hovering on the horizon.

 
Local news sources reported 14 murders in Cancún over a 36-hour period in early April, continuing a pattern of violence that was reported last summer. Gun deaths have also occurred in Playa del Carmen, the biggest town on the Riviera Maya, about 40 miles south of Cancún.

 
Travellers have not been targeted in these crimes, but a bomb that detonated in February on a ferry linking Playa del Carmen with the island of Cozumel, a popular cruise port, injured more than two dozen passengers, including tourists. It prompted the Department of State to issue a travel ban on the ferry route for government employees.

 
Since then, Mexican authorities have strengthened security around the ferry as well as the ferries that run between Cancún and Isla Mujeres, including adding metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs. The American government subsequently dropped its ban on ferry travel.

 
The State Department’s advisory level remains at the second of four cautionary categories, indicating travellers should “exercise increased caution.” It is the same threat level of Antarctica, Denmark, Italy and Britain.

 
Tourism authorities have responded by stepping up security. The Mexican navy patrols the beaches, federal police monitor the highways and the army is in charge of entry points into the region’s cities. Dario Flota Ocampo, the director of the Quintana Room Tourism Board, said that 3,000 new surveillance cameras are being installed in the Cancún and Playa del Carmen areas.

 
Some 16.9 million visitors came to the state in 2017, an increase of 5.3 percent over the year prior, according to the state tourism board. Over 52 percent of those arrivals were repeat visitors.

 
Told to exercise caution, Americans have continued to travel to the Yucatán.

 
Whether it was the very cold winter endured in the northern United States, or the number of deals coming from the rapidly growing destination (some 14,000 hotel rooms are currently in development), tourism has shown resiliency.

 
In the first quarter of 2018, hotel occupancy in Cancún stayed level with 2017 figures at a healthy 77 percent, even though the room inventory grew this year by 3 percent this year, according to STR, Inc., a travel research company that tracks hotel data.

 
Travel agencies report strong interest in the region. AAA Travel predicted that Cancún would be its most popular international destination for family travelers this year.

 
Bookings are up 12 per cent to Mexico over this time last year at the luxury-focused travel agency Ovation Vacations in New York, even though advisers are fielding more inquiries regarding safety.

 
“There’s a lot of hesitancy, but there’s resiliency,” said Jack Ezon, the owner of the agency.
Mexico likely benefited from those seeking to avoid hurricane-hit islands in the Caribbean, he said, but noted that Mexican resorts also offer strong value.

 
“It’s hard to find that kind of beach within three to five hours flight with that kind of service,” Mr. Ezon said.

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