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Mexico: No longer just a day at the beach
Political unrest and drug wars are having a serious impact on Mexico’s $11.8 billion tourist industry, which in the first nine months of the year saw international visitors fall by nearly 4 million for the same period last year, according to the latest government figures.
Most of Mexico’s international visitors are Americans, but US State Department bulletin’s recently have cautioned travelers to be aware of the rising level of brutal violence along Mexico’s northern border. Another area of concern has been the once highly popular Oaxaca.
The State Department last week expanded the scope of warnings,, calling on Americans to “be alert to increased security concerns related to protest violence throughout Mexico.”
The biggest decline in foreign visitors more than 2.7 million has been among day-trippers to northern Mexico, reported the Los Angeles Times.
But fear of violence isn’t the only factor depressing the tourist trade. The major resorts of Cancun and the Riviera Maya spent the first part of 2006 rebuilding from Hurricane Wilma. That reduced the number of cruise passengers going ashore this year.
Foreign no-shows aren’t the only concern, either. Mexico’s domestic travelers have also stayed at home in greater numbers in 2006.
Report by David Wilkening
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