Travelers are starting to say "yes" to Mexico again. That's good news for the world's 10th-most visited country that saw arrivals dip by 70% or more during the height of the swine flu coverage last month.
Since May 25, Mexico has four times fewer new swine flu cases as the USA, and now has under half the total number (just over 5700, or one in 19,300 -- in the USA, one in 23,000 have the swine flu). Many traditional beach destinations -- such as Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel -- have zero reported cases, and tourist arrival numbers are bouncing back to 30% or so under 2008 arrivals numbers in most places. (Some out-of-the-way towns like the San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas are actually ahead of 2008.) Americas Travel, a San Francisco agency that specializes in Latin America, told me they are "very busy with Mexico trips" at the moment.
We've seen the deals in recent weeks -- half-off flights, hotels and package deals -- and now airlines are starting to reconnect suspended flights too. Last week, Delta restored 10 of 11 suspended flights and Cuba started allowing flights between the countries again. More flights are coming. In July, new routes will added by Mexican budget airlines Volaris (between Oakland, Mexico City and Toluca) and AeroMexico (between New Orleans and Mexico City).
One town that hasn't bounced back, per statistics from the Mexican Institute of Immigration, is Playa del Carmen. As of the latest available weekly report (May 18-24), Playa -- a more tasteful Yucatan beach option than Cancun, and one you can reach by 30-minute bus direct from Cancun's airport -- is still 86% down from 2008. One mid-range hotel that I stayed at when updating Lonely Planet's Central America guidebook a couple years ago told me they were practically empty. "We are waiting and waiting. So many cancellations. We hope we have more Mexican tourists at least." They cut their prices from 34 euro to 22 euro.
The case for Mexico travel, however, probably wasn't helped by a shoot-out in Acapulco between a drug cartel and soldiers over the weekend. Eighteen were eventually killed, including two bystanders. The New York Times said, in a surprisingly alarmist article, that Acapulco is "now home to the drug war," surprising considering Lonely Planet's Mexico guide, for example, has long had Acapulco among only a few places clearly linked with it. The writer adds "no part of Mexico may be completely immune from the continuing drug war." It reported the incident happened "a mile" from main tourist areas -- a less alarmist update today changed that to "several miles" -- perhaps forgetting what happens within a mile of Times Square (or Coney Island or the Bronx Zoo) in New York.
Well, I, for one, am not afraid to go to Times Square. Or to Mexico. Anyone have a spare ticket for Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guanajuato or Merida?
Since May 25, Mexico has four times fewer new swine flu cases as the USA, and now has under half the total number (just over 5700, or one in 19,300 -- in the USA, one in 23,000 have the swine flu). Many traditional beach destinations -- such as Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel -- have zero reported cases, and tourist arrival numbers are bouncing back to 30% or so under 2008 arrivals numbers in most places. (Some out-of-the-way towns like the San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas are actually ahead of 2008.) Americas Travel, a San Francisco agency that specializes in Latin America, told me they are "very busy with Mexico trips" at the moment.
We've seen the deals in recent weeks -- half-off flights, hotels and package deals -- and now airlines are starting to reconnect suspended flights too. Last week, Delta restored 10 of 11 suspended flights and Cuba started allowing flights between the countries again. More flights are coming. In July, new routes will added by Mexican budget airlines Volaris (between Oakland, Mexico City and Toluca) and AeroMexico (between New Orleans and Mexico City).
One town that hasn't bounced back, per statistics from the Mexican Institute of Immigration, is Playa del Carmen. As of the latest available weekly report (May 18-24), Playa -- a more tasteful Yucatan beach option than Cancun, and one you can reach by 30-minute bus direct from Cancun's airport -- is still 86% down from 2008. One mid-range hotel that I stayed at when updating Lonely Planet's Central America guidebook a couple years ago told me they were practically empty. "We are waiting and waiting. So many cancellations. We hope we have more Mexican tourists at least." They cut their prices from 34 euro to 22 euro.
The case for Mexico travel, however, probably wasn't helped by a shoot-out in Acapulco between a drug cartel and soldiers over the weekend. Eighteen were eventually killed, including two bystanders. The New York Times said, in a surprisingly alarmist article, that Acapulco is "now home to the drug war," surprising considering Lonely Planet's Mexico guide, for example, has long had Acapulco among only a few places clearly linked with it. The writer adds "no part of Mexico may be completely immune from the continuing drug war." It reported the incident happened "a mile" from main tourist areas -- a less alarmist update today changed that to "several miles" -- perhaps forgetting what happens within a mile of Times Square (or Coney Island or the Bronx Zoo) in New York.
Well, I, for one, am not afraid to go to Times Square. Or to Mexico. Anyone have a spare ticket for Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guanajuato or Merida?
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