| | |  Travel & Outdoors | March 2009 
Never Mind Drug Wars: Mexico Urges Tourists, Meetings to Travel South
 MeetingNews.com
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 |  | There have been no reports of tourists injured, kidnapped or killed in Mexican resorts or throughout Mexico due to the drug cartels activity.
- Oscar Fitch, Mexico Tourism Board |  | | |
In response to a Travel Alert that the U.S. Department of State issued in February, the Mexico Tourism Board has initiated a public relations campaign that's designed to educate travelers about drug-related violence taking place along the U.S.-Mexico border and encourage them to travel to Mexico in spite of it.
While some media reports have portrayed drug cartel violence as ubiquitous in Mexico, the country's tourism officials have stressed that conflicts are isolated in specific cities along the Mexican border, and that a majority of destinations in Mexico are still welcoming, safe places for U.S. travelers.
Wrote Mexico Tourism Board CEO Oscar Fitch in a March 16 letter addressed to American tourists, "Images of drug cartel activity are being used incorrectly, making it seem as if it is happening in the whole country when in fact the areas experiencing drug-related issues are concentrated in specific cities located in the northwestern border of Mexico, representing only five of 2,400 counties in the entire country. What they fail to mention is that there are thousands of travelers who are currently enjoying their stay in our tourist destinations located at least hundreds of miles away from any drug-related incidents."
According to Fitch, travelers should take note that the U.S. government issued a Travel Alert rather than a Travel Warning. The latter, he pointed out, is issued in order to caution travelers of long-term conditions that make a particular country dangerous or unstable. The former, on the other hand, is intended to inform travelers about short-term conditions in advance of their travels.
"Travel does not need to be inhibited," Fitch stressed. "There have been no reports of tourists injured, kidnapped or killed in Mexican resorts or throughout Mexico due to the drug cartels activity. In fact, the No. 1 cause of death of Americans traveling abroad, including Mexico, is vehicle accidents."
In a separate letter addressed specifically to North American meeting planners, Fitch stressed the continued development and success of Mexican meeting venues.
"During this difficult time for Mexico—and the world economically—I am pleased to be able to share with you that in February, construction began on the largest destination development project in Mexico in the past 25 years," he wrote, referring to a 5,800-acre resort destination currently unfolding in Escuinapa on the Pacific coast. "I can assure you that Mexico will continue to work tirelessly to safeguard this valuable industry. We will continue to provide visitors from all over the world with the highest standards of quality, safety and service that our customers have come to expect."
In addition to education, the Mexico Tourism Board is relying on word of mouth marketing to encourage ongoing travel south of the border, which is why it has created a Mexico tourism channel on YouTube where it is publishing video testimonials from tourists who have recently visited resorts in Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and more.
To view the Mexico Tourism Board's YouTube channel, visit www.youtube.com/mexicotourismboardus.
To read Fitch's complete letter to U.S. travelers, visit www.mexico-update.com.
And finally, to read the U.S. State Department's Travel Alert, visit travel.state.gov. |
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