| | |  Travel & Outdoors 
Spring-Breakers Still Seek Sun, Sand in Mexico
 Bob Retzlaff - postbulletin.com
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April 13, 2010
 |  | Our (Puerto Vallarta) vacation was lovely, completely safe — we even rented a car and drove up and down the coast — and we saw no hints of problems or incidents.
- Bonnie and Gary Patzer |  | | |
Just when Mexico's tourism skies were looking bright, they darkened again after renewed reports of significant drug-related violence.
It couldn't have come at a worse time — in the midst of spring-break vacations that send hundreds of thousands of U.S. families and students to Mexico's sunny climates and beach destinations.
Thus the question is renewed: How safe is Mexico?
The answer, according to Rochester area residents just back from south of the border and local travel agents, is that safe travel to Mexico depends upon where you go. Mexico's fragile tourism industry suffered greatly during much of 2009. Visitor levels plummeted by 50 percent at some prime destinations because of the H1N1 flu virus scare, armed fighting between Mexican drug cartels, and the recession in the United States and abroad.
However, last fall, as most of the negative factors abated, all-important visitor numbers picked up on a trend that continued through much of the winter.
Recently, though, drug violence again is marring Mexico's image. Travel warnings again were issued and visitor numbers started to drop.
Most of the violence has occurred in the notorious border towns — the likes of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo.
But that's not where most vacationers, particularly those from southern Minnesota, go to combat winter's cabin fever. They generally head to the main resort areas. Cancun, a luxury resort area along the eastern Mexican coast, is king among the nation's tourist hot spots. And on Mexico's western coast, many head to Puerto Vallarta, which is second only to Cancun as a spring break destination.
That's where a group of eight locals just returned from their annual vacation.
Bonnie Patzer and husband Gary are longtime Rochester residents who have retired to the Spooner, Wis., region. They regularly vacation near Puerto Vallarta with longtime friends Dick and Marti Clark, Rod and Lila Pierce and John and Julie Schriever, all of Rochester, and "this year was no different despite the problems in Mexico," Bonnie said. The group, who have vacationed together for more than 10 years, spent a "wonderful" two weeks at the Paradise Village complex north of Puerto Vallarta, Bonnie said.
"Our vacation was lovely, completely safe — we even rented a car and drove up and down the coast — and we saw no hints of problems or incidents," she said. "We've never encountered any problems and have been traveling to Mexico for the past 20 years. The Mexican people have always been warm and friendly. And obviously, it depends on where you go."
Rochester travel agents agree. And all agents say that bookings to Mexico have been very strong during the spring break season. Carol Dougherty of Horizon Travel said "the violence seems to be centered around the border areas — and Acapulco, possibly — and those are two places I do not send clients to. Bookings to other areas in Mexico have been very strong for our agency."
Dougherty reported that there have been no cancellations for fear of travel, "but I did have several because of job loss or cutbacks," she said.
BJ Peterson of Bursch Travel, who booked the Patzer group, said her agency has had no cancellations either. Peterson added that many of the bookings were part of Delta's vacation packages.
Donna Hoehne, an agent for AAA Travel, reported strong bookings as well and said "most of our spring break clients go to Cancun, Mazatlan, Jamaica or the Dominican Republic, and there have been no cancellations."
In the southern states that border Mexico, particularly Texas and California, there has been a cutback in Mexican travel, according to national reports. The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued stern warnings about trips to border towns. One report noted that college students who often frequent Mexico during spring break have changed plans to head for South Padre Island, off the Texas coast.
In this area, one school — the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire — cancelled a student Mexican spring break trip. Nationally, though, student trip cancellations have been the exception and not the rule — Cancun has hosted hundreds of thousands of spring breakers from all over the United States this season.
Bottom line advice: If you're planning a trip to Mexico, heed the warnings. The U.S. State Department advises to stay away from the violence-ridden border towns. Remember, millions of Americans visit Mexico each year without incident, and a million Americans live there, taking advantage of inexpensive housing, retirement and low-cost medical care. We've gone to Mexico three times in recent months. All of the trips were outstanding and without incident.
Bob Retzlaff is travel editor of the Post-Bulletin. He can be reached by email at retz(at)postbulletin.com. |
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