Travel alerts from the United States for their fellow citizens not to travel to Mexico, due to events such as those that occurred at the border and other places in the Aztec country, create confusion for tourists wishing to travel to the Riviera Maya, where tourism entrepreneurs have registered multiple cancellations.
Agencies such as Steph Farr, co-owner of Maya Luxe, a luxury home rental agency in Riviera Maya, said that they have had multiple cancellations, so they are working to clear up the confusion, but it is not easy, he said, since most have made the decision and lost business, according to Travel Pulse.
Of Mexico’s 32 states, Yucatan and Campeche have level 1 travel alerts from the U.S. State Department, which means that citizens should “take normal precautions” when traveling to those destinations. In other words, it is a low severity warning, but it causes confusion to tourists.
Travel advisors also assure that clearly companies depend on sending tourists to Mexico even more on guaranteeing the safety not only of tourists but also of their personnel, as Zachary Rabinor, travel agent and founder of Journey Mexico, comments that they would be the first to create a contingency plan or suggest a change of itinerary if they were at risk, as reported by the same media.
Likewise, Rabinor insists that it is incalculable to measure the damage that a U.S. travel alert causes to tourism, as it is difficult to know who desists from traveling to the Mexican Caribbean or other destinations in Florida.
In March, with the beginning of the Spring Breakers season, the US State Department issued a Spring Break alert for Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, warning about crimes and rapes (USA warns Spring Breakers about crimes and rapes in Quintana Roo).
The alert mentions cases of rape of American tourists, especially when they are intoxicated or alone. They ask caution for crimes, since violence can occur anywhere and at any time.
TYT Newsroom