BULLETS OVER BAJA: Attack Yields Grave Consequences

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I'd advise tourists to stay away from Los Angeles. People are being killed left and right.

LA County Murders
 
There appears to be a message here.....

Ensenada and other parts of Baja are becoming too much of a tourist risk--as of October 15, 2008........ There will be no cruise ships stopping at Ensenada!


"Ensenada Loses Monarch of the Seas Cruise Ship
Major Tourism Blow
BY ERICK FALCON

First it was tuna. Now, Ensenada will see another key economic activity crumble as cruise ship tourism goes downhill. The Royal Caribbean cruise ship company, which has been visiting Ensenada for almost three decades, will cancel the arrivals of the ship "Monarch of the Seas" on October 15, 2008. The visit is no longer profitable,...

The cancellation of the Monarch of the Seas means that there will be 100 fewer cruise ship arrivals at the port. An 80 percent decrease in tourism is estimated and nearly 200,000 fewer passengers coming to the city's restaurants and tourist shops. That is a loss of around 10 million dollars per year, said Secretary of Tourism Alejandro Moreno....

The company's withdrawal from Ensenada was originally scheduled for 2010, but made an earlier exit than expected. The Secretary of Tourism likened the situation to when the "Viking Serenade" cruise ship stopped coming to Ensenada in 2002..."
 
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Lonely Planet Forum from 12-Nov-2007

Sam, Why would you resort to pulling up an old thread from Lonely Planet and push it off and current news?

You might want to check out the real reason why some Cruise Ships are now not doing a touch and go’s or overnights in Ensenada or Avalon for that matter. I’d do it for you but I’d hate to deprive you the opportunity to bash me just a little more.


But here is a hint, it dates back to 1886 & 1922 and how some new laws affect foreign flagged ships.



There appears to be a message here.....

Ensenada and other parts of Baja are becoming too much of a tourist risk--as of October 15, 2008........ There will be no cruise ships stopping at Ensenada!


"Ensenada Loses Monarch of the Seas Cruise Ship
Major Tourism Blow
BY ERICK FALCON

First it was tuna. Now, Ensenada will see another key economic activity crumble as cruise ship tourism goes downhill. The Royal Caribbean cruise ship company, which has been visiting Ensenada for almost three decades, will cancel the arrivals of the ship "Monarch of the Seas" on October 15, 2008. The visit is no longer profitable,...

The cancellation of the Monarch of the Seas means that there will be 100 fewer cruise ship arrivals at the port. An 80 percent decrease in tourism is estimated and nearly 200,000 fewer passengers coming to the city's restaurants and tourist shops. That is a loss of around 10 million dollars per year, said Secretary of Tourism Alejandro Moreno....

The company's withdrawal from Ensenada was originally scheduled for 2010, but made an earlier exit than expected. The Secretary of Tourism likened the situation to when the "Viking Serenade" cruise ship stopped coming to Ensenada in 2002..."
 
Dave, Dave, Dave...

Certainly what I posted is old--I read it about two years ago...Now I have expanded your horizons - you have read it. I never said it was new, nor did I represent it to be current.. It is of the present and the future--- October 15, 2008 just a few months from now the Monarch of the Seas will stop calling on Ensenada. Cutting short and not fulfilling their contract obligations. One questions Why? Why now?

I am not bashing you. I am gaining your attention, and judging from the prompt response late at night after a hard day of diving I have been successful. (You must live on and for the SCUBA board)

Once again I have great admiration for you and your work with the less fortunate in TJ. It is admirable that you will spend your precious time away from the new bride and travel to foreign county to build homes for the needy then treat your self to some of the finest cuisine available in the border cities. You validity has been established as one who enjoys a life of adventure and fine dinning, so do Mrs Miller and I. Once again I will extend an open invitation to you and your bride to accompany us on out next trip deep in to Baja. Some call it an adventure of a life time - others a just a trip into "The Baja."

I also have admiration of your loyalty to this board and its world wide members. I do consider you very remiss in your duties by your continually recommending to its members to visit or that you will escort them into what is universally become known as a War Zone- and the war zone is real, not words from a news paper head lines. Remember, I just returned from three trips to Mexico, the last just three weeks ago and covering about 2000 miles deep into Baja.

My consideration for my fellow man will not allow me to recommend travel to Baja, even though I travel there regularly and have invited you and yours to join me on my next jaunt. I recall so vividly as a ex Captain in USAF when we lost a person. I still have flash backs of those horrible events. No need to compound the flash backs with more unnecessary tragedies. So NO , I can not recommend travel to Baja, It is evident you can, but not I.

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Some thing else for your consideration and comment, the June 19th LA NBC News TV broadcast

I could not receive the LA broad cast at my home but fortunate for me and you a long term Bajaphile friend who frequently travels south deep into the heart of Baja sent me a CD of the and his synopsis of the broad cast. I sent the CD to my daughter who once owned a beach home in Ensenada but now resides in peaceful Australia, and frequently dives the Great Barrier Reef. Fortunately, I still have his written synopsis and gist of the TV segment which is as follows:

"People are starting to think twice about travel to Mexico, even Mexico's President described "it" as a "war zone." (They really did not clarify but it is presumed they meant Tijuana and all of northern Baja)

But just how dangerous is Baja becoming?

The piece then goes from referring to Mexico then Baja (again the later focus was exclusively Tijuana and nearby cities) to a street in Tijuana "Avenida De La Revolucion" Even the locals will tell you..."you'd better watch your back..."

They interviewed Victor Clark who is a professor of Latin American Studies at SDSU and lives in the "heart" of Tijuana. He said, "We are in a war against the organized crime." The piece said that the murders, rapes and kidnappings are getting worse. He said a lot of the victims are tortured.

The the TV then cuts to Jorge Ramos, Mayor of Tijuana. He is shown as saying that this "situation" hurts the City. It says he was elected in December of 2007 on a platform of public safety. He is quoted as stating , "I was born here. I think I need to make an effort to let the people, especially the people from California, know that it is safe to be here."

For the past 15 years rival drug gangs from Sinaloa have cut into the Baja drug trade, raising the level of violence in and around Tijuana.

In Tijuana, 19 million visitors used to walk the streets, today the numbers are a mere fraction of that.

They then interview a tourist from LA (who appears to be Hispanic). She says the feel is different today from the past. She has family in Tijuana and says the locals today are more rude than in the past. Her van was stolen a month ago while she was visiting family in Tijuana.

They interviewed a couple from Florida who appeared to be Caucasian. They were visiting Tijuana during the day time. They were aware of the state department travel advisories but did not want to let that ruin their vacation plans. They were told by locals to visit only during the day and stick to Avenida Revolucion.

The piece then shifts to tour buses, which continue to visit. The stops are less frequent and the buses less full. Some businesses are opening earlier and closing earlier in an effort to capture the fleeting tourist dollar. The business owners insist one thing: they close before the sun sets.

Many businesses with For Rent signs were shown. They interviewed a store owner named Gabriel Diaz who says he lives better in Tijuana today than he lived in LA a few years ago (he looks unsavory and, frankly, unbelievable...). He said that in LA he got challenged by gang members (probably because he is/was one). He said that in Tijuana there is NO VIOLENCE.."no nothing..." Other store owners, however, told the news crew that "no violence" is not true it is "Everywhere."

They then interviewed another store owner, Flabio Garcia. He said, "Dangers is all over."

Crime within Tijuana itself grew so bad in the early part of 2008, Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent in 30,000 federal troops to restore order. The border town had been crippled as gun battles killed not only drug lords but also police officers, wives and children. They then interviewed Deputy Police Chief Ramirez. He said that federal support was a step that was needed to BEGIN to control violence on their own.

Sam, that was pretty much the gist of the almost 7 minute TV program devoted to the current violence in Baja."

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Take your time in responding.

Once again I will be gone for a while...UHMS --Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society - is conducting their annual conference in Salt Lake City, home of the "Mormons" --who made the desert bloom like a rose with out the help of hammers wielding Norte Americanos, great and good people who don't smoke, don't drink coffee, don't drink tea, don't drink Coca Cola and don't chew or go with girls who do.

sdm
 
Once again I will be gone for a while...UHMS --Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society - is conducting their annual conference in Salt Lake City, home of the "Mormons" --who made the desert bloom like a rose with out the help of hammers wielding Norte Americanos, great and good people who don't smoke, don't drink coffee, don't drink tea, don't drink Coca Cola and don't chew or go with girls who do.

sdm

Sam?

It's not the girls who chew that you need to worry about.

In Salt Lake City, we do have drive bys with automatic weapons. You should be OK though, 'cause you'll be up by the University (east side). The drive by was at a McDonalds on the west side. But you may want to research the Trolly Square shootings where a fuit cake took a shotgun and pistol into an upscale shopping center. Killed and wounded quite a few before an off duty cop shot him.

And the folks who built Salt Lake City WERE "Norte Americanos" along with a dollop of Europeans. :D

Art
 
Gosh Dave you need to make a trip to TJ over the 4 of July to have a fine meal to save Baja...

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More confirmation from the Baja Times

When this newspaper starts saying things are bad, things are really bad.

Quote:
EDITORIAL

By Laura Wong

The Greatly Anticipated 4th of July

Merchants from Baja California are anxiously awaiting the arrival of July 4th, because if sales continue to drop the way they have in the last few months, many of them will have to close their stores and restaurants by the end of September.

Actually, there has already been a mass dismissal of employees due to shortened schedules in tourist oriented businesses. If the tourists don’t return in July and August these businesses will barely survive through the low season after Labor Day, the last holiday weekend of the summer. If the high (summer) season doesn’t recuperate, many of our businesses will not survive.

In the past, Memorial Day weekend reliably marked the start of the high season, but this year it was a dismal reflection of former visitor traffic. Hotels were not at full capacity and the streets, shops and restaurants were empty. Since we rely on the summer heat and vacation season to drive tourism we are now hoping that Mexican-American families will continue to come to Baja California.

Our tourism authorities are implementing a series of measures to improve the image of violence and insecurity the country currently has. However, the recession in the United States, the hike in gasoline prices, the long waits at the border and confusion over the passport requirements of the Western Hemisphere Initiative, have scared away a large number of visitors who traditionally travel to have fun in Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada. (To be clear, passports are NOT required until 2009. Returning Americans can prove their citizenship with a state-issued ID and a birth certificate.)

The recent Baja 500 race was a clear example that this a safe place to visit. No significant incidents were reported, and I believe that the thousands of visitors that attended are the best tourism promoters of northern Mexico. (ed note there were 120 race participants vs over 500 in recent years)

Our beautiful coast is lined with new condominium buildings quickly erected for the vacation or retirement home markets, but Americans can no longer take cash out of their lowered home values, and are afraid to make a major expenditure in the current economic slowdown. Hundreds of real estate brokers came to live here in Baja to service this market, and have had to diversify their jobs or move to other cities. They then shop less, eat out less, use fewer services, and that ripples through the economy.

We are caught in a perfect storm of circumstances that combine to create a tsunami of economic woes. Baja California is in trouble.

Despite these many factors contributing to the decline in tourist visits, we are hopeful that this July 4th will mark a turning point. We hope that people will regain confidence in Baja California as the right destination option for travel and vacations. We’re ready to see old friends and new ones head south for the holiday weekend. The curio shops have been stocked with fireworks and the owners of hotels and restaurants are crossing their fingers.

We cordially invite our neighbors in the U.S. to remember the long tradition of traveling to Mйxico, a close, friendly and affordable destination. Our cities are safe for tourists, the drive from Southern California is easy, and gas is 50% cheaper here. Waits at the border are shorter than they have been in years. Our endless beaches, charming hotels, interesting shops and inexpensive restaurants beckon - and our tomatoes are salmonella free. There’s almost always a cool ocean breeze to refresh the visitor from hot, inland areas. Our sunsets are still spectacular, and our warm and happy people are eager to welcome you!

Baja Times - SINCE 1978 - English Language Newspaper of Baja California

Interesting to read the Mexican spin on their problems...caused by lack of US tourists...
 
Gosh Dave you need to make a trip to TJ over the 4 of July to have a fine meal to save Baja...

I just got back last weekend. No one was killed, kidnapped or injured. Maybe you'll just have to go in my stead, I'm headed to Kauai.
 
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