serious question

[deadly_risk]

The newspaper and tv media portray a war in Mexico. We hear about all the murders, people finding coolers with heads in them and all that pretty regularly.Weather or not its true, or true for one area and not another, I have no idea. But I doubt that matters to someone picking a vacation spot. Mexico's reputation has hit the toilet in this area in the past year or two.

I would imagine, for here at least, the news keeps new visitors away, and the economy keeps existing Cancun tourists from returning.

 

[Beyond_Diving]

It is true. There are some areas in Mexico which have become extremely violent during the last few years. Fortunately, Cancun is not one of those areas. Sure, it has its rough areas just like any other city (pop. ~1,000,000), but it doesn't spill into the tourist areas. I've yet to find a cooler with a severed head in it, although I have found a cooler with some really gnarly looking tacos in it (still have nightmares about it). As far as getting bad service, not every business is going to be like that (whether a restaurant, hotel, dive center, etc).
The economy is rough all over... but there are some good deals around. one of my friends came down from Miami a couple of weeks ago, and it was cheaper for him to come to cancun and stay in a hotel thank driving to key west, hotel, diving, etc.

 

[Beyond_Diving]

But since you asked - what's the best dive op?

- Playa del Carmen Aprl 2010

A good friend of mine owns a shop called Go Cenotes http://www.gocenotes.com/ which is awesome. I don't know if they are the best, but they are damn good.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

I know there's a problem with the economy dude (you should have a look at my bank account. haha). I would just like to know if there are any other reasons...

There needs to be other reasons?!?!

But, seriously, while I have heard some talk about the escalation in violence causing some people pause. I tend to hear more about the economy and the uncertainty (real or perceived) it's causing as the reason for not heading down. A lot of my neighbors in Cozumel rely on the income from renting out their properties and they've talked a lot about even their "regulars" canceling this years trip because they either can't afford it, or they feel they should be saving, "just in case." I'm not entirely sure there is anything that can be done at the moment. It's not just your industry that's suffering, it's most. And I think like the rest of us, you're going to have to wait it out, diversify, or innovate.

Wish I had a better answer. . . 'Cause if I did, I bet I could make a boat load of $ off of it.

 

[rajohn]

While I can't speak about Cancun specifically because we always go to Cozumel (going Oct 24th) I do know that people in general here in the states are watching their finances way more closely than in the past. It used to be you just assumed things were going to be all rosy in the future so had no problem spending like a drunken sailor in the present. Now there is a general uneasiness about what our future finances might be like.
The question I have is , since Cancun is an international vacation destination, do you see a falling off in tourism from Europeans as well as Americans?
As to the violence issue I think most of us regard the veneer of law and order in all of Mexico as a little more tenuous than here at home. We just shrug off our worries and assume all will be well. Seeing how much difficulty the Mexican government is having in controlling violence in some areas now, we can't help but wonder what would happen if it broke out suddenly wherever we were at the time in Mexico. It's probably unfair to paint Cancun in this light but when it comes to our personal safety sometimes we can be irrational. I personally love Mexico but have to admit there is a certain faint feeling of relief when I'm back across the border into the U.S.

 

[Dave C]

Very interesting discussion. I would like to see some hard data comparing occupancy rates at Mexican resort areas with those elsewhere. I'm sure the overwhelming reason for lack of visitors in Cancun is the worldwide poor economy, but I also suspect the bad press about Mexico this year (especially drug-related violence) has had an impact on potential American tourists. Thus, Mexico is getting a double-whammy. If you don't live in the U.S., you would not realize how much news here there has been in the last couple of years about violence in Mexico. Europeans are probably aware of this too, but not nearly so much as in the U.S., where the violence is happening just across the border. I bet the number of European visitors to the Yucatan has not declined as much as it has for Americans, unless the recession in Europe is worse than I imagine.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

. . . Thus, Mexico is getting a double-whammy.

You mean triple-whammy, lets not forget about the swine-flu. I can't speak for Cancun, but it devastated Cozumel.

 

[Dave C]

You mean triple-whammy, lets not forget about the swine-flu. I can't speak for Cancun, but it devastated Cozumel.

It was certainly a big factor last spring when the swine flu cases were first found in Mexico, but now that swine flu is everywhere, I doubt it is all that important. Swine flu and Mexico were in the news for a few weeks; the violence news goes on and on with no end in sight.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

It was certainly a big factor last spring when the swine flu cases were first found in Mexico, but now that swine flu is everywhere, I doubt it is all that important. Swine flu and Mexico were in the news for a few weeks; the violence news goes on and on with no end in sight.

I definitely agree that the swine-flu issue has died-down now. But, I include it as a whammy, since that seems to be when people started staying away, and the real drop in tourist numbers started. And now it's the poor global economy (although if you're a banker, it seems like you're in for another big bonus this year), with help from the violence, keeping people at home. This year Mexico seems to have taken it on the chin, more than others.

 

[Beyond_Diving]

The problem with the reports about the violence is that as they say in the news business, if it bleeds, it leads. so they make no effort stating that the violence is mainly seen in border towns in northern Mexico. Tourists are just as safe in Cancun as they would be in any other place (of course there are areas to avoid just like anywhere else, but they are pretty well far from the tourist areas).
The swine flu had a huge impact. pretty much overnight hotel occupancy dropped to like 5% (yes, five).
Europeans generally tend to go further south. Puerto Morelos, Playa, Tulum, etc.