39 replies to this topic

[guss]

.... the number of flights to and from the US is off WAY more than 3%.... the number of cruise ship landings is way down too.

Hotel bookings, time share usage etc in PV are all way down again this year.......

Besides the crime increase in Mexico, is it not possible that some of this is also due to the terrible economy NOB? I know a fair amount of folks with adult children, well educated with marketable skills, losing their homes or having to take large loans from parents just to stay afloat. If you cannot pay student loans or find a job a "vakay" (vacation), as my youngest calls it, would be out of the question.

G

[BillinaBus]

I'm not sure of the reasons but I am damn sure that tourism is way off all over Mexico. I think it's likely that the US economy is a big part of that downturn but the cartel violence and publicity and robberies like this one and the ones that happened in Mazatlan that caused cruise ships to drop the port of call are important too. My point was the numbers of tourists that were released by the government are HIGHLY suspect when every other indicator around tells a different story.

[Betsy]

When I visit the U.S and I tell someone that I live in Mexico they are invariably horrified and blurt out "OH my God, aren't you scared?" or some variation of that. People think that we step over headless corpses to get to our cars and then drive down the streets with bullets pinging off our vehicles, they see "Mexico" as one huge, violent entity. Don't other Foreign residents deal with this sort of thing from the mal informed northern populatiion? Tourisim is suffering and that has to be one of the reasons.

[More Liana]

It would be nice to hear from someone in Cancun to see if they are booming there. I know the coast in Oaxaca is not booming with these new tourists so that leaves Cancun or Baja. I know Air France was planning to increase their flights to Cancun so maybe that is the answer.

I have a close friend who works in the tourism industry in Cancún. She and everyone else connected with that industry are in very bad straits indeed. Tourism has been very, very depressed there for more than a year.

[guss]

My point was the numbers of tourists that were released by the government are HIGHLY suspect when every other indicator around tells a different story.

Point taken. G

[guss]

People think that we step over headless corpses to get to our cars and then drive down the streets with bullets pinging off our vehicles, they see "Mexico" as one huge, violent entity.

Thank you Betsy. That is my main point, crime does happen to foreigners and tourists alike all over the world. But unlike a lot of the other countries of the world, Mexico takes a huge beating.

G

[Sasha]

I am wonder if we expat's bring some much money to Mexico and donate so much to the area why are our fee;s for FM2 and FM3 and requirements are increasing so much each year.

[mexicolindo]

I am wonder if we expat's bring some much money to Mexico and donate so much to the area why are our fee;s for FM2 and FM3 and requirements are increasing so much each year.

Do you know how much they charge to a mexican to get an american or canadian tourist visa? Let´s think about s mexican family that wants to go to Disneyland... 4 visas $150.00 USD each, (and the trip hasn´t started yet...) and they are going o spend their money there...

[Intercasa]

US visas, good 10 years, $140 US or $1,960 pesos per person, my office does the paperwork for Mexicans. Apples to oranges as FM2/3 are for living in Mexico, the tourist visa is to stay up to 6 months, not quite the same.

By raising the income requirements you, in theory, raise the class of people living in Mexico, same as the US making it harder to enter knowing most there illegally entered and overstayed their permission.

[paradise]

i am not surprice about that crime...... it was not long ago that tourist taking the mountain horse back tours encountered armed men that took their things..... lots of reporting about that on the internet ruined that mans horse back business......... so now the criminals needed a new place to rob.... the jungle tours...... i hope the people in charge of tourism go and find these criminals, the jungle yellow jeeps are the most common tourist activity. after this crime, it will also be destroyed by this crime.

[bmh]

Thank you More Liana for he info. It sounds like the increase of tourism is based on the fact that the Russians for exemple were not coming before so if a couple of 100 came the per centage increase is huge.
Hopefully promotions of the Maya and the end of their Calender will make some people curious and visit. Mexico needs some good publicity for a change.
The whole situation is such a shame, the country has a lot to offer and I am sick about all this bad publicity, It is a shame that the acts of a few are destroying he income of many.

Now we know what the figures mean...taking people from countries that did not use to tour Mexico, have a few tours coming and tell every one about the percentage increase versus the actual numbers.. It is all to make the figures on tourism look good just another spin. No way the Russians, Brazilians Chinese or Peruvians will make up he loss of Canadian and US tourists.

Prices of fares are not helping either. I usually went to Europe for around 800 dollars until 2 years ago it is now 1500 dollars , major increase..

[More Liana]

I think it's important to understand that 'bad publicity' is one thing and reporting facts is something else again. Mexico's on-going crime problems are newsworthy because they do affect foreigners' decision-making about where to vacation. The media report a of crime against tourists in Mexico is important, and although the news is extremely unfortunate, it's not 'bad publicity'. It's telling the truth.

I also believe that the media in the USA report about Mexico precisely because Mexico is close by and because so many from the States like to vacation here. What do you think is a solution to this situation? Should newspapers and television agree NOT to report crimes which could adversely affect US citizens? Think about this: US citizens are all but wrapped in cotton batting to protect them from any kind of perceived danger; those perceived dangers range from spilling hot coffee on themselves to leaning too far over a cliff and falling off. Many lawsuits have arisen from those and other situations in which citizens have been led to believe that they can (and do) receive bountiful settlements due to their own inattention or carelessness.

I think that in large part this so-called exaggerated reporting of Mexico's crime problems is actually a matter of self-protection for the government and the media. I can see the headlines now: "Couple robbed in Mexico sues local TV station for failure to report possibility of criminal attacks during vacation".

The other situation, of course, is that the average US citizen has absolutely no understanding of Mexico or its geography. Many actually believe that Mexico is in fact NEW Mexico. Ask the ordinary guy on the street to locate Mexico City or Guadalajara on a map and watch the perplexed look come over his face. Ask Jane Doe to point out Ciudad Juárez or Acapulco and watch her eyes glaze over. Is it any wonder that Mr. and Mrs. Average American lump all of Mexico into a pot of boiling criminals?

Today's headline in Mexico City's newspaper El Universal reads, "50% of Mexico's towns affected by narcos". This is not sensationalism, it's the honest-to-god truth. If the US media reported even a quarter of the narco-related crimes that actually happen all over Mexico, no one would ever cross the border. It's no wonder tourism from the USA has slowed to a crawl.

[RVGRINGO]

Well said, More Liana. It is nice to find a thinking person who considers the 'big picture' without hysteria. Especially in the morning.

[artsnob]

I am going to Playa del Carmen third week of December, and could not believe the bargains at most hotels, expecially booking this early and stayin more than 6 nights...

[Trailrunner]

Well said, More Liana. It is nice to find a thinking person who considers the 'big picture' without hysteria. Especially in the morning.

I'll say! C, you're pretty articulate first thing in the morning. Must be mega java.

[bmh]

Found some Chinese tours!! A friend of mine who is selling to tourists in the Puerto Vallarta area told me she has seen several cruises with lots of "Chinos". I asked her how she knew there were from China and she told me she asked their guide. Apparently some of the tours groups are coming in on cruise lines. Good to know there are Chinese tours somewhere, the bad part is that she told me they were cheap and did not buy anything..noting is perfect.

[BillinaBus]

Keep in mind that 80 to 90% of foreign tourists here in Mexico have traditionally been from the US.... so a ten or twenty percent downturn there (a more realistic number than 3 percent) means there is no way possible to make up the difference unless the rest of the world isn't in a recession.... but in fact it is a world wide downturn. Tourism is down everywhere just for economic reasons and probably worse here because of perceived security problems. Surely the 50,000 murders that the government admits to (or more likely some multipile of that) combined with robberies and a general increase in gun related crimes is having a bad effect on visitor numbers.

Mexico has great tourist destinations but it seems rational to admit it's going to take some major changes in security and perception for things to improve.... that is not going to happen quickly or at all if there isn't a real effort by the government and the people of this country.

[manny]

more liana, please repeat that same post on other mexico forums. many people see those sites, they need a reality check. try mexconnect, inside lake chapala, & there is also one for san miquel. (the last one may not need you as crime there is minimal, check it out). there may be special sections for crime discussions, related news. people think so much of this is rumor. they want a cheap vacation, & believe the travel agents. or they own property in mex & may want to sell, so they cover up. people own businesses as well, & they cover. even with the open discussions of bus robberies, tourists still booked the tour in PV. if they were informed they may have passed on that additional day tour.

[PV Kids]

Getting it right....
Various accounts of an attack by banditos on passengers from the Carnival Splendor on tour in Puerto Vallarta Mexico had major inaccuracies. A report on a Los Angeles TV news program last night said the tour group was attacked while on the bus. Other Internet and newspaper articles had the group of 22 passengers held by gun point. The truth is they were held up and robbed while walking along nature trail, on a guided jungle tour, outside of Puerto Vallarta.
So to set the record straight Examiner.com went directly to the Miami-based headquarters of the company and requested a statement.
Here’s what Carnival replied:
On Thursday, February 23, 22 guests from the Carnival Splendor were robbed during a guided nature trail excursion in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. There were no injuries and all guests returned safely to the ship.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Setting the record straight about attack on Carnival Splendor pax - National Cruise | Examiner.com http://www.examiner....x#ixzz1nnH20Svm

[/left]

[moderator-2]

This has also run its course. Thanks to PV Kids for setting the record straight.