BajaNomad - Mexico works to lure tourists back for summer vacation

Mexico works to lure tourists back for summer vacation

BajaNews - 6-11-2011 at 06:48 PM

http://www.kvue.com/news/123625129.html

by ANGELA KOCHERGA
June 10, 2011

Mexico’s tourism board hopes a splashy ad campaign including white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters will lure Americans back this summer.

In one commercial as sweeping scenes of historic and cultural spots fill the screen, the announcer concludes, “Mexico, the place you thought you knew.”

These days Americans probably know more about drug violence in Mexico. Unprecedented bloodshed in some parts of the country has dominated the news. Mexico's tourism board and tourism industry officials want change the perception the entire country is dangerous.

Tourism is a major source of income for Mexico and Americans are the country’s top customers. Ten million visitors flew into Mexico in 2010 of those, six million were from the U.S. As the drug war has escalated, fewer Americans are traveling to Mexico.

Now as summer vacation season begins, Mexico is working to woo Americans. The plan includes the ad campaign combined with high-level personal visits to the U.S. to tout Mexico as a safe destination.

Rodolfo Torres Negrete, the head of Mexico’s Tourism Board, met with Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade and several Department of Public Safety officials in Austin on Wednesday to discuss Texas' travel warning.

Mexico wants the advisory to be more specific about the risks rather than a blanket warning to avoid the country. On March 1, Texas warned students to “avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring break and stay alive. “

There have been more than 35,000 killings in Mexico since 2006 when President Felipe Calderon took office and the drug war escalated.

Mexican tourism officials have acknowledged some border areas of the country are dangerous, but argue there is no evidence tourists at resorts are in danger of getting caught up in the drug violence gripping other regions.

During a visit to the U.S. in May, Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon told a gathering at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit in in Las Vegas, “ I saw thousands of spring breakers in Mexico having fun. My understanding is the only shots they received were tequila shots and lots of them.”

On a recent morning, the vice president of sales and marketing for Barcelo Resorts and Hotels during a breakfast with a group of travel agents in Houston asked, “How do we get the message across to the consumer that in these tourist destinations life and business is normal or better than normal?"

The company has five resorts in prime beach locations throughout Mexico including Cancun, the Maya Riviera, and Los Cabos.

“These destinations are thousands of miles apart from where problems are occurring, “said Zboznovits.

DENNIS - 6-11-2011 at 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNews
On a recent morning, the vice president of sales and marketing for Barcelo Resorts and Hotels during a breakfast with a group of travel agents in Houston asked, “How do we get the message across to the consumer that in these tourist destinations life and business is normal or better than normal?"

The company has five resorts in prime beach locations throughout Mexico including Cancun, the Maya Riviera, and Los Cabos.

“These destinations are thousands of miles apart from where problems are occurring, “said Zboznovits.

This one is about 100 miles from Acapulco.......anything but a peaceful paradise.

http://www.resortvacationstogo.com/Hotel/Barcelo_Ixtapa_Beac...

When the government makes statements such as this, what's left to believe?
And they want the US press to be more specific.

jeremias - 6-11-2011 at 08:48 PM

Id take a free vacation there in a heartbeat.

DENNIS - 6-12-2011 at 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeremias
Id take a free vacation there in a heartbeat.

That's different, but free to the tourism industry is worse than the crime they try to ignore. :lol:

jeremias - 6-12-2011 at 01:29 PM

.... very true!

Bajahowodd - 6-12-2011 at 01:57 PM

While I see Dennis' point in that the Barcelo guy was obviously obfuscating, from what I've seen, the violence in and around Acapulco has not manifested in the Zihua/ Ixtapa area.

Besides, given the violence that has hit Tijuana over the past few years, I'd hazard a guess that those living in and around Ensenada feel considerably safer than those in TJ.

That said, I really have to scratch my head as to how it is that a Barcelo rep is the person being quoted. Barcelo, a Spain-based company, operates almost 200 hotels around the world. It would seem to me that having six locations in Mexico makes that small potatoes.

Woooosh - 6-12-2011 at 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
While I see Dennis' point in that the Barcelo guy was obviously obfuscating, from what I've seen, the violence in and around Acapulco has not manifested in the Zihua/ Ixtapa area.

Besides, given the violence that has hit Tijuana over the past few years, I'd hazard a guess that those living in and around Ensenada feel considerably safer than those in TJ.

That said, I really have to scratch my head as to how it is that a Barcelo rep is the person being quoted. Barcelo, a Spain-based company, operates almost 200 hotels around the world. It would seem to me that having six locations in Mexico makes that small potatoes.

There's a full court press on to promote Mexico tourism. No positive quote ever made will be ignored. I wonder if they are going to show off the statue of the Swine Flu poster-boy (edgar hernandez). They made a bronze of "patient zero" of that world flu outbreak which Mexico blamed part of the downfall in tourism on. Edgar lived and recovered, Baja not so much yet but they are trying.

[Edited on 6-12-2011 by Woooosh]

edgarhernandezlagloria.jpg - 11kB

Bajahowodd - 6-12-2011 at 04:21 PM

Maybe a tad cynical, IMO. But, from what I can tell, Mexico has developed an economy that is less based on tourism than it was 20-30 years ago.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be a middle class!

That said, I think we need to, just as in the US, differentiate between political needs and goals, and the needs and goals of the majority of the citizens. All too often, they are different.

Woooosh - 6-12-2011 at 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Maybe a tad cynical, IMO. But, from what I can tell, Mexico has developed an economy that is less based on tourism than it was 20-30 years ago.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be a middle class!

That said, I think we need to, just as in the US, differentiate between political needs and goals, and the needs and goals of the majority of the citizens. All too often, they are different.

Let me know when you find a country that pulled that off.

DENNIS - 6-12-2011 at 05:47 PM

Quote:

Awww baloney, Howard. When will you start going street-to-street or house to house? That's what these liars want to do here in PB.
There will always be a way to deny what's happening, but it has to have a ring of honesty.
Your personal serving of baloney falls short of that.