Mexico Tourism Still Struggling
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Mexico's tourism is just one more market that has felt the pinch of the economic downturn around the globe. Mexico has also felt the sting of the news media. Word has spread of the violence along the border between Mexico and the United States between drug gangs. The H1N1 flu virus outbreak that was reported to have its origins in Mexico has also been at the top of the news. Changes in the documentation needed to travel between the United States and Mexico by land may also have a toll (Starting in July everyone traveling to and from Mexico by land, sea or air must have a valid passport). All of this translates to a hurting tourism industry for Mexico. The number of people in the United States who even plan on traveling this year has dropped drastically and those that are traveling are canceling trips to Mexico because of the trouble, changing plans to take their vacations in other locations or just delaying trips to Mexico for the time being.
Much of Mexico's tourism (up to around 80%) comes from north of the border. Tourism has become a critical part of the economy in the country. The trouble has forced many property owners to take desperate measures to try and rebuild tourism in the region.
Hotels are sitting with rooms empty and bookings are down around 25%. The Mexico Tourism Board is aggressively working to remedy the situation by inviting those that are top of the tourism industry in the United States to visit the region. It is important for the industry to understand that Mexico is safe and that business is as usual.
Mexico is feeling the power of the press. The hype that was used to cover the H1N1 flu made trouble in Mexico the headline news for many days. Mexico is hoping to find ways to recover from the sting caused by the press.
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