Mexican unrest sparks travel alert

Rob1 · 11-01-2006

From the Toronto Star. I heard this on the radio yesterday driving home and just thought I would pass it on as an FYI:

Stay away from Oaxaca, tourists told
Tour operators insist country still safe

Nov. 1, 2006. 07:25 AM
CURTIS RUSH
STAFF REPORTER

Ottawa has imposed a travel alert for Canadians going to the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca, and a major Canadian tour operator has now suspended charter flights to the resort city of Acapulco amid growing violence in the country.Although Conquest Vacations has called a halt to all charter flights leaving from Toronto and Calgary for Acapulco, the tour company says the reason was "lack of sales."The latest violence in Oaxaca stems from Sunday's dismantling by federal police of barricades in the city's central square, where striking teachers and anarchists have been protesting for five months.

Some of the barriers went back up yesterday, and one Mexican official acknowledged Oaxaca remained outside government control.In Ottawa, the Department of Foreign Affairs has advised against all travel to Oaxaca, saying Canadians have reported difficulties in obtaining assistance from local authorities in emergency situations. And until further notice, the consulate of Canada in Oaxaca city may have to operate from an alternative location in view of local security conditions, the travel advisory said.Acapulco, centre of a drug war, is another Mexican trouble spot.

The bodies of three state police officers, one decapitated, were found in a sport utility vehicle on Saturday. Violence in Mexico has claimed more than 1,700 civilian lives this year, according to the New York Times, and the killings are on track to top the estimated 1,800 killings last year. Those death tolls compare with 1,304 in 2004 and 1,080 in 2001.Mexican officials are also still grappling with the unsolved slayings of Woodbridge couple Nancy and Domenic Ianiero, who were killed at a resort near Cancun last February. All this is bad news for a travel industry gearing up for the winter vacation season.Tour operators still say business is brisk in Mexico, especially in the resort areas of Cancun and the Mayan Riviera.But the stark description of crimes in Mexico listed by Foreign Affairs is disturbing.

There is, for instance, a reference to "random shootings involving Canadians (that) have occurred in areas notorious for drug trafficking."Tour operators interviewed by the Star question those accounts. Foreign Affairs admits one warning refers to a 2004 case involving a Calgary student who was shot after an altercation in a Mexican bar. Other parts of the department warning date back to 2000, and cast Mexico under a dark cloud.Tourism operators say they are not impressed.In one instance, Foreign Affairs is advising Canadians about "express" kidnappings, where car-jackers working with taxi drivers, or posing as taxi drivers, force victims to withdraw money from ATMs in exchange for their release.

Another warning involves scam artists who've called the parents of travelling Canadians to report their child has been detained or hospitalized and has requested money be wired immediately via Western Union.Mauricio Guerrero, spokesperson for the Mexican embassy in Ottawa, said violence is "isolated" and limited to more dangerous areas to the north.

WITH FILES FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

Orginal Link

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...l=968350060724

**Susie Q Roo** · 11-01-2006

Thankfully, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Playa and/or its all-inclusive resorts. It's about like saying, "don't go to Nebraska because there are drive-by shootings in California."

osumom · 11-01-2006

How cool Susie that you live in Playa. What do you do for work there? Do you work in a resort? Sorry just curious.

**Susie Q Roo** · 11-02-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by osumom

How cool Susie that you live in Playa. What do you do for work there? Do you work in a resort? Sorry just curious.

Hey, I'm a one-time OSU mom myself... but the first year was too big a party so he's now at Cols. State and doing better. (Wouldn't it be funny if they knew each other?!

) But anyway... I am retired here, so I just waste too much time on Playa.info.

osumom · 11-02-2006

Very cool to retire in Playa!!!

Off topic, but I am just amazed how much my OSU son thinks he can skip classes.

He thinks his #1 prority is to have fun at college - not attend class.

He may fiind himself paying for his own college while his dad and I take more trips to Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He better watch out!!

Go Buckeyes!!

Rissask · 11-02-2006

Hi Rob

That is interesting....there has been other discussions in the Off Topic forum about travel to Oaxaca City...but I never heard that about Acapulco.

At this time I know TAs are still happily selling trips to Huatulco and being that it is about a 6-8 hour drive from Oaxaca City, I would not hesitate to go there or other Oaxacan coastal resorts this winter.

We are going to Zihuantanejo this Feb, in Guerrero state....and they have some drug related violence there as well, apparently, even stuff like grenades going off in the downtown area

....but I have not heard of any tourists being targeted or hurt or killed...just one story of a tourist in Ixtapa who was assaulted by an angry time share salesman (kind of funny I know, but not a joke

).
At first that grenade story kind of made us hesitate to book, but really....my city has the highest violent crime rate in Canada, and I don't think twice about going downtown, so why worry? Unfortunately there is crime everywhere in the world, it's inescapable even in Paradise.

cpfstich · 11-02-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

Thankfully, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Playa and/or its all-inclusive resorts. It's about like saying, "don't go to Nebraska because there are drive-by shootings in California."

BikerBry · 11-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

Thankfully, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Playa and/or its all-inclusive resorts. It's about like saying, "don't go to Nebraska because there are drive-by shootings in California."

Susie,
That's a great analogy!!

11-01-2006	#1 (permalink)
Rob1 way into it Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: North of Toronto, ON Posts: 106	Mexican unrest sparks travel alert From the Toronto Star. I heard this on the radio yesterday driving home and just thought I would pass it on as an FYI: Stay away from Oaxaca, tourists told Tour operators insist country still safe Nov. 1, 2006. 07:25 AM CURTIS RUSH STAFF REPORTER Ottawa has imposed a travel alert for Canadians going to the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca, and a major Canadian tour operator has now suspended charter flights to the resort city of Acapulco amid growing violence in the country.Although Conquest Vacations has called a halt to all charter flights leaving from Toronto and Calgary for Acapulco, the tour company says the reason was "lack of sales."The latest violence in Oaxaca stems from Sunday's dismantling by federal police of barricades in the city's central square, where striking teachers and anarchists have been protesting for five months. Some of the barriers went back up yesterday, and one Mexican official acknowledged Oaxaca remained outside government control.In Ottawa, the Department of Foreign Affairs has advised against all travel to Oaxaca, saying Canadians have reported difficulties in obtaining assistance from local authorities in emergency situations. And until further notice, the consulate of Canada in Oaxaca city may have to operate from an alternative location in view of local security conditions, the travel advisory said.Acapulco, centre of a drug war, is another Mexican trouble spot. The bodies of three state police officers, one decapitated, were found in a sport utility vehicle on Saturday. Violence in Mexico has claimed more than 1,700 civilian lives this year, according to the New York Times, and the killings are on track to top the estimated 1,800 killings last year. Those death tolls compare with 1,304 in 2004 and 1,080 in 2001.Mexican officials are also still grappling with the unsolved slayings of Woodbridge couple Nancy and Domenic Ianiero, who were killed at a resort near Cancun last February. All this is bad news for a travel industry gearing up for the winter vacation season.Tour operators still say business is brisk in Mexico, especially in the resort areas of Cancun and the Mayan Riviera.But the stark description of crimes in Mexico listed by Foreign Affairs is disturbing. There is, for instance, a reference to "random shootings involving Canadians (that) have occurred in areas notorious for drug trafficking."Tour operators interviewed by the Star question those accounts. Foreign Affairs admits one warning refers to a 2004 case involving a Calgary student who was shot after an altercation in a Mexican bar. Other parts of the department warning date back to 2000, and cast Mexico under a dark cloud.Tourism operators say they are not impressed.In one instance, Foreign Affairs is advising Canadians about "express" kidnappings, where car-jackers working with taxi drivers, or posing as taxi drivers, force victims to withdraw money from ATMs in exchange for their release. Another warning involves scam artists who've called the parents of travelling Canadians to report their child has been detained or hospitalized and has requested money be wired immediately via Western Union.Mauricio Guerrero, spokesperson for the Mexican embassy in Ottawa, said violence is "isolated" and limited to more dangerous areas to the north. WITH FILES FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS Orginal Link http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...l=968350060724 __________________ El Dorado Royale - Oct 7 - Oct 14th

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11-01-2006	#2 (permalink)
Susie Q Roo paradisiac Join Date: May 2003 Location: Q Roo Posts: 10,529	Thankfully, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Playa and/or its all-inclusive resorts. It's about like saying, "don't go to Nebraska because there are drive-by shootings in California."

11-01-2006	#3 (permalink)
osumom into ruins Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 67	How cool Susie that you live in Playa. What do you do for work there? Do you work in a resort? Sorry just curious.

11-02-2006	#5 (permalink)
osumom into ruins Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 67	Very cool to retire in Playa!!! Off topic, but I am just amazed how much my OSU son thinks he can skip classes. He thinks his #1 prority is to have fun at college - not attend class. He may fiind himself paying for his own college while his dad and I take more trips to Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He better watch out!! Go Buckeyes!!

11-02-2006	#6 (permalink)
Rissask Brit basher Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 18,400	Hi Rob That is interesting....there has been other discussions in the Off Topic forum about travel to Oaxaca City...but I never heard that about Acapulco. At this time I know TAs are still happily selling trips to Huatulco and being that it is about a 6-8 hour drive from Oaxaca City, I would not hesitate to go there or other Oaxacan coastal resorts this winter. We are going to Zihuantanejo this Feb, in Guerrero state....and they have some drug related violence there as well, apparently, even stuff like grenades going off in the downtown area ....but I have not heard of any tourists being targeted or hurt or killed...just one story of a tourist in Ixtapa who was assaulted by an angry time share salesman (kind of funny I know, but not a joke ). At first that grenade story kind of made us hesitate to book, but really....my city has the highest violent crime rate in Canada, and I don't think twice about going downtown, so why worry? Unfortunately there is crime everywhere in the world, it's inescapable even in Paradise.

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