Tourism Officials Respond After US Updates Mexico Travel Safety Advisory

According to the Riviera Maya News, the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres President Jesús Almaguer said the summer tourist season featured lower-than-expected occupancy rates, with many reaching only 60 percent occupancy.

Almaguer blamed several factors for the lackluster summer, including protests in Tulum, power outages, and construction on the Maya Train. Secretary of Tourism Bernardo Cueto Riestra acknowledged the lower number of arrivals was due to the “accelerated growth of hotel infrastructure, especially in the increase in rooms and Airbnb units.”

Cueto Riestra said hotel occupancy reached 70 percent this summer, adding that the total would top 90 percent if the data did not “count the hotel rooms and Airbnb units newly created this year.”

Another factor in the lower number of travelers heading to Quintana Roo is the continued travel advisories issued for the state by the U.S. Department of State.

The most recent September 6 travel advisory reported that Quintana Roo could “experience criminal activity and violence may occur in any location, at any time, including in popular tourist destinations.”

“There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Quintana Roo state,” the State Department notice said. “Exercise increased caution after dark in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum and remain in well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist zones.”

Consul General Justen A. Thomas believes that Quintana Roo is a “primarily a safe destination” that welcomes more than 12 million Americans every year. Thomas said, “security is essential and we see that work is being done in that direction,” according to the Riviera Maya News.

Last week, travel expert Tammy Levent spoke about her harrowing experience at Cancun International airport when she was stopped with electronic devices that surpassed a little-known Mexican law. The ordeal is a cautionary tale and could further impact the region’s tourism industry.