Agents Stand By Mexico

Two long-time Toronto travel agents who frequently visit and vacation in Mexico say they remain confident that it provides a safe retreat for tourists in spite of bloody shootings in mid January in Cancun and Playa del Carmen that have stoked fears in some quarters that the drug violence that has plagued other parts of the country is reaching areas previously seen as safe, reports Ian Stalker in this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier.

The fatal shootings of five people at a Playa del Carmen music festival followed by the deaths of four people – one a police officer and the other three gunmen — in an attack on a state prosecutor’s office in nearby Cancun drew international attention, and prompted the governor of the state of Quintana Roo – home to both destinations – to report that the Mexican government was planning to bolster the security presence in a jurisdiction hugely popular with tourists.

Violence in some regions of Mexico has led to Global Affairs Canada cautioning Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to some parts of the country, including the state of Guerrero, home to Acapulco, which will host Mexico’s annual tourism show Tianguis this spring.

Ethel Hansen Davey, a Uniglobe agent in Toronto, notes her hometown has seen gun violence in clubs, including the fatal shootings of two people outside a nightclub linked to musician Drake that generated widespread publicity.

“I’m sure there were no advisories issued by countries around the world against travel to Canada because of that incident or any of the other senseless shootings that happen in our city,” she told Travel Courier.

“And does Ottawa advise against non-essential travel to the US, where there are shootings on a daily basis?”

For the full story, check out this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier by clicking here.