Cancun, Mexico – A record number of Americans battling cabin fever flock south of the border in search of post-pandemic relief with strolls along the pristine waters of Mexico’s breathtaking beaches. At affordable prices.
This is critical good news for Mexico, where tourism supports over 4.5 million jobs across the country, making it one of the most important industries in the country. But is it safe to travel there and how is this country dealing with the 130 million people with the COVID-19 pandemic?
Experts say most tourist destinations are safe, and to back this up, the government has announced plans to send additional troops to the Caribbean coast. With vaccinations and the exercise of basic precautions, the beaches are prime candidates for a vacation.
This may be especially true of Texans. Favorite international flight from Dallas-Fort Worth? It’s not London or Paris. Try Cancun with an average of eight daily flights.
Once a famous spring breaker destination, the beach resort attracts Americans of all ages year-round. And it’s not just beaches that draw people to Mexico, but also other great wanderlust places, from Oaxaca to cosmopolitan Mexico City with its majestic Reforma Avenue.
According to analysts at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the passenger market from DFW to Mexico grew to 2,319.9 passengers per day in the third quarter of 2021, compared to 1,746.3 in the same quarter of 2019.
The trend shows the growing economic and cultural integration between Texas and Mexico and the need to escape from the pandemic. It was as if the distance and the time away made the heart beat faster because of COVID-19, said the Mexican consul general in Dallas Francisco “Paco” de la Torre.
“Without a doubt. The Texans missed traveling to Mexico more than they ever realized,” said De la Torre, who in his more than five years as consul has noted that the number of Mexican travel destinations for Americans, who travel from North Texas to Mexico has tripled. “Mexico was the closest destination for Texans, not only in terms of geography, which is obviously the case, but also when it comes to family ties, trade, shopping, tourism, culture, Eating and exercising is possible. “
He added, “An average two-hour flight allows any Texan to visit a vibrant international city like Mexico City or the colors of Oaxaca or the flavors of the Yucatan or the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean” and the Pacific.
Vicky Uzal, American Airlines’ commercial director in Mexico, said the airline had seen a 76% increase in occupied passenger seats this year compared to 2020. That is 25% more than before the 2019 pandemic for their DFW-Cancún route.
In addition to American Airlines, Frontier and Spirit offered direct nearly three-hour flights from DFW to Cancun, round-trip, for the Thanksgiving holiday, a high season, for $ 550 to $ 650.
Beaches have become so popular that American Airlines increased the number of flights to other beach destinations in Mexico this winter break. DFW-Los Cabos will be increased from 32 weekly flights to 35.
“On all routes to Cozumel, Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, the frequencies to Dallas will increase towards winter,” said Uzal.
Spirit Airlines has increased the number of monthly direct flights between DFW and Cancun from 29 in March to 47 in October, according to data from Diio Cirium, a database program for flight frequencies.
Other popular beaches are Puerto Vallarta, Bahia de Nayarit, and Cabo San Lucas, the popular tourist destinations on the Pacific coast.
Many of the beach destinations have recovered almost entirely from the economic downturn due to the pandemic. Employment is high again and the hotels are running at full capacity
Los Cabos alone had almost 118,000 international visitors in September 2021, marking the most successful September of all time with a 40% increase over 2019, according to the Los Cabos Tourism Board.
Rodrigo Esponda, executive director of the tourism association, said the pandemic underscored the need to focus on quality and strengthening COVID-19 protocols. For example, Esponda said, nearly 90% of Cabo’s population 18 years and older, most of them in the service industry, have received at least one vaccination, underscoring the importance of tourism to the Mexican economy.
Los Cabos is “more than ready as it has implemented the best COVID-19 protocol measures,” declared Esponda.
Tourism contributes 9% to Mexico’s GDP, making it one of the country’s most important industries.
That explains why Mexico was reopened to tourism in midsummer. The country generally has few COVID-19 restrictions, although some high-risk passengers from COVID-19 countries are screened upon arrival. There is also no need to present a negative PCR test or quarantine upon arrival, although most resorts ask guests to complete health questionnaires.
Cancún has recorded a hotel occupancy rate of 51.5% so far this year. In 2020 it was 37.8%.
“Americans have returned from the start, in search of normalcy,” said Marco Antonio Gutierrez, 32, a taxi driver in Cancun. “You just saw that relieved look in their eyes as they stared at this again,” he said, pointing to the white sand and pristine turquoise water.
As the holidays approach, some hotels are offering promotions. For example, the Mvyngata Hotel, part of a boutique chain in Mayakoba, south of Cancun, has Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials.
“Our message to all tourists is not to be afraid of traveling during the holidays,” said Felipe Cruz Escalante, a manager at Mvyngata. “We must get on with our lives in its new normal, always respecting and protecting the well-being of others.” He said his hotel and others require their employees to follow strict COVID-19 protocols.
There is currently a level 3 travel warning in the US: “Rethink Travel” to Mexico due to COVID-19.
Mexico has given more than 126 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Cases rose dramatically in late summer, although numbers fell sharply in September and October.
Mexico has a traffic light system of restrictions, with red representing maximum regulations, orange limiting public space and work capacity to 30%, yellow allowing all work to be resumed and public gatherings being held, and green means there are no restrictions in Mexico gives space.
Quintana Roo, where Cancun and Playa del Carmen are located, is listed as green. Baja California Sur, home of Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City, is also green.
COVID-19 tests are required for Americans returning home from Mexico. Tests are usually organized by the host’s hotels. Unvaccinated people must be tested the day before they leave. Fully vaccinated US citizens can get tested three days before their flight.
“We can’t wait to escape for a few days and have our Christmas party there,” said Consuelo Ibarra, 33, of Grapevine. “We wanted to travel earlier, but we were afraid because of COVID.”
Ibarra is flying from DFW to Cancun with her husband and 6-month-old baby during their two children’s Christmas holidays. They plan to meet other families there who are flying from different cities in Mexico and the United States
“I think there is a risk everywhere, but of course we will try to be careful. Use our face masks as often as possible, ”said Ibarra.
Stay protected from crime
The rising appeal of Mexico as a travel destination comes despite the recent high profile shootouts with tourists. In mid-October, two foreign tourists were killed by crossfire in an alleged shooting at a drug gang in Tulum.
The murders threatened Tulum’s reputation as an unremarkable, carefree beach town without the overcrowded problems of Cancun.
And two weeks ago, four American tourists were injured at a Cancun hotel resort after being caught in the crossfire of another alleged drug gang shootout.
Mexican Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said in Cancun on Wednesday, along with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, that 1,445 members of the National Guard are being sent to Quintana Roo to strengthen security in the region.
The assignment includes setting up a base in Tulum.
“That can’t happen again,” said López Obrador. “We have to avoid that. That is why there is this plan to strengthen security. “
Experts say Mexico is a largely safe country to travel to, despite the recent incidents.
“The likelihood of being killed or seriously injured while traveling in Mexico is still very, very small because literally millions of Americans come to Mexico every year,” said David Shirk, chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of San Diego and director of the Justice in Mexico program, an annual report on crime and violence in Mexico. “And the vast majority, around 99% of them, come home without falling victim to violent crime.”
The US State Department says “murder, kidnapping, car theft and robbery” are rampant in Mexico. But some areas are much safer than others. For example, the US says “caution should be exercised” when traveling to popular destinations in Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, while the US advises against traveling to 16 other states.
The US continues to urge its citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive safety notifications and help locate citizens in the event of an emergency overseas.
Security concerns aside, memories of Mexico remain, say some tourists. Some, like Raymond Robertson, rave about Cancun poetically.
“I dream of the Mexican Caribbean at least twice a week,” says Robertson, professor of economics and government at Texas A&M University’s Bush School. “Here the sky meets the beach, where crystal clear water emerges with this powdery, white sand. There is no other beach in the world as beautiful as the beaches in Cancun. It’s phenomenal. “
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