Swine flu reshapes Mexican tourism

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-02 14:09

Tourists sun bathe at a nearly deserted beach in the resort city of Cancun, Mexico, Friday, May 1, 2009.[Agencies]

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Acapulco's mayor is telling tourists from Mexico City to go home, and residents are stoning their cars. Cancun's hotels are pleading for visitors to fill their empty rooms. The swine flu outbreak is remaking tourism in strange ways in a country heavily dependent on it.

Tourism to Mexico has plummeted since the swine flu outbreak was declared a week ago, causing the tourism secretary to say Friday that he's shelving funds earmarked for a publicity campaign until after the epidemic subsides. Rodolfo Elizondo acknowledged it isn't the best time to promote Mexico as a vacation spot.

Treasury Secretary Agustin Carstens said the flu will be a heavy blow to tourism, Mexico's third-largest legal source of foreign currency.

Mexico's resorts, however, are experiencing the crisis in very different ways.

The top destination, Cancun, caters largely to foreigners, who are steering clear of Mexico. The city has lost an estimated $2.4 million in the past week as occupancy dropped 40 percent below usual levels for this time of year, said Rodrigo de la Pena, president of the Cancun Hotel Association.

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