U.S.-Mexico Tourist and Travel Groups Urge Texas Department of Public Safety to Alter Tone of Misleading Mexico Travel Alerts [1]
Both American and Mexican tourist and travel industry groups alike have one message for the Texas Department of Public Safety [2]: travel to Mexico is still safe and enjoyable.
Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, said, "Out of roughly 2,500 municipalities, only 80 are currently recording problems with drug violence, it's a very acute problem versus a ubiquitous problem."
These groups met with the Texas Secretary of State's office and DPS last week to ask the Texas Department of Public Safety to restrict its dramatic Mexico travel alerts, saying the state's current warning is too broad and is hurting business. With less than 5 percent of Mexico affected by cartel and drug violence, they want future DPS travel warnings to clarify what parts of Mexico actually pose a threat to tourists and want to emphasize that popular tourist destinations, such as Cancun, Los Cabos and Cozumel, are not dangerous for Americans.
"If you look at federal travel warnings, they are very editorial free, just reportage on the facts. But the one that came out of Texas had what I would call an inflammatory message. It was an unfair blanket statement," Stowell said. "It's a damage to our membership."
Most recently, a DPS travel warning issued for spring break encourages Texans to avoid the country altogether. DPS Director Steven C. McCraw said in the statement, "Our safety message is simple: avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring Break and stay alive." DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange said Tuesday that the organization does not have any plans to revise its travel warning.
President of the Travel Leaders/Main Street Place Travel in Fort Worth, Terry Denton, said, "After that warning came out, we saw a dramatic increase of people coming to our office asking questions and expressing concern. In many cases, we could alleviate any fears and concerns they had by sharing our knowledge of statistics and geography."
Karen Bavoso, a travel agent for the Houston-based Woodlake Travel Services, said clients who choose to cross the border, love it. Of the DPS Mexico travel alert, she said, "It's kind of like they're saying, 'There's trouble in Texas.' Well, where in Texas? Texas (and Mexico) are huge. We advise our clients to be safe no matter where you go. You can be robbed anywhere.”