The U.S. embassy in Mexico on Tuesday removed its shelter-in-place directives for Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, after pulling them for all other Mexican cities and regions.
The U.S. embassy had issued several security alerts
following the killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as El
Mencho. According to the Associated Press, the event set off hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other
places.
The previous security alert, issued Feb. 24, said the "situation has returned to normal" in several states, including Quintana Roo, where Cancun, Cozumel, Play del Carmen and Tulum are located; Baja California, including Tijuana, Tecate and Ensenada; and Colima, Guanajuato, Estado de Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Zacatecas.
Advisors spent Sunday and Monday dealing with client concerns about
travel.
"To say we are getting slammed with emails, text, calls with concerns on Mexico is an understatement," said Sarah Sadowski, an affiliate of Pink Pineapple Travel Co. based in Fishers, Ind.
Her agency had clients in Isla Mujeres, Cancun and a group of 30 in Riviera Maya.
Sadowski said her main goal is to keep clients informed with facts over rumors, especially as spring break approaches. Many clients, both families and groups, are headed to Mexico for the break, she said. Some have already asked to change destinations or cancel their trips.
"As a travel professional, we strive to remain calm and
communicate clear and concise facts to our clients," she said.
"Sometimes our clients simply need to hear the calm in our voice to be
comforted and acknowledge the increased headlines in the media can
create some hysteria or big feelings."
Brownell, a Power List agency in Birmingham, Ala., was focused on clients with trips to affected destinations in the coming weeks, said Katherine Norton, director of partner relationships. Right now, Brownell is advising taking a wait-and-see approach.
Over the weekend, Brownell ran reports to identify those clients and notify their advisors, who were able to proactively reach out.
Brownell keeps its advisors updated via internal communication tool Slack, sharing alerts from ground, air and hotel partners, Norton added. Several resorts do plan to offer refunds or rebooking assistance for upcoming arrivals.
"Our systems and proximity to the advisors in our community really make the difference in tough situations such as these, especially on the weekends," she said.
First in Service (No. 44 on the Power List) is based in New York, but the agency expanded its presence into Mexico last year.
"We are deeply troubled by the recent escalation of violence in areas of Mexico that have historically been safe and that have made the country a favorite destination for many of our clients," CEO Fernando Gonzalez said. "We are equally concerned about the impact on our travel advisors in Mexico."
The agency has been working to contact clients in Mexico and, if they're in an affected area, to share guidance from the State Department and suppliers.
Gonzalez said the agency is also keeping in touch with travel advisors in Mexico and outside, sharing updated information with all.
"We are all hoping the situation will stabilize quickly and that calm fully returns in the coming days," he said. "In the meantime, we are being proactive in informing our clients and advisors."
Shelter-in-place alerts
By Tuesday morning, the alert from the U.S. embassy in Mexico said that U.S. government staff was sheltering in place in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Ciudad Guzman "until all blockades are cleared, and we urge U.S. citizens to do the same."
But by Tuesday afternoon, those restrictions had been removed. It did say that U.S. government staff in Guadalajara, Puerto
Vallarta and Ciudad Guzman were subject to a nighttime curfew and could
not travel out of their metro areas.
The situation had also returned to normal in Baja California, including Tijuana, Tecate, and Ensenada; Quintana Roo, including Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Tulum; Colima; Guanajuato; Estado de Mexico; Nuevo Leon; Oaxaca; Puebla; Queretaro; San Luis Potosi; Sinaloa; Tamaulipas; Veracruz; and Zacatecas.
Airlines issue change waivers
The Feb. 24 alert from the embassy said that all airports in Mexico were open and most airports were operating normally. It said that multiple flights were operating the Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara airports. "Confirm that your flight is on track for departure from Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta before you depart for the airport," it said.
Airlines including United, American and Delta have issued change waivers for travel to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara.
Numerous flight cancellations had been reported in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara on Monday. As of Monday afternoon, 17% of Guadalajara departures for Monday had been canceled and 40% of Puerto Vallarta flights had been canceled, according to FlightAware. Cancellations were especially prevalent during morning hours, with airlines, including U.S. carriers, apparently taking a wait-and-see approach for later in the day.
Flyers should check with their airline and heed security warnings before heading to the airport.
Canceled cruise calls
Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have canceled calls to Puerto Vallarta.
Holland America's Zuiderdam and Princess Cruises' Royal Princess skipped calls on Feb. 23. The Zuiderdam is spending the day at sea. The Royal Princess will have an extended overnight call at Cabo San Lucas, beginning Feb. 23. It will visit Mazatlan on Feb. 25.
NCL's Norwegian Bliss will skip its scheduled stop in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 25.
MSC Cruises is proceeding with planned visits to Cozumel and Costa Maya, but a spokesperson said some shore excursions at the ports "may be adjusted or canceled."
Internova's advice to Mexico travelers
Travel advisors with clients in the parts of Mexico affected by the security alert should encourage them to heed the U.S. embassy's advice and shelter in place, John Rose, Internova Travel Group's chief risk advisor, said on Monday.
In addition to following that advice, Rose encouraged any travelers who have travel insurance in any form -- a leisure policy, a corporate policy or through their credit card, for instance -- to get in touch with that company.
Insurance companies will advise travelers to shelter in place, as the security alert suggested, he said. "But should movement need to happen, that organization will be able to then provide them the assistance," Rose said.
And getting on their radar now would only help if that should occur, he said. "It's like the big storm back East: There's only so many tow trucks that can get people out of the road. If you're in the queue, you're further up the line for assistance, because this is a large-scale happening."
Travelers with immediate plans to be in Mexico will have to delay, Rose said, but he isn't encouraging those with further-out plans to cancel or choose a different destination at this point.
"This is unfolding so rapidly," he said. "This could be over very quickly, which we all hope for."
Those who are sheltering in place at resort properties should be safe, Rose said, adding that "they're very controlled environments" where instances of crime are very low.
Cartel activity in Mexico, he said, "tends to be very focused on specific areas and specific movements, such as high worth individuals, people they can rob or people for political statements, not tourists."
This report is being updated with new information throughout.
Teri West, Robert Silk, Jamie Biesiada and Christina Jelski have contributed to this report.