Tour operators that sell a considerable amount of Mexico travel said they are concerned about the impact of ongoing reports about "illicit alcohol" being served at Cancun resorts.
"This ongoing story about Cancun could have a significant impact on our business to Mexico for the remainder of 2017 and 2018. Over the last three weeks, we have seen a large decline in Mexico bookings for future travel in 2017 and 2018," said Jack Richards, president and CEO of Pleasant Holidays.
Richards said he wasn't privy to the issue prior to the initial media reports emerging, and that Pleasant Holidays has not had any of its thousands of Mexico travelers report an issue to the company. Nevertheless, searches for Mexico on the company's website have declined, and calls to the reservations center for Mexico travel have dropped double digits.
Thus far, he said that Pleasant Holidays has experienced minimal cancellations due to the issue, but that several large groups booked to Mexico in 2017 and 2018 are considering changing to other destinations.
Mexico is one of the top destinations for Pleasant Holidays and has been for more than 15 years, noted Richards.
Delta Vacations, too, said it is working with worried clients in the wake of the news.
"We have received calls from travel agents and clients who are concerned about what's going on in Mexico," said Elizabeth Moriarty, vice president of product development for Delta Vacations.
Although Delta Vacations has not seen any impact on forward bookings to Mexico, Moriarty said the company is monitoring the issue closely.
"We are concerned about what's going on in Mexico," said Moriarty. "Tourism is one of the most important industries in Mexico." She noted that Mexico has been one of Delta Vacations' largest growth regions in 2017.
She added, "We are doing everything we can as it relates to our customers' safety and peace of mind when traveling to Mexico."