Jamie Biesiada
When cartel-related upheaval resulted in shelter-in-place orders for Americans in many tourist destinations in Mexico, travel advisors sprang into action, notifying clients with trips on the books and helping those on the ground in affected areas.
It’s not unusual. Whenever situations occur around the world, chances are good there are advisors with clients affected. But each situation is different, and each brings learnings that can be applied in the future.
Here are two of their stories, and their advice for their peers should similar situations arise.
An uncertain hotel transfer
Yvonne Heerema of The Shameless Tourist in Austin had clients, a couple, staying at the One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayarit as the situation unfolded on Sunday, Feb. 22. The resort is about an hour's drive north of Puerto Vallarta.
She immediately got in touch and informed them of the situation (the clients avoid the news while on vacation). The hotel had also gotten in touch with guests, telling them they were safe behind its gates and security guards.
These particular clients visit Mexico annually. They usually stay in Cabo, but on this trip decided to do a split stay between the One&Only Mandarina and Naviva, a Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, about 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. They planned to transfer between properties on Monday, Feb. 23.
"That obviously was concerning because they were supposed to shelter in place and stay off the road," Heerema said.
She had arranged transfers through One&Only. The situation was also complicated because Naviva only has 15 bungalows, and with the shelter-in-place order keeping some guests longer than planned, they were unsure if they could accommodate Heerema's clients.
It was, she said, "an hour-by-hour type of situation." She remained in frequent contact with both hotels. Heerema commended both properties for their level of communication.
Ultimately, the guests were able to safely and uneventfully transfer on Monday afternoon. They saw some cars with fire damage along the way, but nothing else concerning.
The only issues they encountered were more limited services at both properties in the form of limited menus and restaurant options.
"They're in such great spirits," Heerema reported on Wednesday.
Heerema has clients scheduled to visit Mexico in April and May, and they’re in wait-and-see mode right now.
"They’re going to have to decide their level of comfort for wanting to travel there, and that’s something I can’t decide for them," she said.
She always refers clients to the State Department's website for updated information.
Heerema, who has traveled through Mexico extensively alone and with her family, hopes the incidents don't have a chilling effect on travel to the destination.
"I just hope that people aren’t going to look at this and say, 'I don't ever want to travel to Mexico again,'" Heerema said.
Gathering the facts on the ground
Mandee Migliaccio, CEO of Stepping Out Travel Services in Brick, N.J., spent Feb. 22 and 23 playing therapist.
She had a group with 15 rooms headed to Riviera Maya on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and her priority was getting them accurate information.
"That was my biggest challenge [on Monday, Feb. 23]: finding factual resources so I can then give my clients the facts," she said, noting there were falsities circling on the internet.
She called friends who live in Mexico to get real-time information. Another travel advisor friend arrived in the area Monday and drove to the resort where her clients were headed, and she shot video. The resort shared what her clients could expect getting there from the airport and what things were like around town.
"I can then feel confident in telling my clients that all is good," Migliaccio said. "When people are making decisions about their safety and they’re coming to me for guidance, I want to make sure I have everything -- all of my i's dotted and my t's crossed."
In terms of future Mexico bookings, only one family that was headed to Puerto Vallarta in April has indicated they'll likely switch destinations, she said, but most are taking a wait-and-see approach.
The importance of taking action
When situations like this occur, both advisors stressed that one of the most important things for an agent to do is be proactive.
"You have to get right on top of it," Migliaccio said, noting she immediately sent an email to every client letting them know she was in the process of gathering more information on the situation. "That calmed the nerves a little bit."
Heerema encouraged her fellow advisors to remain calm and act as a steady source of information.
When it comes to disseminating information, Migliaccio said it's critical to fact-check everything. She was up nearly the entire night Sunday into Monday gathering, and documenting, information.
She said she hopes to get to Puerto Vallarta soon herself.
"This is something an old-timer travel agent told me," Migliaccio said. "When 9/11 happened, nobody was traveling. When Covid happened, nobody was traveling. She had told me that they're not going to travel until you travel. You've got to show them what it’s looking like. Get out there. Show people it's safe, because if you're not going, your clients aren't going to go."