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Backlash against travel to Mexico grows
http://money.canoe.ca/News/Sectors/M...467023-cp.html
TORONTO (CP) - Newspaper editorials slammed Mexican authorities and urged Canadian travellers to consider avoiding the country Tuesday amid a bizarre murder probe on the Yucatan Peninsula that's prompting allegations of coverup and shoddy police work. Domenico Ianiero, 59, and wife Annunziata, 55, of the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ont., were found dead in their hotel room in a resort near Cancun last week, their throats slashed. It took only 24 hours for the authorities to declare that the killing was the work of a professional and that their key suspects were Canadian and had already fled Mexico, prompting charges the whole affair was being swept under the carpet. In its Tuesday edition, the National Post encouraged Canadians to think about finding another place to spend their hard-earned tourism dollars. "This case proves what many have long known: Mexico's law enforcement and justice system are in dire need of reform," the Post editorial read. "Until that happens, Canadians planning their next vacation in Mexico might have reason to look elsewhere." Mexico is among Canada's most popular tourism destinations, the Globe and Mail said Tuesday in an editorial that urged the federal government to start flexing its diplomatic muscles and its Mexican counterpart to also take action. "It is not just the killings that are marring its name," the newspaper wrote. "It is the botched investigation - and the hauntingly apparent coverup." On Monday, Toronto radio talk show host Bill Carroll, in an editorial on Global TV's nightly newscast, urged spring break travellers to avoid the country altogether. So far, only a "handful" of Canadian travellers destined for Mexico have called with concerns about Mexico since the controversy erupted, said Richard Vanderlubbe, president of online travel agency tripcentral.ca. "If the story continues . . . and we find out that it's related in some way to the hotel's operations or negligence or what have you, then obviously it could have some lasting effect," said Vanderlubbe, whose company handles hundreds of trips to the country per month this time of year. Right now, however, travellers simply don't have enough information to make an informed decision about whether to change their plans, he added. "If (the investigation) is bungled in terms of a public relations exercise, that's a self-inflicted wound, but I think the event itself we can keep in perspective." From the start, critics have wondered aloud if Mexican authorities rushed their investigation into the killings for fear of hurting their multimillion-dollar tourist industry, accusing police of failing to properly preserve the murder scene and canvass possible witnesses. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay is set to meet with Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista during his visit to Ottawa this week. The pair are expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues on Friday, but it is not yet known whether the murders will be on the agenda. Cheryl Everall and Kimberley Kim, the two Thunder Bay, Ont., women identified as suspects by the Mexican authorities, denounced the allegations against them at a news conference as ridiculous. The pair stayed at the same seaside luxury resort as the victims and were allowed to board their scheduled flights back home the day after the bodies were discovered, despite the apparent concerns of police. Other guests at the hotel, many of them Canadian, were never interviewed. "If Canadians do not trust Mexico, vote with your pocketbook," read one posting on www.topix.net, a website that hosts discussion forums about various topics, including travel destinations. "I suggest travel to Cuba, it is safe for tourists." Next to the United States and the United Kingdom, Mexico is the top destination for tourists from Canada. Canadians spent $791 million in the country in 2004, according to the most recent figures available from Statistics Canada. Tourism officials and Mexican authorities have continued to insist the incident is isolated and does not pose a threat to prospective tourists. |
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