A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travelling Style » All-inclusive Resorts
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Backlash against travel to Mexico grows



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 2nd, 2006, 01:48 AM posted to rec.travel.resorts.all-inclusive
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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.
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Airline information on-line on the Internet FAQ John R. Levine Air travel 3 July 5th, 2005 07:28 PM
Airline information on-line on the Internet FAQ John R. Levine Air travel 0 June 19th, 2005 11:00 AM
Airline information on-line on the Internet FAQ John R. Levine Air travel 0 June 5th, 2005 11:00 AM
Airline Ticket Consolidators and Bucket Shops FAQ Edward Hasbrouck Air travel 0 February 16th, 2004 11:03 AM
Airline Ticket Consolidators and Bucket Shops FAQ Edward Hasbrouck Air travel 0 December 15th, 2003 10:48 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:06 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.