By MARC LACEY
Published: April 26, 2009
The New York Times
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s tourism industry was in crisis even before the government announced the presence of a deadly influenza virus a few days ago and began handing out surgical masks by the millions and shuttering virtually all public gathering spots in the capital.
The industry has been grappling in recent months with fears that Mexico’s drug war has made the country too risky to visit. Now comes a mysterious virus that runs the risk of turning the country into a no-go zone in the minds of many travelers.
Rafael García González, president of the Mexico City Hotel Association, reported a 20 percent drop in national tourism to the capital over the weekend and said the effects of the crisis on international visitors were still being assessed. Daniel Loaeza, vice president of the National Restaurant Association, said the closing of restaurants for even a few days could mean significant damage to the industry.
Alejandro Rojas, Mexico City’s secretary of tourism, met with Rodolfo Elizondo, the national tourism director, and others in the industry on Sunday to assess how the health crisis could affect tourism and to mount an aggressive response.
“We are going to come to an agreement to distribute to the world the real situation in Mexico,” Mr. Rojas told the newspaper Reforma.
Still, the news from health officials only seems to get worse, with the number of deaths believed tied to the flu virus rising to 103, according to government officials, and the number of people suspected to have been sickened across the country about 1,600 since April 13.
Mexican officials took pains to note that no government had issued an official ban on travel to Mexico. But there were worrisome indications on the horizon, with Hong Kong issuing a strong warning against travel here.
For those who had already arrived, many of the recommended tourist destinations, including historical sites, museums and top restaurants, have been shut down on the order of health officials. And Mayor Marcelo Ebrard told reporters on Sunday that if the epidemic grew worse he might order additional measures, including the closing of the public transportation system.
Double-decker tour buses continued to traverse Mexico’s capital over the weekend, rolling past the majestic National Palace, areas in the expansive Chapultepec Park, including the zoo, and the Frida Kahlo Museum. But the tourists aboard, who took in the sights wearing face masks, were unable to go inside the popular attractions because of the emergency measures.
“It’s such a shame,” said Elena Rogova, who was visiting from Moscow with a friend. “We wanted to go to the Anthropology Museum and the Frida Kahlo Museum and so many other museums. All we can do is walk.”
Another visitor, Paula Sezenna, walking along the Paseo de la Reforma, found a silver lining to the crisis. Ms. Sezenna, who was on a business trip from Italy, said the normal crowds at the pyramids of Teotihuacan outside the capital on weekends had thinned considerably.
Warned at a youth hostel that they should not go downtown, a group of women from Australia and New Zealand decided to go anyway, equipped with hand sanitizer and accepting masks from a soldier once they got to the Zócalo, the city’s central square. “We put them on for photos,” said Stephanie Gawne, 24, who professed not to be alarmed.
But Jessamyn Cull, 23, said she had been recovering from the flu when she arrived. “I am a tad worried,” she said, indicating that the group might leave Mexico soon and head for their next stop in Guatemala.
There was no apparent rush to leave the country at Mexico City’s airport, although a few foreign tourists said in interviews there that they had changed their flights to return home early.
“I was afraid they would stop people from flying back to the United States,” said Tom Dillon, 43, who was returning to New York.
A soccer team from the German School of White Plains considered its trip a bust. The boys had arrived to play in a tournament on Friday and Saturday, only to find that all their matches had been canceled.
The United States Embassy in Mexico City, which has warned Americans about the effects of drug violence in a travel alert, said there were no constraints on travel between the United States and Mexico. But after Mexico decided to limit public gatherings, the embassy said it would suspend the processing of thousands of tourist visas this week.
Elisabeth Malkin and Antonio Betancourt contributed reporting.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 27, 2009, on page A10 of the New York edition.
Published: April 26, 2009
The New York Times
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s tourism industry was in crisis even before the government announced the presence of a deadly influenza virus a few days ago and began handing out surgical masks by the millions and shuttering virtually all public gathering spots in the capital.
The industry has been grappling in recent months with fears that Mexico’s drug war has made the country too risky to visit. Now comes a mysterious virus that runs the risk of turning the country into a no-go zone in the minds of many travelers.
Rafael García González, president of the Mexico City Hotel Association, reported a 20 percent drop in national tourism to the capital over the weekend and said the effects of the crisis on international visitors were still being assessed. Daniel Loaeza, vice president of the National Restaurant Association, said the closing of restaurants for even a few days could mean significant damage to the industry.
Alejandro Rojas, Mexico City’s secretary of tourism, met with Rodolfo Elizondo, the national tourism director, and others in the industry on Sunday to assess how the health crisis could affect tourism and to mount an aggressive response.
“We are going to come to an agreement to distribute to the world the real situation in Mexico,” Mr. Rojas told the newspaper Reforma.
Still, the news from health officials only seems to get worse, with the number of deaths believed tied to the flu virus rising to 103, according to government officials, and the number of people suspected to have been sickened across the country about 1,600 since April 13.
Mexican officials took pains to note that no government had issued an official ban on travel to Mexico. But there were worrisome indications on the horizon, with Hong Kong issuing a strong warning against travel here.
For those who had already arrived, many of the recommended tourist destinations, including historical sites, museums and top restaurants, have been shut down on the order of health officials. And Mayor Marcelo Ebrard told reporters on Sunday that if the epidemic grew worse he might order additional measures, including the closing of the public transportation system.
Double-decker tour buses continued to traverse Mexico’s capital over the weekend, rolling past the majestic National Palace, areas in the expansive Chapultepec Park, including the zoo, and the Frida Kahlo Museum. But the tourists aboard, who took in the sights wearing face masks, were unable to go inside the popular attractions because of the emergency measures.
“It’s such a shame,” said Elena Rogova, who was visiting from Moscow with a friend. “We wanted to go to the Anthropology Museum and the Frida Kahlo Museum and so many other museums. All we can do is walk.”
Another visitor, Paula Sezenna, walking along the Paseo de la Reforma, found a silver lining to the crisis. Ms. Sezenna, who was on a business trip from Italy, said the normal crowds at the pyramids of Teotihuacan outside the capital on weekends had thinned considerably.
Warned at a youth hostel that they should not go downtown, a group of women from Australia and New Zealand decided to go anyway, equipped with hand sanitizer and accepting masks from a soldier once they got to the Zócalo, the city’s central square. “We put them on for photos,” said Stephanie Gawne, 24, who professed not to be alarmed.
But Jessamyn Cull, 23, said she had been recovering from the flu when she arrived. “I am a tad worried,” she said, indicating that the group might leave Mexico soon and head for their next stop in Guatemala.
There was no apparent rush to leave the country at Mexico City’s airport, although a few foreign tourists said in interviews there that they had changed their flights to return home early.
“I was afraid they would stop people from flying back to the United States,” said Tom Dillon, 43, who was returning to New York.
A soccer team from the German School of White Plains considered its trip a bust. The boys had arrived to play in a tournament on Friday and Saturday, only to find that all their matches had been canceled.
The United States Embassy in Mexico City, which has warned Americans about the effects of drug violence in a travel alert, said there were no constraints on travel between the United States and Mexico. But after Mexico decided to limit public gatherings, the embassy said it would suspend the processing of thousands of tourist visas this week.
Elisabeth Malkin and Antonio Betancourt contributed reporting.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 27, 2009, on page A10 of the New York edition.
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