by Donald Wood
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Tue January 16, 2018
After the United States government said Mexico's most popular tourist destinations remain safe to visit, the Hotel Association of Cancun and Puerto Morelos said the travel industry must remain vigilant.
According to Reportur.com, Hotel Association president-elect Roberto Cintron Gomez said that, despite the recommendation from the U.S. State Department that travelers exercise increased caution when visiting Mexico, the nation must continue working to improve the image of Quintana Roo tourist destinations.
Travel authorities are trying to avoid a return to dangerous levels of insecurity that would further impact tourism numbers in Mexico. The Hotel Association's vice president Abelardo Vara Rivera said hotel occupancy expectations in Cancun decreased between 10-15 percent for February and March, according to Riviera Maya News.
"At the moment, the reservations do not compare with last year," Rivera told Reportur.com.
Gomez and Rivera have been working with American officials to show the kind of security improvements being made to ensure the safety of visitors, and the updated travel advisory indicates the lobbying paid off.
The Hotel Association revealed top Mexican tourism destinations must continue to demonstrate improved security procedures in order for the U.S. government to avoid reissuing a warning or increasing the current advisory.
"It is time to work on the issue of security and then promote destinations with this added value," Rivera said. "All 2017 was a warning on the subject of security. We managed to change the perception in the United States but it is not time to rest on our laurels."
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