Spring Break...Broken

So my spring break trip to Acapulco next week was recently canceled. Apparently, Mexican drug Cartels are trying to make up for money lost on their drug trade by kidnapping tourists and holding them for ransom. There's been a lot of rumors going around and a lot of hearsay, so I did some research to find out what the real deal is over there.

Last week, on February 27, the Boston Globe reported that universities around the country were warning their students not to go to Mexico because of the recent surge in killings and mayhem. The Miami Herald beat them by a day.

Apparently, the action is mostly in border towns, according to the official travel alert from the U.S. Department of State issued on February 20, like Tijuana. There have still been killings documented in Cancun and Acapulco, both popular spring break getaways. The August 2008 report by the Dept. of State said that there was a rise in street crime and kidnapping in Acapulco and a few other locations. Last year in Mexico, there were 6,000 drug related killings.

Both the Globe and the Herald had a statement from Tom Mangan, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives: "We have had documented violence, attacks, killings, shootouts with the drug cartels involving not only the military but law enforcement personnel. It is indiscriminate violence, and certainly innocent people have been caught up in that collateral damage."'

Attorney General Eduardo Mora of Mexico told the Associated Press that "There is no major risk for students coming into Mexico in general terms. It is always important to advise the youngsters to behave."

Does Sr. Mora has a hidden agenda there? After all, 80% of tourists in Mexico come from the U.S., that's a lot of money to lose.

I can honestly say that after some serious googling, I haven't found much about the kidnappings of late. I guess the warning is enough though. Who needs the sandy beaches and clear skies of Acapulco when I can go from the cold of Boston to the cold of New York? Lovely.



Out of curiosity, who had trips planned to Mexico and canceled them because of the warnings as well?