Destinations: The Media & Mexico
by Carl Meadows

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Being a thoughtful group travel organizer, I always take an emergency medical kit with me when I operate my travel programs around the world. After watching all of the media reports covering the turmoil in Mexico over the past few months, I became concerned and decided that I had better pack extra supplies for my next group program to Mexico which was soon approaching. Using the media’s “collateral damage” statistics (they have a statistic for everything) as guidance, I concluded that one dozen emergency medical kits and six body bags should do the trick for this group. So I packed up and away I went.

My group landed in Cancun on a beautiful, sunny day, and we were immediately met by our happy Mexican ground operators (I was a little surprised that none of them were wearing body armor). They handed us a cold face towel (which was refreshing) and a cold bottle of water, and then we were escorted about 30 yards to our air-conditioned deluxe motorcoach (no incident - so far, so good).

Because of the media reports, I was expecting some “incoming fire” on our way from the airport to the beautiful Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, but the “gods” were with us this day and thankfully we had none. Checking in at this fantastic resort was smooth and the bellmen, receptionists, and staff in general all seemed relatively calm (considering their situation) with big smiles.

After settling into our deluxe ocean-view rooms, I thought I would do a little “recon” of the beautifully landscaped property and was quite surprised at all of the people who were relaxing on the beach, in the pools, drinking at the bars, and dining at the many onsite restaurants. I’m sure the drug gangs were there, but were disguised as fun-loving, happy vacationers and were very hard to spot to the untrained eye.

But, overall, it had been a good day. I didn’t have to break open even one emergency medical kit or fill a body bag. At this point I’m thinking, “I’m a lucky guy!”

But, seriously, OK - I'm being a little sarcastic. Maybe if the media coverage of Mexico wasn't so slanted, I would consider their reporting objectively - but, it IS slanted, and that's a fact. (Hence, my sarcasm.)

The main sound bite of the media’s consistent reporting that has me upset is - “Do not travel to Mexico, period. It is too dangerous." Let me get this straight: Are we talking about the whole country of Mexico? Is the media really telling us that there is no “safe haven” left in the entire country? Wow! However, if you watch the videos and listen to the media’s commentary, that’s the only conclusion that you could possibly come to - that all of Mexico is one big war zone. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Wow again!

For your information, I have a little law enforcement and military background. When I was active, any night in one of our major cities in America could match what is happening in Mexico right now. Warm night, full moon and “Bingo,” a bunch of bad guys are “running and gunning!” Just like in Mexico. If the media did a concentrated blitz on our drug gang warfare, I guarantee you that we (America) would be in the exact same situation as Mexico. The media would be telling the world: “Do not travel to America, period. It is too dangerous." Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

No, I’m not delusional or in denial - Mexico does have a serious drug gang problem. So do America and most of the other countries around the world. But, it’s mostly concentrated in border towns (emphasis on BORDER TOWNS) and remote areas of Mexico’s countryside that are conducive for smuggling operations. Let me think: Do I want to take my groups to a border town or to a remote, isolated piece of Mexico countryside? I think not. Let’s talk border towns.

Border Towns

There’s trouble in a border town? Say it isn’t so! As a young Turk, I loved border towns. Why? Because that is where the action was. There is an “edge” about a border town that most ordinary towns don’t have. Being young and stupid (which I was), that was exactly what I was looking for. To date, nothing much has changed except for the ramped-up violence because of the prevalent drug gang situation.

Ninety percent of the media coverage is concentrated in the border towns along Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California borders. This is where the drug cartels have their strongholds and, consequently, this is where the “gang wars” are. If you decide to visit these border towns, then the odds of you getting shot, stabbed, kidnapped, robbed, raped or “caught in a crossfire” will go up considerably. The solution: Don’t visit the border towns! It’s that simple.

The point is that most border towns have always had that “edge” and can be trouble. Not exactly an ideal vacation destination. If you are looking for a fun-in-the-sun vacation, then choose one of the many dream vacation resorts that populate throughout all of Mexico. Most of the resort destinations in Mexico are extremely safe, and the wonderful people of Mexico are waiting with open arms to welcome you to their special part of the world.

Fighting the Drug Cartels - Shouldn’t This be a Good Thing?

Here is what really bothers me: All of the bad publicity that Mexico is getting is because Mexico finally has a president who is willing to fight the drug cartels that are ruining his country. Additionally, he is fighting corruption within the government at the same time. To that I have to say, “Bless President Calderon for his bravery and commitment to better his country.” It’s a dangerous mission that he is on.

The actions of President Calderon are not only courageous, but also necessary if Mexico ever wants to stabilize the country and eliminate the powerful drug cartels. Yet, the American media paints the whole of Mexico as a war zone which in turn hurts the Mexican economy. No doubt the continual bad press coverage over the past few months is hurting Mexico in many ways, with tourism being close to the top of the list.

The Media

Take the media with a grain of salt. In fact, take several grains of salt with tequila. Maybe that will help you get over the “doom and gloom” that the media is spouting on a daily basis, and then you can get on with your vacation. I know this worked for me.

Seriously (again), there is a quote by Benjamin Franklin that goes “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” These are very wise words, especially in this day of media manipulation. You should practice memorizing this quote during your daily salt and tequila sessions.

Mexico and Mexicans - Great Place, Great People!

I have been traveling extensively to Mexico for more than 40 years, and I love the country, the food, the music, and (most of all) the gracious, fun-loving people. And, I admit, over the years I have turned into a “Mexiphile.” How could I not? They have a great sense of humor, and I’m taller than most of them. A majority of the Mexican population love Americans and America. The majority of the people are caring and respectful to visitors of their country, much as Americans are to our visitors from foreign lands.

Mexico’s history and culture, as well as its abundance of ancient ruins, is as fascinating as any destination around the world. For Americans, what more could you ask for in a dream vacation?

As sellers of leisure travel, incentive travel, group travel, and conference and meeting travel, we should all band together and support travel to Mexico. Mexico is, and always has been, a staunch travel ally and now, more than ever, they need our help and support. In Mexico’s time of need, let’s not let them down. After all, when the media gets tired of covering Mexico, America may be their next target, and we may need all the help we can get. Always remember, what goes around comes around.

The bottom line is this: When it comes to a wonderful, warm-weather vacation, Mexico has more deluxe resorts and exotic destinations than you can shake a taco at. You cannot beat Mexico for a consistently great time and an equally great value for your vacation dollar, and that’s a fact. Forget the biased media reporting and “come on down” ... the water’s just fine!

There, I’ve had my say (other than “Viva Mexico!").

Carl Meadows is a veteran group travel specialist and marketing consultant who teaches a group travel organizer business course at Denver’s Colorado Free University and writes articles for various travel industry magazines. He is also the author of the online travel business course titled Write Your Own Ticket! at www.CarlMeadows.com. You may contact him at carl@grouptravelbusiness.com.

(Credits: Carl Meadows; Dave Park; Jack Hynes; Alejandro Garcia; Kfengler; Palace Resorts)