31 August 2010

Visit Mexicoââ¬~¦to see the slums?

Escalating violence has deterred many conventional travelers to Mexico aiming to drink margaritas at white-sand beaches but one area of the visitor market has thrived:
 

Innovative tourist agencies are now offering trips to remote mountain areas home to leftist Zapatista rebels and to the most crime-ridden neighborhoods of Mexico City, reports Reuters.
 

"It is uncertain whether the trend can provide a boost for Mexico's tourism sector, which accounts for about 9 percent of Latin America's second-largest economy," said the news service.
 

But foreign tourists, mostly from Europe, are signing up for undercover tours in Tepito, a sprawling market area in Mexico City notorious for drug deals, underage prostitution and pirated goods, said Cesar Estrada, head of Universal Travel.
 

Another community center runs what they call a 'safari' in this historic area, where many Mexicans refuse to set foot for fear of being robbed at gunpoint.
 

"We tell visitors to dress simply. If they want pictures, our guides take them discreetly," Estrada said.
 

By David Wilkening
 

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