Assaults on American tourists bringing hard times to Mexico’s Baja
Recent attacks on American tourists along Mexican beaches at the border near San Diego have discouraged the usually hardy visitors market, according to tourism officials.
“Surfers and kayakers are frightened to hit the waters of the northern stretch of Mexico’s Baja California, long popular as a weekend destination for US tourists,” said the AP.
Weddings have been canceled. Lobster restaurants just a few steps from the Pacific were almost empty on the usually busy New Year’s weekend.
Shakedowns by police and drug-related violence have always been a part of the scene here. But attacks last summer by masked, armed bandits has scared even longtime visitors, said the wire service.
The Baja California peninsula is known worldwide for clean and sparsely populated beaches. Food and hotels are cheap. But news of assaults have begun to overshadow its appeal.
To cite just one example: A San Diego family returning from the Baja 1000 off-road race was pulled over on the toll road by a car with flashing lights. Heavily armed men held the family hostage for two hours. They eventually released them but stole the family’s truck.
”People are just saying,’no way.’ They don’t want to deal with the risk,” said Jan Kleck who used to sponsor trips to Baja.
The US government has not found a widespread increase in attacks on Americans but many crimes go unreported, admitted Charles Smith, a spokesman for the US consulate in Tijuana.
The State Department has long warned motorists on Mexico’s border to watch for people following them, though no new warnings have been issued.
Mexican officials acknowledge crime has threatened a lifeblood of Baja’s economy.
In Playas de Rosarito, a city of 130,000, police were forced to surrender their weapons last month for testing to determine links to any crimes.
“We cannot minimize what’s happening to public safety,” said Oscar Escobedo Carignan, Baja’s new secretary of tourism. “We’re going to impose order … We’re indignant about what’s happening.”
Tourism numbers are down. About 18 million visited Baja in 2007, down from 21 million the previous year. And hotel occupancy rates are also dropping.
Some estimates are that tourism is down 30%.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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