Hoteliers Want Results, Not Excuses
The Hotels Association of Acapulco has “had it” with government excuses and explanations. It wants results. Recently the federal Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara Manzo, testified before Congress that the 20 men from Michoacán who disappeared in Acapulco two weeks ago “did not fit the tourist profile.” The Hotel group feels that the Secretary of Tourism should focus her efforts on counteracting the image of violence that has settled on the tourist cities of the country. She should work to ensure the safety of visitors and locals. She should stop trying to worry whether the 20 men from Michoacán were tourists or not because they did or did not have hotel reservations.
The long-standing technical definition in the industry for “tourist” is “a person who travels from his habitual place of residence to another for purposes of recreation or leisure, and who uses facilities provided for tourism at the destination.” Under this definition, the presence or absence of a hotel reservation would make no difference. According to the Hotel Association, only about half of the tourists arriving in Acapulco (other than at holiday times) travel with a prior reservation. They felt the Secretary of Tourism was not even aware of how the term is employed in the industry, and that she had insufficient experience or knowledge to act ably in her position.
The group further criticized the Secretary’s remarks for undermining the very objective of tourism promotion. “The idea is to provide security for all of society, whether or not they are tourists; nobody will ever know if [the 20 from Michoacán] were tourists or not; but the important thing is to not let anybody disappear when travelling to some tourist destination. That is the part fatal to the image," explained Salmerón Manzanares, local director of the Playa Suites. Others speaking to the press after their meeting added that they are receiving calls every day from customers and travel professionals who want to know what is going on in Acapulco, given all the press coverage on local violence. They commented, “All you can say is that the tourists who come feel secure and almost never encounter any problems. But that really only helps a little.”
