Mexico hotels are closing due to low occupancy

I have said many times that the media has blown the entire swine flu or H1N1 flu completely out of proportion with the amount of sensational coverage on this. Now, 2 weeks later, there are barely any mentions of it.

What did the media succeed in doing? In addition to scaring the daylights out of travelers, it also succeeded in helping to devastate an entire nation's tourism.

In the last couple of days, I have been notified that 3 hotel chains, Iberostar, Riu and now Barcelo, are consolidating their hotels in Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta by closing some and relocating guests to the few that will remain open. Granted, May is typically a slower time of year for tourism to Mexico but I have heard of occupancy rates as low as 18% at some hotels. In April, after the exaggerated reports of the drug wars in Cancun and now the flu, occupancy rates tumbled as travelers cancelled planned vacations or moved their vacations to other destinations.

In order to bring back tourists to Mexico's gorgeous resort areas, we need the airlines to continue to fly there. Many have already cut flights due to the lower demand. Apple Vacations is offering their charter flights on USA3000 for $99.99 each way (plus taxes) on most dates from May-October from Philadelphia to Cancun. One company can't single handedly bring back enough tourists to Mexico but it is certainly a step in the right direction.