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05/04/09
Cancun, Stunned by Swine Flu News
Filed under: Cancun Tourism, Island Sounds, Cancun Swine Flu/AH1N1
Posted by: Dangers @ 4:01 pm

Editor’s Note: We’ve taken the liberty of posting hotels reporting closings or major changes below at the bottom of the blog for those interested, courtesy of Funjet, please keep in mind, these are reported as of today, may not include all resorts, and may change.

Cancun, holding tough in the face of the swine flu, influenza A(H1N1), onslaught took another heavy blow today as reports from the Office of the Governor of Quintana Roo, confirmed two cases of swine flu in the resort city by the sea. The two cases bring to three the total of cases confirmed in Quintana Roo in the last 24 hours.
http://www.noticaribe.com.mx/chetumal/2009/05/confirman_primer_caso_de_influenza_h1n1_en_qr_fuera_de_peligro.html

The populace had already been reeling from the effects of the swine flu scare in Mexico City, some 1200 miles away, and the rest of the world, when the reports were announced on Sunday afternoon. Cancun, previously free of confirmed cases of the virus, is heavily reliant on the tourism industry and previous reports had already created thousands of cancellations and delayed bookings with major tour providers in some countries canceling tours en masse over the next few weeks due to government warnings.

Reports of Hotel “consolidations” are rampant with discussion openly now amongst hotel owners of possible closures should the swine flu scare continue and occupancy numbers continue to plummet. In short, consolidation means the resort chains with multiple hotels in the area will move guests booked for one resort to a sister resort in order to minimize losses while closing down or partially closing the other resort.
http://www.noticaribe.com.mx/cancun/2009/05/anticipan_cierre_de_hoteles.html

The reality is that resorts such as the Barcelo, Riu and Melia chains have already begun to do so while other resorts will likely follow suit where able.

Reported hotel occupancy as of Sunday, May 3, had fallen to 27%, which is staggeringly low for a major resort city, especially Cancun. http://www.ahqr.com.mx/ingles/bien.php

Thus far, the hardy faithful, tourists and visitors whom were able to arrive in Cancun have been doing so despite often insurmountable odds of tour cancellations, flight cancellations and adverse public opinion at home, with some visitors even making claims of employer harassment should they go forth with scheduled plans to visit Mexico. We highly advise all people with plans in Cancun to now confirm all details and aspects of their trips with their tour operator if applicable, airline and hotel.

But that is far from the worst of it, tens of thousands of Cancunense are now looking at layoffs, shrinking wages and tips, widespread unemployment and more difficulty in trying to make ends meet. While it may be hard to feel sympathy for large hotels in the region ran by international companies, the bottom line is that these resorts provide thousands of jobs and clients that spread the tourist dollar widely across the region. The local business sector and their owners will be hard pressed to remain operational as tourism drys up under the sway of international scrutiny and adverse opinion.

And, now, with the first cases of confirmed A(H1N1) virus in Cancun, the weight of public opinion becomes that much harder to dissuade.

Cancun, the real estate, doesn’t know swine flu from sunshine as beautiful beaches, seas and weather continue, as her hardy inhabitants once again are forced to brace themselves for major economic shock, while going about their day to day lives.

But, those ancient cities of the Maya tell another story as they stand vacant waiting for guests,Tulum still sits patiently, if not majestically on her Caribbean Sea perch, Coba stands mightily, guarding the crossroads of the ancient Maya, and Chichen Itza, the magical city of Maya empire, looks down upon the confusion of swine flu in disdain.

Watching human behavior over 1500 or so years can do that for a gal…

Dangers…

Below…another from the YouTube favorites video collection, this by “letstalkaboutstuff” featuring the sights of Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean along with Spanish singer extraordinaire, Rosana. Trust me on this one, if this doesn’t get one in the mood for Mexico and the Caribbean, nothing will. 

Enjoy.




As of today, and thanks to the folks at Funjet, here’s at least a
partial list of closures (9 Hotels in total) and consolidations. I’d
caution folks to keep an eye on closings and consolidations beyond the
current dates posted if traveling regarding their resorts and note once
again, there’s likely to be additional resorts not mentioned here
involved.

As always, be prepared to contact your hotel or travel provider for confirmations and additional info.

Barcelo Tucancun:

Due to the temporary closure of the Barcelo Tucancun guests due to arrive 5/6/09 through 5/19/09 will be upgraded to the Barcelo Costa Cancun. Policy Expires - 05/15/2009

Grand Oasis Caribbean:

Updated: 5/1/09 Due to the temporary closure of the Grand Oasis
Caribbean guests due to arrive 5/5/09 through 6/5/09 will be upgraded
to the Grand Oasis Cancun.

Grand Oasis Playa:

Updated: 5/1/09 Due to the temporary closure of the Grand Oasis
Playa guests due to arrive 5/5/09 through 6/5/09 will be upgraded to
the Grand Oasis Cancun.

Grand Oasis Viva:

Updated: 5/1/09 Due to the temporary closure of the Grand Oasis Viva
guests due to arrive 5/5/09 through 6/5/09 will be upgraded to the
Grand Oasis Cancun.

ME Cancun:

Updated: 5/1/09 Due to the temporary closure of the ME Cancun guests
due to arrive 5/4/09 through 5/27/09 will be upgraded to the Gran Melia Cancun.

Oasis Palm Beach:

Updated: 5/1/09 Due to the temporary closure of the Oasis Palm Beach
guests due to arrive 5/5/09 through 6/5/09 will be upgraded to the Oasis Cancun.

Oasis Viva Beach:

Updated: 5/1/09 Due to the temporary closure of the Oasis Viva Beach
guests due to arrive 5/5/09 through 6/5/09 will be upgraded to the
Oasis Cancun.

Riu Caribe:

Updated: 4/30/2009 Due to the temporary closure of the Riu Caribe
guests due to arrive 5/3/09 through 5/21/09 will be upgraded to the Riu Cancun.

Royal Solaris Cancun:

Updated: 5/6/09 Due to the temporary closure of the Royal Solaris
Cancun guests due to arrive 5/3/09 through 5/31/09 will be upgraded to
the GR Solaris Cancun.

For Hotels in Cozumel and the RM, along with more info follow the link:

www.funjet.com/advisories/advisoryDetail.asp…

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