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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

February 2011 Edition

Cruise Lines Return to Mazatlan After Safety Issues Addressed

Mazatlan tourism officials report the Mexican port is now busy with cruise passengers just a week after several cruise lines cancelled calls there, citing increased crime. “Earlier this week, we welcomed thousands of passengers from major cruise lines, including Holland America, Celebrity, Carnival and Norwegian,” said Julio Birrueta, spokesman for the Mazatlan Tourism Trust.

The Pacific Coast destination hosts more than 52000 cruise passengers annually. In addition to those cruise companies mentioned above, lines that visit Mazatlan include Crystal Cruises, Princess, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, among others. In response to last week’s questions over safety, Mexico Tourism Minister Gloria Guevara Manzo, Gov. Mario Lopez Valdez and other state and local officials met earlier this week with executives from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association to develop a plan to underscore the destination’s commitment to the safety of cruise passengers and all visitors to the destination. Following the meeting, Francisco Cordova Celaya, the state secretary of public safety, announced new measures for Mazatlan that will serve as a model to other destinations throughout Mexico.

The State Department of Public Safety will bolster its tourism police force with a special unit of plain-clothes security personnel in the main tourist areas, including shore excursion sites. In addition, the office of the state attorney will add more bilingual agents to assist visitors. “These agents will make the safety of all visitors their priority,” said Marco Antonio Higuera, the state attorney. “Should any concerns arise among cruise passengers, we will notify cruise line officials immediately.” In an effort to assure a speedy and accurate communication, the state secretary of tourism will notify cruise officials directly should any concerns arise.

After a one-week hiatus, Holland America resumed service to Mazatlan this week. Princess Cruises is scheduled to return Feb. 12. “Our security team is monitoring the situation very closely and at this time we don’t have an itinerary change to report,” Princess said.

Mazatlan hosts nearly two million visitors annually, and that number has increased steadily for the past five years, according to Birrueta. He added that many travelers return year after year for extended stays, with nearly 9,000 U.S. and Canadian citizens making this seaside destination their winter home.

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