Mexican travel industry is completely devastated by the outbreak of swine flu. The impact swine flu had on Mexican economy so far is estimated at $2.3 Billion, which represents 0.3% of gross domestic product. Air lines cancelled most of their flights to Mexico, cruise liners change itineraries from Mexico and server other ports instead, vacation providers offered customers who purchased vacations in Mexico substitutes in other Caribbean countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Cuba and those few who were in Mexico during swine flu outbreak and returned to their home country attest to Mexican all inclusive resorts looking like ghost towns. Yes, Mexico has been hit hard and the effects of swine flu will last for at least a few more months.
Obviously, resorts in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the Caribbean are laughing as they are cashing in on insane influx of extra tourists – we’re talking millions of tourists who would otherwise go to Mexico but now take their vacations elsewhere. That also obviously means that resorts in Mexico are losing millions of dollars. Realizing that this could be the end of many Mexican resorts, the owners of hotels on Mexico’s Caribbean coast and other people who are dependent on Mexican tourism industry got together with a plan to try to salvage what they can before it’s too late.
It started with very strict hygiene procedures throughout resorts and now that they are sure their resorts are 100% safe and free from infection, they’re offering a guarantee that no tourist visiting their resort will catch a swine flu, or else they will provide them with three years of free vacations. Three years of free vacations to any tourist who would catch swine flu while vacationing at their resort – that is the guarantee that Mexican hotels on the Caribbean cost are offering to every tourist who disregards the swine flu scare and comes to their resort.
That’s quite a solid guarantee which seems to me like an excellent chance to take a ridiculously inexpensive vacation knowing you will be looked after like never before. Why do i say that? Because they have no tourists there right now and if you do decide to come, you will be one of few. You will be treated royally and they will make damn sure you won’t be possibly exposed to any swine flu particles. This is an all or nothing bid on their behalf. They can either lose everything or gain everything. So you can be sure they will go above and beyond to make sure they will not lose.
Also, because Mexican all inclusive resorts are such ghost towns, the prices will have dropped so if you decide to take your vacation in Mexico now, it will be way cheaper than usual. It totally seems like a can’t lose situation. And if swine flu gets you, you will end up with three years of free vacation in Mexico. To me this screams that every person who doesn’t have weakened immunity can only benefit from it. If you take proper precautions that eliminate possibility of getting infected with swine flu, you should be fine even in the area where swine flu exists. If you get infected never the less and act on it as soon as you realize you could be infected, chances are good you will heal up and overcome infection. If that happened while on your vacation in Mexico’s Caribbean coast, you’d get yourself three years of free vacation there. I don’t know about you, but I’m tempted.
Up to this point, there have been 58 reported deaths in Mexico resulting from the outbreak of H1N1 strain of Influenza A. Owners of holiday resorts who participate in this “Free Vacation for Three Years” promotion claim that their beach resorts are swine flu free and tourists can return there safely. Many claim that areas such as Puerto Vallarta on the west coast or Cozumel on the east coast have never registered any cases of Swine Flu.
Free Vacation in Mexico for Three Years Criteria
In order to qualify for free vacation in Mexico for three years, you would have to take vacation in one of participating beach resorts and if you get diagnosed with swine flu within 8 days after returning from your trip, you will get free vacationing in Mexico for three years.
Does such guarantee appeal to you, or are you a believer that no savings in the world is worth the risk of getting infected with potentially deadly virus? As for me, swine flu doesn’t bother me as much as drug wars, murders and corruption. These are the real reasons why I haven’t been to Mexico for a while and have no intentions to change it anytime soon (even though the free vacation offer sounds tempting). Extreme cruelty of drug lords who roam the land unpunished offing anyone who crosses their business is far scarier than swine flu. And with corruption going rampant across Mexico, I have little reason to trust they would honor the free vacation “guarantee”? But that’s just me.
