(MathHotels.com) — Although President Claudia Sheinbaum and her security minister stated on Monday that Mexico was resuming normalcy following a weekend of cartel-related violence, numerous travelers visiting Puerto Vallarta and other locations continued to experience flight cancellations and shelter-in-place advisories.
The travel disruptions started on Sunday when criminal organizations established roadblocks, set vehicles on fire, and assaulted businesses in response to thecapture and killingregarding Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico’s most sought-after drug lord. Foreign governments such as Canada and the United States issued travel warnings and stay-at-home recommendations for citizens traveling within the country, and numerous flights were cancelled to various regions of Mexico.
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Sheinbaum stated that all commercial flights are anticipated to restart by Tuesday during her daily morning press briefing. Security minister Omar García Harfuch also mentioned that85 roadblockscarried out by criminal organizations in reaction to Oseguera’s death on Sunday had disappeared, and the nation was resuming normalcy.
However, visitors on the ground presented a different scene.
Joanne Vaccaro, a 71-year-old American visitor, first became aware of the risk when she tried to drive with her travel mates on Sunday in San Pancho, a charming town located an hour from Puerto Vallarta, and was informed by hotel employees that she couldn’t depart because of road blockages and ongoing conflict.
We couldn’t depart, and every business in the town was shut down, so there wasn’t any food available,” Vaccaro stated. “We did discover a small store that was open, so we waited in line for an hour and managed to purchase mostly unhealthy snacks, with very little remaining in the supermarket.
Some of the most severely impacted regions by the violence include Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, cities located in the western state of Jalisco, where Oseguera — the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as “El Mencho” — was apprehended by Mexican special forces on Sunday and subsequently passed away while in custody.
Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero, Nuevo León, Baja California, and Quintana Roo have also experienced significant disruptions and business shutdowns. In Jalisco, there have been over 200 violent incidents at Oxxo stores and gas stations, according to Femsa, the owner of the convenience store chain, in a statement released on Monday. The company mentioned that it has started to reopen stores “as conditions permit.”
On Monday, Aeromexico stated that flights to and from Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and Tepic are “gradually returning to normal,” with regular service anticipated by Tuesday at the latest. However, in other areas, worries have increased that the violence will keep spreading.
Canada extended its list of impacted regions late Sunday, urging its citizens to comply with instructions from local authorities, such as stay-at-home mandates, and to travel only when it is secure. Foreign Minister Anita Anand mentioned on Monday morning that over 26,000 Canadians had registered with Global Affairs Canada, marking an increase of 8,000 within 24 hours.
“We are aware that the real number of Canadians in Mexico is probably significantly higher,” she stated. The government’s registration system faced early technical issues because of a sudden increase in demand, but it is now operating effectively, she mentioned.
The leading airline of the northern country, Air Canada, stated late Monday that it will restart flights to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, with services to Guadalajara resuming the next day.
The aftermath of Sunday’s raid caused turmoil in the markets, with transport stocks being particularly affected because of road closures and flight cancellations. The Mexican peso declined by up to 0.9% on Monday, falling more than other emerging market currencies. Five- and ten-year credit default swaps increased, while Mexican stocks measured by the Mexbol index dropped by as much as 1.8%, with losses in airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico leading the decline.
Airline company Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB, also referred to as Volaris, declined by 7.7%, its largest drop in 10 months, with trading volume doubling. The $2.6 billion iShares MSCI Mexico ETF dropped as much as 2.9%, marking the biggest intraday decrease in three weeks.
Hotels in the Puerto Vallarta region continued their normal operations, but there were clear indications of concern and exhaustion among the workers. A group of tourists from Winnipeg mentioned that their flight was cancelled, and hotel staff had to spend the night outdoors as it was unsafe to return home. Individuals stood in line at hotel front desks seeking updates about their accommodations.
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In the Punta Mita region, a nearby high-end tourist spot, hotel employees were also stuck, and one beach was blocked off, as reported by a visitor who wished to remain anonymous because of safety issues. The individual mentioned that the hotel management sent an email to residents in the area, kindly asking if anyone would be willing to accommodate any of the stranded staff. Although some people agreed, others were scared to take in strangers due to worries they might be connected to drug gangs, the person noted.
Vaccaro was unaware if her flight departing from Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday would be called off. In San Pancho, she mentioned that restaurants and other businesses had started to reopen as early as Monday. “People are trying to determine how and when they can leave this place,” she stated. “We just have to wait and see how things develop.”
Late Monday afternoon, the security screening at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport was unusually quiet, with departure information displays showing several flights marked as canceled in orange.
Puerto Vallarta native and taxi driver Tomas Rivera Mascorro faced the journey to the airport, encountering multiple burned-out cars and a Corona truck that was completely destroyed. “This region is referred to as the friendliest city in the world,” Mascorro, 53, shared with MathHotels.com. “We aren’t accustomed to witnessing this level of violence.”
–With help from Laura Dhillon Kane, Carolina Millan, Zijia Song, Antonia Mufarech, and Alex Newman.
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