Filed under: North America, Mexico, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, CruisesCrime in Mexico has caused cruise lines to carefully assess whether or not they should be bringing business to the country. Recently, the situation has been improving as narco drug lord activity remains focused in areas where cruise passengers do not travel, and some of the world's biggest Carnival celebrations ended this week without incident. Nevertheless, twenty-two cruise passengers recently robbed at gunpoint on a normally safe ship-sponsored shore excursion, is causing the travel industry to take another look at safety.
It's not the first time cruise passengers have been robbed at gunpoint -- that also happened in November of 2010 on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
"At the time of the robbery, the passengers were traveling to the Brimstone Hill Fortress, a well-visited UNESCO World Heritage Site on the southern Caribbean island," reported CruiseCritic. The article reports that masked gunmen "put a tree across the road to block the bus."
On a Celebrity Cruises ship-sponsored tour, the excursion was canceled indefinitely pending the outcome of the investigation. No one was harmed, calls for increased security went out, and law enforcement in St. Kitts pointed to their nearly spotless record of being a safe destination for travelers.
Thursday's incident happened in Puerto Vallarta, when passengers who came ashore from Carnival Splendor were robbed while on a ship-sponsored tour. Held at gunpoint, they were "stripped of cameras, watches and other valuables they had with them," reports Informador. Here too, no one was harmed, calls for increased security went out, and the Shore Excursion, a seemingly harmless nature walk, was canceled pending investigation.
"Carnival also apologized to the passengers for the 'unfortunate and disturbing event' and said it is working with passengers to reimburse them for lost valuables and assist with lost passports or other forms of identification," said CruiseCritic.
The incident once again raises questions about the safety of tourists in Mexico, an ongoing matter that concerns not only cruise lines, but hotels, resorts, and pending spring breakers set to go south of the border within the next 30 days.Continue reading Crime in Mexico: cruise passengers robbed at gunpointCrime in Mexico: cruise passengers robbed at gunpoint originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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