‘We Feel Safe’: Americans Keep Visiting Mexico Despite Pandemic Risks

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Many Americans are visiting Mexico’s beaches during the pandemic. Above, fishing boats are docked at a marina in Los Cabos, Mexico, on June 2.

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The Arch of Cabo San Lucas, one of Mexico’s top tourist destinations, in 2017.

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Dean Treml/Red Bull via Getty Images

The Arch of Cabo San Lucas, one of Mexico’s top tourist destinations, in 2017.

Dean Treml/Red Bull via Getty Images

Tourism officials are cheering the return of tourists, especially those from the United States. Figures for October, the last month available, show that nearly half a million Americans arrived in Mexico by plane.

Early on in the pandemic, in late March, Los Cabos shut down entirely. With nearly 80% of jobs in the region dependent on tourism, the losses were huge.

According to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, tourism lost more jobs than any other industry. Nearly a third of all businesses in Baja California Sur, the state where Los Cabos is located, closed down.

And a warning in late November by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising Americans against travel to Mexico seemed to threaten even greater job loss.

There have also been news reports that American tourists could have contributed to coronavirus outbreaks in Mexico.

But Los Cabos officials insist they have instituted tough safety protocols, which they tout in ads running on several travel websites. In one example, an announcer declares that «before you visit, get to know the rules in Los Cabos, with a frame highlighting mask-wearing that shows a woman snorkeling among fish. Another frame plugs self-distancing rules with an enticing scene of a lone surfer in vast blue waters.

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The state’s tourism secretary, Luis Humberto Araiza, says safety really does come first. Hotels and restaurants are limited to 50% capacity, visitors’ temperatures are taken before entering any stores and masks are mandatory. Police and inspectors monitor the situation, he insists.

Eric Santillán, director of Los Cabos’ civil protection agency, says his agency has sanctioned several hotels and at least eight restaurants for exceeding capacity limits. Just this month, he says, one event hall was slapped with a hefty fine totaling about $4,000. But he admits that with just six inspectors per shift, it’s tough to patrol much of Los Cabos’ resorts and restaurants.

Officials are also helping pay for widespread testing of industry employees, making the state second only to Mexico City for coronavirus testing, says Araiza.

«We aren’t invincible. Sure you can get infected, but the risk here is much less than in other places, he says.

And indeed, virus cases did spike there after authorities began to gradually lift restriction measures in June.

Dr. Enrique Hernández, a trauma specialist in Los Cabos, got COVID-19 back then and says he saw many colleagues die.

«It’s frustrating seeing tourists and locals alike being irresponsible and not wearing masks now, he said.

Throughout the country and especially in Mexico City, hospitals are reaching capacity and deaths are on the rise.

Regardless, Marta Zurita hopes travelers keep coming. She was recently selling handicrafts at an outdoor holiday bazaar and owns a local steakhouse. She says the lockdown earlier this year was brutal. It wasn’t until the last few weeks that she began to see reservations picking up.

«We almost called it quits and shut down, she says.