Security measures added in Mexican resort city

Calgary Herald
March 14, 2012

The Mexican government has expanded security in the popular resort city of Mazatlan after a spate of violent incidents, including most recently the beating of Calgarian Sheila Nabb.

According to recent reports, the incidents have put a chill on its normally healthy tourist trade. Some shops have closed because of lack of business and the normally busy beaches are quieter these days.
Rodrigo Esponda, a Torontobased director for the Mexico Tourism Board, recently discussed the measures, emphasizing Mazatlan is a very important destination for the Canadian market and they'd like to keep it that way.

The added precautions include more security cameras at resorts and in public spaces around the city, plus more tourism police. Esponda could not say how many extra police have been added for security reasons. Many of them are undercover. Tourist police are fluent in English and are specially trained to deal with tourists.

"The intention is to reassure everyone the destination is truly safe," Esponda said, adding there is a large expat community of Canadians in the city who continue to live there and feel safe.

The measures are an initiative of Sinaloa state, where Mazatlan is located. There is no plan to formally expand the measures to other states with popular tourist resorts, Esponda said, adding that it is up to individual destinations to determine their own action.

The Mexican government recently released figures stating tourism was up two per cent from 2011. That's an indication that Mexico has been working hard to increase awareness of its diversity, said Esponda.