Cruise lines that for more than a year have avoided calls in Mazatlan cite crime as the reason. But a Mexico tourism official says the real reasons are economic.
“They say crime, but that’s just an excuse,” Oralia Rice Rodriguez, secretary of tourism for Sinaloa, the state where Mazatlan is located, asserted in an interview at Cruise Shipping Miami earlier this month. “Cruise ships have been coming to Mazatlan for 30 years, and nothing has ever happened to a passenger.”
She contended the lines reduced their capacity in the Mexican Riviera, or pulled out entirely, due largely to the severity of California’s recession: Mazatlan port calls were cut because shore excursions in Cabo San Lucas are more expensive, and the cruise lines can make more revenue by calling there.
Some ships, she noted, substitute an overnight in Cabo for a Mazatlan call.
“Two days is too long to spend in Cabo,” she said. “Passengers don’t want to do that.”
It’s also more expensive for ships to visit Mazatlan, Rodriguez said. “It costs about $17,000 for a ship to dock in Mazatlan. In Cabo, it’s much cheaper because they aren’t using a dock; they are tendering their passengers.”
The cruise lines, however, insist that passenger safety and security are the sole reasons they have avoided Mazatlan since a shooting in a hotel parking lot in February 2011. No tourists were involved in that shooting, but two men were killed.
“They say crime, but that’s just an excuse,” Oralia Rice Rodriguez, secretary of tourism for Sinaloa, the state where Mazatlan is located, asserted in an interview at Cruise Shipping Miami earlier this month. “Cruise ships have been coming to Mazatlan for 30 years, and nothing has ever happened to a passenger.”
She contended the lines reduced their capacity in the Mexican Riviera, or pulled out entirely, due largely to the severity of California’s recession: Mazatlan port calls were cut because shore excursions in Cabo San Lucas are more expensive, and the cruise lines can make more revenue by calling there.
Some ships, she noted, substitute an overnight in Cabo for a Mazatlan call.
“Two days is too long to spend in Cabo,” she said. “Passengers don’t want to do that.”
It’s also more expensive for ships to visit Mazatlan, Rodriguez said. “It costs about $17,000 for a ship to dock in Mazatlan. In Cabo, it’s much cheaper because they aren’t using a dock; they are tendering their passengers.”
The cruise lines, however, insist that passenger safety and security are the sole reasons they have avoided Mazatlan since a shooting in a hotel parking lot in February 2011. No tourists were involved in that shooting, but two men were killed.
A spokesman for Holland America Line said that while some of Rodriguez’s assertions might have merit, it’s the security issues that prompted HAL to swap Mazatlan calls with Puerto Vallarta after the shooting incident.
Ditto for Princess Cruises. A spokeswoman said the decision to avoid Mazatlan was based on “a U.S. State Department travel warning and ongoing security concerns.”
Mazatlan has made changes in security, Rodriguez noted. While declining to provide specific numbers, she said the city’s crime rate has dropped by 24% since the shooting last year.
“That was an isolated, one-time incident and did not involve any tourists,” she said, adding that the city hired more police, established an “elite police” unit and increased police salaries.
“We have hit bottom in Mazatlan,” Rodriguez said. “We are ready for the cruise ships to come back.”
Moreover, she noted that Mexico tourism officials have been meeting with cruise line representatives in recent weeks.
In addition to HAL and Princess, other lines that either pulled out of the Mexican Riviera altogether or canceled Mazatlan calls include Disney Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines.
Princess has Mazatlan back on the itineraries of two cruises late this year, one in November and one in December, when the Sapphire Princess will call on a cruise out of Los Angeles.
Holland America, which suspended Mazatlan calls through March 2012, has scheduled calls by the Zaandam on a series of cruises next fall out of San Diego.
Ditto for Princess Cruises. A spokeswoman said the decision to avoid Mazatlan was based on “a U.S. State Department travel warning and ongoing security concerns.”
Mazatlan has made changes in security, Rodriguez noted. While declining to provide specific numbers, she said the city’s crime rate has dropped by 24% since the shooting last year.
“That was an isolated, one-time incident and did not involve any tourists,” she said, adding that the city hired more police, established an “elite police” unit and increased police salaries.
“We have hit bottom in Mazatlan,” Rodriguez said. “We are ready for the cruise ships to come back.”
Moreover, she noted that Mexico tourism officials have been meeting with cruise line representatives in recent weeks.
In addition to HAL and Princess, other lines that either pulled out of the Mexican Riviera altogether or canceled Mazatlan calls include Disney Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines.
Princess has Mazatlan back on the itineraries of two cruises late this year, one in November and one in December, when the Sapphire Princess will call on a cruise out of Los Angeles.
Holland America, which suspended Mazatlan calls through March 2012, has scheduled calls by the Zaandam on a series of cruises next fall out of San Diego.
Both lines said they continually reassess security issues in the port city; any changes to itineraries will be announced.
Mazatlan isn’t the only Riviera port to pose safety concerns for cruise lines. Earlier this month, an excursion group from a Carnival Cruise Lines ship was robbed at gunpoint on a hiking trail near Puerto Vallarta.
Rodriguez said marketing efforts are under way to attract ships to additional ports on the Sea of Cortes, where Mazatlan is located. Among them is Guaymas, which has a new cruise terminal with Santa Fe-style architecture and shopping venues.
She also cited Topolobampo, the port closest to Copper Canyon, a longtime sightseeing attraction. However, cruise passengers would have to travel six hours by train to reach the canyon.
Mazatlan isn’t the only Riviera port to pose safety concerns for cruise lines. Earlier this month, an excursion group from a Carnival Cruise Lines ship was robbed at gunpoint on a hiking trail near Puerto Vallarta.
Rodriguez said marketing efforts are under way to attract ships to additional ports on the Sea of Cortes, where Mazatlan is located. Among them is Guaymas, which has a new cruise terminal with Santa Fe-style architecture and shopping venues.
She also cited Topolobampo, the port closest to Copper Canyon, a longtime sightseeing attraction. However, cruise passengers would have to travel six hours by train to reach the canyon.
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