Is this unusual?

I only have experience with individuals, but my guess is that the 60% are the people who wouldn't have gone to Mexico anyway - or only to 5 star all-inclusive resorts which they would not leave - because they are afraid of:

1. getting sick from the food
2. spicy food
3. being robbed
4. people who don't speak English
5. people who look or act different
6. bugs that are dangerous
7. snakes
8. getting lost
9. getting ripped off
10. Stereotypical Mexicans from old westerns who always were very shady and untrustworthy.

The recent deaths have just added another reason to a long list of fears.

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<hr>Canada gets at least 5% of the discussion.<hr></blockquote>

If 5% of the English-speaking tourists in Mexico are Canadian, I'd expect 5% of the posts on an English-language message board dealing with tourism in Mexico to involve Canadians.

I don't see tourists from other English-speaking countries concerned about their nationality when travelling to Mexico (other than the normal questions about visa requirements). I write extensively on Mexico and how it is seen in other countries, and its only in the Canadian press that I see this particular tourism issue.

I've noticed that any mention of Mexico in U.S. news reports will drift off into a riff on either drugs or immigration, even when the topic has nothing to do with those two issues. But, no U.S. media source (outside of a few very small publications) are consistently publishing "Mexico is dangerous for tourists" stories. The only exception to that was when Tony Garza (the U.S. Ambassador) was quoted on the dangers of travelling in border towns, but even then, it wasn't widely reported, and not front page news in the largest national dailies.

What is interesting that one person who would be included in the 40% who would go regardless, happens to be the woman who was injured in the drive-by shooting in Acapulco a few weeks back. Following the incident, she was quoted in the Globe and Mail saying that what happened to her wouldn't affect her decision to return to Mexico in the future, mentioning as an aside the numbers of gun-related crimes that happen in Toronto on a regular basis.

On the whole I don't trust polls and surveys, especially when we don't know what questions were asked - there's a difference between "would you consider going to Mexico for vacation this winter" and, "Given the recent violent incidents that have affected Canadian tourists in Mexico, would you consider going there for vacation this winter?". Or, assuming the first question was used and then followed up by a why or a why not, and then permitted either open answers, or closed, choose-from-a-list-of-reasons-why-or-why-not answers, you could get very different results.

Some other thoughts, many Canadian travelers to Mexico are snowbirds, and they are here in Mexico right now so would not have had the opportunity to be included in the random selection for the poll. Many others (the majority of the people I know at least) are the 7-day all inclusive type to which Satchie raises some good points. And finally, Mexico has been a popular destination for Canadians for quite some time now, and many tourists have already "done" PV, Cancun, and "the Maya" (as a lady in the office where I worked referred to the Mayan Riviera), and are looking for different places to "do" such as Cuba (Veradero mind you, not Havana), and the Dominican Republic. Finally was the poll conducted before the recent cold snap that has hit much of the country? I'm sure after three weeks of freezing their buns off, most Canadians would consider a trip to Mexico regardless of any possible risk. ;P

Just as well that most of the type of Canucks that come here, for the most part, stay home. I enjoy both Canada and Canadians very much, and generally love Canada, but the ones they export down here and that overwhelm areas near Vallarta are generally as tacky as they get. As you said, boring snowbirds with huge RVs and plates from Alberta, BC or Ontario - unfortunately, just as bad as Americans (meaning from USA) who overwhelm other parts of the world. I remember back in the 1980s French Canadians who overwhelmed the coast of the Dominican Republic. Don't know what it is like now. Maybe they can drive further south and be attacked by knife-wielding thugs in Costa Rica. The news of the American who strangled one yesterday shouldn't help tourism much in little Costa Rica.

The people in the big RVs think, "Too bad about all those scruffy backpackers!" And most of the local folks are mostly interested in who spends the most.

canadians are no more, no less guilty of trying to change wherever they go into a model of "how it works back home" than any other foreigner who thinks they have a mandate to "improve" the local unfortunates. as far as the 70 yr old ex-marine who broke the muggers neck in costa rica, semper fi! edward

You know that I was referring to the fact that you take every opportunity available, and also create new ones, to be critical of Canadians. We, on the other hand are more accepting of other's shortcomings, and don't make a point of criticizing the actions of other nationalities, as easy it would be. TT would have to start a new branch for it.

Your dislike for Canadians is obvious, so what do you care if they stay away from Mexico?

Hoooold on there, #8. Does your "We ... don't make a point of criticizing the actions of other nationalities, as easy it would be" statement include any of the non-Mexican nationalities on the North American continent?

Just how many Canadians do you know, anyway?

I find it extremely amusing that people could somehow lump people's behaviors and attitudes into nationalities.Boy,is that generalizing at it's worst?You're guaranteed to be wrong,whenever you generalize,especially on that scale.I've met good and bad people in all three countries of North America.It's not even worth responding to nationality insults.Buena suerte.