US-based cruise company Holland America Line has decided to stop calling at Mexico’s city of Acapulco, located in the state of Guerrero, on eight scheduled 2017/2018 cruises “due to recent security concerns.”
Related to itineraries on seven Panama Canal and one South America cruise, the changes would include replacing the Acapulco call with other Mexican ports.
The move was made on the back of a surge in crime and drug-related incidents in the area, which have been repelling cruise companies from this beach resort town from 2010, according to Fox News.
Guests on affected cruises have been notified of the change, Holland America Line, a part of cruise line conglomerate Carnival Corporation & plc, said, adding that “the safety of our guests is our top priority.”
In early December 2016, the US Department of State warned citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas.
“The state of Guerrero was the most violent state in Mexico in 2015 for the third year in a row, and self-defense groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Armed members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and, although not considered hostile to foreigners or tourists, are suspicious of outsiders and should be considered volatile and unpredictable,” the US Department of State earlier informed.
World Maritime News Staff