Spring breakers, who usually start pouring into Mexican beach resorts about now, are staying away in droves, according to local tourism officials. In some areas, reservations are off by up to 85 percent. Pedro Haces, of the Acapulco Hotel Association, blames the decline on reports of violence in the resort city. Management at the hotel Copacabana says that where in the past it has been booked solid for the final week in February, this year only 15 percent of its rooms have been sold. In Cancun, the Hotel Oasis reports it expects business to be off by as much as 30 percent. Not everyone is unhappy. Rowdy spring breakers are blamed for driving more conservative vacationers to seek sunshine elsewhere. One of Mexico´s big attraction is that 18 year olds can drink legally, and in many places, IDs are not carefully checked.
--Jimm Budd
Reporting from Mexico City
Member of the Society of American Travel Writers
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