Mexico's traditional spring break king, Cancun, is rebounding quickly from last year's triple blow to its tourism industry caused by the country's swine flu epidemic, drug violence and a global economic crisis.
Those worries could not compete this year against Mexico's cheap airfare from the United States and phenomenal package deals that include the popular all-you-can-drink enticements.
February saw 85 per cent of its 28,000 rooms filled, a sign of Cancun's speedy recovery from 2009, when one million fewer visitors came than in a typical year. The relatively high occupancy seen in February is expected to go even higher in March when more US universities are on spring break, a generally two-week period when many American college students are freed from their books.
"We're back to normal levels after having seen tourism practically paralysed last year," said Quintana Roo state assistant tourism secretary Dario Flota.
At the sprawling, palm-tree packed Oasis Hotel, a popular spot with spring breakers, visitors from the US Midwest and Canada looking to shake the chill from a usually brutal winter dotted the beach where some took photos with monkeys while others danced to music pumped out from gigantic speakers.
Emma Duranti, a 20-year-old science major at Queens University in Kingston, Canada, decided to come to Cancun after comparing it to Jamaica and finding a better deal.
"I was expecting a good party, but it went above and beyond," Duranti said while sunbathing with two friends on the beach of the Oasis Hotel. "There is always a party on the beach, and you can party all day and party all night!"
Tourism officials say they expect about 25,000 spring breakers to descend this season on Cancun's newly rebuilt beaches and turquoise blue ocean, compared to the 20,000 spring breakers who visited last year. That is in addition to tourists of all ages who visit throughout the year.
Cancun is not alone in drawing them back, Destinations across Mexico are seeing tourists return, despite a US travel alert warning Americans to stay away from some parts, mostly in the northern border states, because of drug violence.
Australia's Smart Traveller website also warns tourists to exercise caution when travelling in Mexico.
Tourism all but came to a halt in April 2009 when fear over the swine flu epidemic virtually paralysed Mexico, forcing the closure of schools, restaurants and archaeological sites and restricted air travel to Mexico from some countries. Mexico's revenue from foreign tourism dropped 15 per cent to $US11.3 billion ($A12.43 billion) from $US13.3 billion ($A14.63 billion) in 2008, according to the Tourism Department.
The world has since learned that swine flu is treatable if detected in time, vaccines are available, and death rates have dropped in Mexico and elsewhere.
Mexico has had a tougher time fighting off its bad image from drug violence, which has left more than 15,000 people dead since President Felipe Calderon declared his war on cartels in 2006.
To counter the bad news, the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco in drug-plagued Guerrero state paid MTV $US200,000 ($A219,973) for the network to host its spring party there this year. The city expects to draw between 7000 to 10,000 spring breakers despite the resort's sporadic drug killings and gun battles, one of which took place near an historic tourist hotel last year.
Some US universities last year warned students headed for Mexico of a surge in drug-related violence south of the border prompting some to cancel already paid-for spring break trips.
Mexican government officials have gone on the offensive and make clear every chance they get that the violence is concentrated in a handful of states, most along the Mexico-US border, like Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua, and in the Pacific coast state of Michoacan; all are far from the country's popular beach resorts.
That message appears to be working: Travelocity's senior editor Genevieve Shaw Brown said bookings on Travelocity.com for spring travel to Mexico have shot up 25 per cent compared with last year. Cancun is No 5 on Travelocity's top 10 spring break bookings list for this year, up from the No 10 spot last year.
Shaw Brown said the swine flu epidemic, violence and an unhealthy economy forced Mexico to lower its prices.
"Now Mexico is reaping the benefits of cheap travel costs with the return of spring breakers who are looking for deals," she said. "It's been communicated very well that Mexico is an outstanding value."
Those who risk it are also reaping the benefits for doing so: The federal, state and local governments have invested $US80 million ($A87.99 million) to rebuild Cancun's world-renowned powdery white beaches that have been suffering from erosion.
The rebuilding, which took a year to complete, is the second attempt to rebuild the sandy playground since Hurricane Wilma devastated the area in 2005. An artificial reef was also built off the coast to help contain the sand.
Elysee Burgess, a 21-year-old nursing major from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, had only one complaint: She has to get up from the beach every time she wants to get another drink from her hotel bar.
"The beach is great, there are some awesome parties," Burgess said, while her friend Kristen Fleming took a picture with a monkey. "The only thing that sucks is that you can only get one drink at a time."
AP
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