DETROIT (WXYZ) — A travel advisory has been issued for one of Mexico’s most popular vacation spots.
Cancun is now on the radar of the US State Department after Uber officially became legal in the state.
Local taxi drivers are not welcomed by the court ruling, and in some cases tourists have been caught in the crossfire.
The owner of Cadillac Travel Group says Cancun remains a popular destination for metro Detroiters who aren’t shivering from the cold and snow.
Keith Powers had no idea about the travel advisory until he was already on vacation in Cancun. He says that 7 Action News was the first to bring it to his attention.
“They (the hotel) didn’t want to let him out,” Powers said. “It was a serious problem for a couple of days and just yesterday, it seems like they wrapped everything up and there were some arrests.”
Taxi drivers have blocked access to main roads and the airport in protests.
David Fishman, owner of Cadillac Travel, says he’s in no way telling customers not to go.
“What we do is investigate and see what’s going on,” Fishman said.
He says that dozens of clients have traveled to Cancun without any problems. But a couple who recently returned home had a long taxi ride to the airport because their driver had to break traffic laws to avoid roadblocks.
“They made their flight and got home safely, but they didn’t feel unsafe and didn’t see any demonstrations. They just saw them blocking the road,” Fishman said.
Powers will return to Detroit on Friday morning. He says that his hotel is making sure that his trip to the airport is smooth.
“They are taking photos of the driver and the license plates before they even get in the vehicle,” Powers said. “So they are taking more extreme measures here.”
Powers says he would recommend the area to a friend.
“Yeah, overall very safe,” Powers said.
You can always work with travel agencies, resorts, or hotels in advance to pre-plan all your transportation.
Fishman says that if you’re in a pinch, he suggests taking a cab instead of an Uber.
