“Operation Support Tourism” Starts Tomorrow
(Acapulco, AN 14 April) Tomorrow, April 15, state and local governments will team up with the federal police and military to provide security to tourists arriving in Acapulco for the long Holy Week holiday period. The plan was put together by the Guerrero State government and is officially called “General Operating Plan for Aid to Tourism, Holy Week 2011.” According to newly-installed state public safety director Ramón Almonte Borja, 8,501 law enforcement personnel will be on hand for the Holy Week vacation period, including elements of the federal police and the military. This is 1,000 more than last year. The idea is to provide more security, peace and quiet for tourists; however, they should know that the obvious presence of 8,000 military and paramilitary personnel in camouflage uniforms, ski masks and automatic rifles may not be totally reassuring to the guests. One of the additional security measures is the increased use in the bus terminals of “Garrett clubs,” which law enforcement can use to detect metal on the person of a traveler.
Other aspects of the operation is to provide activities and information, keep traffic moving, keep the beaches tidy and generally enhance the visitors’ experiences. For that reason, other participants in “Operation Support Tourism” include the state and federal tourism promotion agencies, the consumer protection agency, the immigration authorities, the sanitation workers and beach cleanup crews, highway “green angels” (who come to the aid of motorists on the highway coming from Mexico City), the Red Cross, the bus companies and the Association of Hotels and Tourist Companies of Acapulco.
According to one state public safety official, an important objective of the exceptionally tight security is to persuade President Calderón that “those who visit Acapulco will be safe and always well taken care of.” His mission is to reestablish confidence of the visitors that they will be safe when visiting tourist spots in the state of Guerrero.
