Mexico and Canada. Is it time for Canada to lift Visa restrictions on Mexican visitors? Por supuesto que Sí!

In a rather quiet fashion, on June 29, 2010, Canada's Bill C-11, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, received Royal Ascent and became law at approximately 5 pm that day.  This very important piece of legislation is a step forward to try and improve Canada's refugee system in order to provide protection and refuge to those who really need it and to dissuade those who make claims without merit from doing so.  Canada has had a generous refugee system for decades. The definition that has guided this system came from what is commonly called the Geneva Convention and it states: ""A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.." 

Bill C-11 aims to prevent abuse of Canada's refugee system by also implementing a Designated Countries of Origin policy. "The purpose of the Designated Countries of Origin (DCO) policy, the faster processing timelines and the identification of manifestly unfounded claims is to reduce pressure on Canada’s asylum system by deterring unfounded claims, thus contributing to a system that is able to provide faster decisions to those who are in need of protection." Canada Gazette  It is expected that countries like Mexico will be one of these Designated Countries of Origin. Without saying as much, Prime Minister Harper implied on more than one occasion that once Canada fixed its refugee claims system, Canada would look at the issue of visas for Mexican tourists.  Recent articles and editorials in the Globe and Mail have called for the government to revisit the Mexican visa issue and lift the requirement.  The government now has the tools to control and reduce bogus refugee claims.  As other commentators have rightly pointed out, Mexico is Canada's third largest trading partner and part of the North American Free Trade Agreement. More than 2,000 Canadian companies have operations in Mexico. 

Mexico is also a strategic country for Canada in relation to its Latin American foreign policy.  Ever since the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Canadian governments have paid lip service to increasing ties with Latin America. I join those who are calling on Prime Minister Harper to put some meat (ie resources) into his own stated desire to improve relationships with the countries in the Americas.  Mexico is the best starting point for Canada's Latin American policy. Over 1 million Canadians visited Mexico in 2010, despite the image problems caused by the war on drugs in that country.  Less than 200,000 Mexicans visited Canada in 2010 as a direct result - not of the visa requirement per se - but rather because of how difficult and involved the process to get one is.  If more than 13 million Mexicans visit the USA annually (with visas) - surely Canada can receive 1/2 million visitors from Mexico every year!  By the way, only Canada surpasses Mexico as top international market for the US when it comes to tourism.  

It's time for Canada to lift the visa requirement for Mexican visitors (or at the very least revisit what is required to obtain a visa and how fast it's done). 


Saludos,


Jaime Horwitz Rodriguez
www.cactusrock.com 

Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada addressed the Mexican Senat

December 8, 2009, Mexico City, United Mexican States

It gives me great pleasure and is an honour for me, as governor general of Canada, to speak in a Chamber that is so essential to democratic life in Mexico, especially this year, as we celebrate 65 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

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I would first like to mention the unshakeable, willing and unparalleled ties of friendship that have developed over the years between our people and our institutions. It is certainly no secret—and I am proud to say—that Mexico holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians.

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Moreover, our commitment to increasing security, improving prosperity and promoting democratic values across the entire hemisphere make Canada and Mexico key partners. It is vital to the well-being of our respective peoples that we work together to fight the threat of sophisticated, organized crime networks that have spread across the entire continent with their illegal activities. I am referring especially to the trafficking of people, narcotics and influence, and to the corruption, money laundering and violence that are ravaging our communities. In order to succeed, we must join efforts and establish joint strategies because, as we all know, the situation is extremely serious.

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This willingness to strengthen hemispheric cooperation is, in fact, one of the cornerstones of Canada’s foreign policy and we salute the efforts you are making along these same, promising, lines. We must be bold and build on the dynamic relationship between Canada and Mexico, and this in a number of important aspects of society.Not only are we major trading partners, thanks to the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, but we have also implemented innovative mechanisms, such as the Canada‑Mexico Partnership, launched in 2004, to promote co‑operation and dialogue in such areas as investment, innovation, agribusiness, housing, the environment, human capital development, energy, and labour mobility.

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Moreover, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, which has been in operation for the past 35 years and allows us to receive temporary workers from Mexico, is seen around the world as a model with a great deal of promise. This State visit is an opportunity for us to explore new areas for co-operation and partnership in order to diversify our investments and business activities. We can certainly do much better and we must double our efforts and stretch our imaginations.We also share a commitment to multilateralism and maintain a productive dialogue within several international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the G-20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development.

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There are so many opportunities for us to build on our existing solidarity at this pivotal moment in our collective history, as we face a major crisis of values, one that we cannot reduce solely to its financial component and that demands that we redefine an ethic of sharing and hemispheric responsibility in this era of globalization. In addition to these many ties are nearly 400 agreements between universities and several studies centres and programs that promote academic exchange and an improved sharing of knowledge between our two countries.

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I would say that the same excitement and exuberance can be found in the cultural ties forged between the creative minds of our two countries and of which our peoples are so fond. As proof, we need look no further than the programming at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, one of the largest artistic gatherings in Latin America and one of the largest multidisciplinary festivals in the world, whose 37th edition, which ended last month, featured several Québécois artists. Our artists share that desire to increase the opportunities for collaboration and to enrich the cultural diversity that distinguishes our histories and lands with their unique contributions.

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We are delighted because, like Octavio Paz, we believe that “[a]ll cultures are born out of mingling, meetings and clashes,” and, as he warns us, “[c]onversely, civilizations die from isolation.”

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And it is precisely from a desire to highlight the close ties that bind us that my husband, Jean‑Daniel Lafond, our delegation and I will be going out to meet with the people and organizations that form the backbone of Mexican society—from entrepreneurs to students, from non-governmental organizations to decision-making bodies, from artists to women’s associations—here in the centre of the country and in Chiapas, in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas.

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I like diplomacy on a human scale and our dearest wish, in a reinterpretation of Carlos Fuentes’ beautiful phrase, is to work together to ensure the continuity of a few ideas over time.

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It is therefore in this spirit of solidarity and fellowship that we begin this State visit in Mexico, with an unwavering willingness to remind our respective populations that we are brothers and sisters, in spirit and in heart, and with the hope of creating new opportunities for co-operation.

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Thank you very much for offering me this special invitation to address you and I wish long life to the strong, cherished friendship between Canada and Mexico!

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And I would like to extend our best wishes for your happiness and prosperity as we approach the bicentenary of the Mexican War of Independence and the centenary of the Mexican Revolution!

(source: Office of the Governor General of Canada, www.gg.ca)

International inbound tourism to Canada in July took a big dive

Not surprisingly Mexican inbound tourism to Canada was down 39.4% in July compared to July of last year. This decline was directly related to Canada's imposition of visa restrictions on Mexican visitors on July 15. It will take some time for Mexican numbers to recover to pre-visa requirements. My best guess is two to three years provided we continue to market Canada in a creative, engaging and effective way to Mexicans, positioning the country as a premium destination. (There is a faint hope that the Government of Canada will implement reforms to the Refugee System in which case visa requirements for Mexicans might be lifted - at least that's what I infer from Prime Minister Harper's remarks after last August's NAFTA Summit in Guadalajara). Even with the visa issue, Mexico surpassed Japan by almost 30,000 visitors in the period from Jan to July.

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So that's Mexico. But what about the rest of the world? Well, according to StatCan's International Travel: Advance Information Service Bulletin for July 2009, all markets where down, some significantly in July. Spain was an exception with growth of 1.5% (Greece and the Philippines also showed growth)

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Compared to July 2008 these are the dismal figures for July 2009:

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UK - down 19.5%

France - down 5.1%

Germany - down 1.5%

Australia - down 4.8%

Japan - down 35.4 %

China - down 17.8%

Hong Kong - down 24.5%

India - down 7.9%

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For the period between January and July 2009 only the Philippines and SPAIN show growth. I am not sure why the Philippines shows growth, but for the first 7 months of this year Phillipines is up 13.5% (40,197). It may be mostly VFRs (visiting friends and family), but it would be interesting to find out what kind of visitors come from that country. As for SPAIN, it showed growth of 2.3% for the same period (40,075 visitors). For some time now, I have been saying that SPAIN can be a great market for Canada. I believe that with the right investment in marketing and trade relations, we could easily reach 200,000 to a quarter million Spaniards visiting Canada every year (just look up how many Spaniards visit New York City annually to get a better grasp on that country's potential). Spaniards, as you may know, do not require a visa to visit Canada as tourists (and it's very unlikely they will ever need one). When it comes to airlift, there aren't many direct flights between Spain and Canada, but there are multiple connections from Europe.

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And the USA? Well, it just continues to slide. Visits from the US where down 11.3% in July compared to July 2008 (biggest declines were seen from same day Americans visitors (-24.6%) and Americans coming by bus (-23.8%)

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Wishing you all a recovering Fall season and a come-back-from-behind 2010.

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Jaime Horwitz

www.canadaenespanol.ca

Inbound numbers are in and it's not pretty (not too ugly either).

Canadian tourism inbound numbers are out and reflect the extent to which the global recession is affecting us. US visits, not surprisingly continue to slide, even though there was some improvement in February compared to January. However, compared to February 2008, US visits were down a further 4.6% Most international markets showed declines. The UK was down a whopping 20.9% compared to February 2008. Germany is holding well with a 1.6% increase from February last year. China and India, in particular, showed increases. Mexico was down 9.2% compared to February 2008, but Spain was up 7.1%. Comparing February 2009 to February 2009, the overall picture tells a sad story, albeit not totally unexpected: USA - down 4.6%, Europe - down 9%, Asia - down 15.9%, North America, Central America & Caribbean - down 3.5%, South America - up 2.2%, Oceania & Other Ocean islands - up 0.1%.

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Source: Statistics Canada International Travel: Advance Information bulletin

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Jaime

The Conquest bust - Is it right to threaten guests with jail if they don't pay AGAIN? Bad Mexico Bad Dominican Bad!

"Melissa Handley knew she was in real trouble when she discovered the lock on her hotel room had been changed – with all her belongings inside...

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When Handley, who booked her vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with Conquest Vacations, approached staff at the Hotel Grand Oasis, she was told to pay $1,000 (U.S.) or she wouldn't be able to leave the country."

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"Handley is just one of hundreds of former Conquest Vacations customers arriving home from popular vacation destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean armed with stories of hotel staff no longer able to speak English, threats of jail time if thousands of dollars of extra charges went unpaid, and abandonment by Canadian consulate officials." Toronto Star, April 18, 2009

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Oasis Hotels & Resorts issued a statement ""Conquest never paid us. .." Oasis blamed Conquest with some reason. However, this whole thing is a black eye for all tour operators everywhere. Not that I would, I mostly book travel directly with the supplier (hotel, airline, etc), but this may hurt all other tour operators. How can the consumer trust any tour operator in Canada or elsewhere when something like this can happen? I am furious with the hotels in Mexico, the Domincan Republic and any other destination that has threatened Canadian travelers in anyway. It is not the traveler's fault if the hotel has not been paid. There are processes and business practices that the traveler does not even need to know about. It is up to the industry to make sure that these problems are dealt with in an appropriate manner. Yes, Conquest deserves all the criticism going their way. They left people stranded without notice. But the hotels in Mexico and Dominican Republic - I've mostly read about Oasis Hotels & Resorts but there may be others - have behaved in a very unprofessional, unethical and unimaginative manner. The fact is that any hotel or resort that has done this to a guest has damaged their brand immensely.

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I will not forget this brand myself and will never consider it as a possible place to stay. Instead of treating guests like criminals (understanding that in the world of business, organizations go bankrupt and you must consider this when doing business), they should have explained the situation and told guests that they understood Conquest had gone out of business; that they hadn't been and probably would not get paid, but that they understood it wasn't the guests' fault (as they had already paid for their Holiday), and thus they would absorb the cost of the trip. They could have created a PR campaign on the spot - get some video testimonials from happy guests, asked them to write letters or blog posts for them, etc. you get the point. They would have had enormous publicity and would have increased the equity of their brand (as would the destination). They (and local tourism authorities) missed a big opportunity here. What they are getting now is a big stain on their brands and a black eye to their reputation. And the destinations have also suffered in the eyes of many travelers who will now think twice about traveling to destinations where they could be treated in such a manner.

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Jaime Horwitz MBA