Windsor travellers shelter in place as violence erupts in western Mexico

Windsorites talk to CTV News’ Chris Campbell about their experiences while they are trapped in Mexico amid retaliatory violence.

Two Windsor residents vacationing in western Mexico say they are sheltering in place after violence erupted in the region following the reported killing of a leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The unrest has affected parts of the state of Jalisco, including the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, prompting advisories and temporary disruptions to transportation and businesses.

Aiden Robertson, who is staying at a resort in the area with friends, said the situation escalated quickly.

“We’re just a couple blocks away from where some of the buildings are being lit on fire, and cars were going up as well,” Robertson said in a Zoom interview.

He said guests at his hotel were instructed to evacuate common areas and return to their rooms.

“Everybody’s kind of a little timid with everything being up in the air right now,” he said.

“The lobby was pretty full yesterday until everyone was told to evacuate and just head up to their rooms.”

Robertson said traffic in the area had largely come to a standstill.

“Definitely some roadblocks, but mainly the biggest thing was just that there was absolutely no traffic on any of the roads, especially yesterday,” he said, noting some movement had resumed by Monday.

He described being confined to the hotel property.

“We’re taped off at the hotel and not allowed to leave,” he said.

“Anytime we try to talk with locals or officials, it’s just that we have to stay as blocked off as possible.”

Despite the uncertainty, Robertson remains hopeful he’ll return home later this week but said he still considers the situation unusual.

“One of the locals said it’s nothing like he’s seen before in like 40 plus years,” he said.

“I wouldn’t use this as a measure for future travel. I’d say it’s still a great destination. This is kind of just an outlier situation.”

Robertson said some flights have been cancelled.

“I know people who had flights yesterday and today all got cancelled through WestJet and Air Canada,” he said, adding his own return flight later this week had not yet been cancelled.

About 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta in Nuevo Nayarit, former AM800 host Leah Hansen said she feels safe but is following official advice.

“We do have a shelter in place,” Hansen said.

“Some government maps and illustrations we’ve seen are saying that where we are in this area, we should use extreme caution if we are moving about anywhere.”

Hansen said a friend visiting Puerto Vallarta saw burning vehicles before being turned back by police.

“All the Ubers stopped, all the buses stopped, the taxis stopped,” she explained.

“Everything stopped in terms of transportation.”

She said businesses and schools in some areas have closed temporarily and traffic has significantly decreased.

“Right now, we are just basically taking advice and information from the Canadian consulate, which we have been registered with,” Hansen said.

“We’ll listen to what the government has to say locally and also from Canada, and we will follow their advice to stay safe.”

Back home in Windsor, travel agent Al Valente, owner of Valente Travel, said his office has been fielding calls from concerned clients.

“We’ve been very busy with clients calling us and asking about their trips to Mexico whether they’re safe or not,” Valente said.

He emphasized the situation is regional.

“It is a regional situation in the Jalisco area, which is Puerto Vallarta,” he said.

“For those that are traveling, for example, to the Mayan Riviera, it’s about 1,900 kilometers from there. And to put that in perspective, in Canada, 1,900 kilometers is Halifax, Nova Scotia.”

Valente said his agency is monitoring Canadian government travel advisories and advising clients accordingly.

“There’s always been a level of caution to Mexico generally speaking,” he said.

“The government of Mexico is very aware of the resort areas, and they protect the resort areas in particular.”

In the meantime, the Windsor travellers say they are waiting for further updates as authorities work to stabilize the situation.

“It’s kind of just a waiting game at this point,” Robertson said.