When Trouble Strikes

Living in a world as large as ours, it’s almost inevitable that at some point, issues will occur that will affect the stability of a particular destination – whether temporarily or permanently. When trouble strikes in a tourist destination, what does this mean for their visitors?

First and foremost, I find it important to acknowledge those citizens who actually live in the destination. Civil unrest and natural disasters impact their everyday lives and livelihood, not just their holiday getaway. I say this in no way to diminish the concerns of travelers; I just prefer to look at the big picture initially.

Considering that I’m a travel advisor and work with hundreds of people each year on their vacation plans, it’s distressing when disruptions occur in popular tourist destinations. I’ve definitely seen my fair share over the years: the ebola and zika Caribbean scares in the 2010s, “tainted alcohol” in the Dominican Republic in 2019, COVID-19 affecting the ENTIRE world from 2020-2021, Jamaica’s level 4 warnings in 2024, Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica in 2025 and – most recently – the Jalisco, Mexico cartel response in February 2026. Even as I’m writing this, “Operation Epic Fury” is happening in the Middle East and affecting United Arab Emirates, another strong tourist destination.

Understandably, global issues and the level to which they are amplified (because this is a thing) will impact travelers’ comfort in traveling, either to that destination or somewhere nearby.

Cancellations and changes are challenging, but not impossible. When I’m contacted by a client requesting to change their plans, here is what I do:

• Provide education and factual information. Context matters. The recent 2 day response to the death of cartel boss “El Mencho” provided a LOT of hysteria and misinformation about the entire country of Mexico. The events that occurred – burned busses, buildings and roadblocks – were centralized to the state of Jalisco and surrounding states, all located in the western part of Mexico and resolved within a few days. These events led to clients with trips planned to Cancun 8 months in advance to request cancellations or changes to their plans. It was my responsibility to provide context; Jalisco/Puerto Vallarta and Cancun are 1200 miles apart – roughly the distance between New York City and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cancun was not affected by anything happening in Jalisco.

• Review available options. Clients can change or cancel their travel plans if their destination is affected by current events. Many hotels waived cancellation penalties when Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica in October 2025. This allowed me to move already booked clients to other destinations or completely cancel their reservations if pivoting wasn’t an option.
  • One thing to be mindful of: if you don’t have “cancel for any reason” travel insurance and your destination isn’t directly impacted by the event (i.e. Cancun vs Puerto Vallarta), you’ll be subjected to standard cancellation and change penalties
  • If your trip isn’t booked for several months out (6+ or more), I typically advise you to wait and see what happens with the destination. If the issue will be more long-term, then a pivot will be necessary. For example, many of the hotels affected by Hurricane Melissa in Montego Bay will not reopen until November 2026. A pivot was necessary in this situation.

• Take action, if necessary. Ultimately, the client’s comfort comes first. If you have all of the facts, know your options and still feel uncomfortable going to that destination, it would be irresponsible of me to try to convince you otherwise. I’m an advisor, not a dictator. I’ll work with you to either cancel or change your arrangements based on available options.

All of this becomes more complicated when working with a large group, such as a wedding or celebration getaway. Even if the group leaders feel comfortable proceeding with their planned getaway, some guests may choose to cancel due to their personal discomfort. Not fun, but well within their rights to do so.

At the end of the day, it’s vital that the details influencing decisions to change are factual and based in reality. During the Jalisco incident, there were images of planes aflame making their way around social media – none of which happened. My contact on the ground in Puerto Vallarta confirmed that they were on lockdown, but that everything resolved within 72 business hours. And now they are trying to “regain the trust of travelers”, due to the hit experienced in tourism.

Currently, I have no concerns about sending clients to Mexico.

On the other hand, if someone approached me right now about a trip to Dubai, I’d PROBABLY suggest other locations while there’s an entire war playing out over there currently.