Mexico Today USA
July 30th, 2018
Exclusive Interview with Ms. Adela Roman, Municipal President-Elect of the city of Acapulco, México by Alfredo La Mont III
ALM: Ms Roman, what we know today about Acapulco is that it is extremely dangerous for tourist to go, therefore my question is is this just a perception or is this reality?
A. ROMAN: Ii is a perception. Acapulco can be visited by anyone who wants to come up, anytime from anywhere in the world and they have all the security to enjoy without any danger of any kind.
ALM: Unfortunately what the media has reported here is more of the perception you share. A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the number of murders that happen in Acapulco and it seems to be the most dangerous city in Mexico, so who are more frequent the victims of crime, tourists or locals, or both?
A. ROMAN: Both because the tourists are prevented from enjoying the most beautiful bay in the world with warm water year and round, and also the locals because we stop receiving badly needed income from tourism; but I can say that violence mostly among the local gangs and in this respect it does not affect tourism in itself.
ALM: I absolutely agree and my next question was if is the crime that affects Acapulco related to the drug cartels or is it more local gang related crime wave?
A. ROMAN: It is definitely more among the local gangs.
ALM: Finally, what is Ms. Roman specifically going to do different that will make an impact and change the perception that we have of Acapulco? Because, as you well know we have heard promises and offers, and new plans and more but the truth at the end has been that nothing changes, it just gets worse
A. ROMAN: What I’m going to do is attack the causes which are poverty, poor distribution of wealth, the corruption and impunity. We’re going to combat with everything and more clearly with programs to promote culture, the arts and education, and we will be relentless in putting people to work.
ALM: Thank you very much fo your time. A final quick recommendation is that you have a dedicated person to monitor one of the most famous tourist advice websites: TripAdvisor, that keeps really up-to-date information from tourists on Acapulco and all tourist sites around the world.
My best wishes for a successful mandate
A. ROMAN: I want to thank you too and extend an invitation to come and visit us. Acapulco is still considered the “Jewel of the Pacific” one of the most beautiful places in the world, warm water year round and my new administration with a commitment to fight very hard to overcome the difficulties with the local gangas battling each other.
I extend this invitation to everyone to come and enjoy our city and see with your own eyes that there are no problems for tourists, we welcome you with open arms!
Mexico Today USA 