Tourism offices in Puerto Vallarta and elsewhere have issued statements about the Tsunami. |
The earthquake and tsunami that have rocked Japan and Hawaii have put the Pacific coast of the Americas on alert as well. As our thoughts are with the recovery efforts in Japan, I’ve begun getting official messages from the tourism offices in some Latin American destinations that were put on alert:
Ecuador: Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa, declared the country in a state of emergency after 20 countries in the Americas were placed under a Tsunami warning following the 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan this morning. Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism in coordination with local emergency authorities is working on temporarily relocating residents and tourists located along the beach areas in the five coastal provinces of Ecuador – Guayas, Santa Elena, Manabí, Esmeraldas and El Oro – as well as the Galapagos Islands in a preventive measure aimed to ensure the safety everyone. Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism is recommending that everyone should abstain from traveling to Ecuador’s Coastal zones until further notice. All air traffic to and from Esmeraldas, Baltra, San Cristóbal and the Galápagos is temporarily suspended until further notice. Ecuador travel info: www.ecuador.travel
Puerto Vallarta: The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board announced that the destination, located at the Pacific Coast of Mexico, is under no immediate threat after a tsunami alert was placed on Mexico this morning following an 8.9 point earthquake in Japan. Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for Americans and Canadians, is naturally protected by the Bay of Banderas and the unusual amount of waves expected to land on Puerto Vallarta´s shores on Friday after 12:30 CST, did not reach the destination. Local government officials asked local operators to suspend all navigation and recreational activities at sea for the time being as a preventive measure and placed a red alert flag on the beaches of Puerto Vallarta in an effort to keep residents and visitors from going into the ocean because the phenomenon could also last up to 12 hours. All other tourism activities remain the same. Puerto Vallarta travel info: www.visitpuertovallarta.com
I will continue to post updates as I receive information.