Immigration authorities at the Cancun airport continue to undermine the promotional efforts of hoteliers, service providers and government authorities. Once again, a couple from Colombia reported that they were returned to their country and received invasive and hostile treatment. This is a recurring event at the Cancun airport terminal against Brazilians, Ecuadorians and Colombians.
Kristhian Ospina is a Colombian content creator who, along with his girlfriend, had a bitter experience in Mexico when they tried to vacation in Cancun. The birthday surprise that the girlfriend had organized resulted in complications with immigration authorities at the Cancun airport.
According to the Colombia.com website, since their arrival, both young people felt distrust of the immigration officers, who harassed them about the itinerary and details of the trip. Although the girlfriend had everything planned and documented ─hotel and tour reservations─, Ospina’s lack of knowledge about the specific destinations generated suspicions. In addition, their cell phones were confiscated and their conversations and photos were reviewed, which they considered invasive and hostile.
Although the couple explained that it was a tourist trip, the officers remained inflexible and ended up denying them entry into the country. They were returned to Bogotá, not to Medellín, their city of origin, which generated more expenses; in addition, their suitcases were left in Mexico.
This situation reflects a recurring problem for Colombians who want to visit Mexico: according to statistics from the Embassy, in the first months of 2024, about 8% of Colombians who tried to enter the country were rejected.
The reasons are usually related to suspicions of illegal activities or inconsistencies in travel plans. The Colombian Superintendence of Transportation has also reported numerous complaints about the treatment of Colombians at airports and on flights to Mexico.
It is worth noting that according to the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur), from January to July 2024, 360,249 tourists arrived in Mexico by air from Colombia, an increase of 17.2% compared to arrivals in the same period in 2018, and a tourist expenditure of 426 million 868 thousand dollars, a historic figure that is 53.7% higher than that registered in the first seven months of 2018.
Source: reportur
