On the VisitMexico.com site, states like
Hidalgo and Guerrero apparently got machine-
translated as “Noble” and “Warrior.” The
Caribbean resort of Tulum somehow became
“Jumpsuit.” And the names of other tourist
towns were also mangled.
Mexico’s Tourism Department issued a
statement apologizing for the apparently
out-sourced errors and later launched a
redesigned page.
The snafu came right after the U.S. State
Department cited the high number of COVID-19
cases in Mexico for issuing a “do not travel”
advisory for the country in August, its highest
level of warning.
And earlier, the resort of Acapulco was forced
to pull “anything goes” tourism ads that showed
people partying without masks and the words
“there are no rules.”
The ads touted the faded resort’s reputation
as a nightclubbing spot — despite the fact
that nightclubs are currently closed to enforce
social distancing.
“We have stopped being a postcard from the
past, today we have changed the rules,” says the
narration in one of the pulled videos.
“In fact, there are no rules,” says another voice,
as people can be seen eating bizarre meals
and going out to nightclubs. “Eat whatever
you want, have fun day and night and into the
early morning hours ... find new friends and
new loves.”
Authorities said the ads weren’t appropriate
during the coronavirus pandemic.