Mexico offers tourists free insurance

2009 has not been a banner year so far for Mexico’s tourism industry. The global economic crisis, outbursts of violence and the swine flu hysteria have combined to seriously hamper Mexican tourism.

As a way of trying to coax visitors in to the country, the government of Mexico City will experiment with a novel idea: free medical insurance for tourists.

Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says the program was proposed during the April swine-flu outbreak that battered the tourism industry in the city, which is visited by about seven million tourists each year.

Anyone checking into a hotel in the capital will receive an insurance card, good for coverage of any illness, accident or hospitalization. The city government stressed that the program will cover treatment for swine flu. The card also has some coverage for lost or stolen luggage. Visitors who don't stay in a hotel can also register by providing proof of a return ticket.

The head of the Mexican Hotel Association estimated that hotel occupancy rates could rise up to 70% in August due to the proposal.

Do you think the new program will work? Should other Latin American countries hit hard by the swine flu (Argentina, for instance) implement the measure? What do you think?

Image- The Telegraph (Tourists coming from countries affected by the swine flu were often forced to wear masks while they traveled).
Online Sources- CBC, Xinhua, The Latin Americanist