My name is Charles Roberts and I am the Director for Hero Holiday. I, along with my wife and three children, the Bernardi family and the Boyce family, are all currently in Mexico representing Hero Holiday here. Over the past couple of years, my wife Tricia, our sons, and I have been living here off and on. Our boys know this as their home. We know this community very well and have many friends here. We have been fortunate to be able to partner with local government agencies and authorities to better assist the people we are here to help.
Considering the media coverage of the Swine Flu, and the Drug War along the northern Mexican border, I feel it is important for you to hear from us on a personal level. We are living here, day in and day out and would love to share with you, from our perspective, what is really (or not really) happening.
Safety has always been, and will continue to be, our number one priority for all of our trip participants. Safety is always at the forefront of every decision we make and every trip that we facilitate.
I am continually saddened by the media in Canada and the US. Their overreaction and selective coverage to the Swine Flu and to the Drug War stories in Mexico have created and continue to create an incredible amount of fear in people. Considering the media’s business approach to ’sell’ stories to the public, we are constantly seeing more and more ’stories’ that are slanted to instill fear in their listeners. Looking at it carefully, it is clear that ‘fear’ sells.
When hearing news stories, always remember to use a personal filter and your own common sense to read between the lines of what is being reported. When considering traveling to other countries, the most reliable information is official government information that they publish for our safety. It is direct, to the point and usually not ’selective’ or ‘over-dramatized’. A few trusted sites that we gain our information from are the following:
- Canadian Foreign Affairs (http://www.voyage.gc.ca/
countries_pays/menu-eng.asp ) - Canadian Health Agency (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/
index-eng.php). ) - The World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/en/ )
These three are highly respected government agencies, and are accountable to people for what they say. Our Canadian government will ALWAYS air on the side of extreme caution when it comes to travel advisories. If there is any reason for concern at all, our government will clearly communicate that to us, again, sometimes to an extreme.
Today, April 29th, 2009, the World Health Organization communicated again that there is no need to advise against regular travel.
“WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.”
If you are a Hero Holiday participant, concerned about traveling to Mexico on your trip, please do not be alarmed. I understand that the media is making a big deal about this, and it may appear that the world is falling apart. However, I encourage you, as I did earlier, to please filter what your are hearing, use some common sense, and research this a little further on your own. Please do not believe everything you hear, and do not just take my thoughts on this either. Look into it for yourself via trusted sources. I am confident that a lot of your concerns will be eliminated. The worst thing you can do is to make a quick, uninformed decision, based solely on something you have heard/seen on TV.
Thank you for your understanding. I hope you are encouraged by this. I am available anytime if you would like to contact me personally.
Charles Roberts
Hero Holiday Director
Mexico Cell: (to dial from Canada) 001 521 (616) 109-9404
US Cell: (for when I am in the USA) (619) 370-6303
Email: charles@heroholiday.com
