The number of Canadians in Mexico who have registered with Ottawa continued to rise Tuesday, even as airlines resumed flights in and out of Puerto Vallarta and the Global Affairs Canada registration system experienced more delays.
A statement from Global Affairs Canada sent Tuesday evening said the system is slow and intermittent due to an "unprecedented" high volume of registrations.
As of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, more than 61,000 Canadians in Mexico had registered. That had grown from about 18,000 on Sunday, to 26,305 on Monday morning, and 55,000 on Tuesday morning.
Global Affairs Canada said in peak winter months, between 100,000 and 200,000 Canadians can be in Mexico. Global Affairs Canada said the numbers provide only a general estimate of Canadians in the region, as registration is voluntary.
The department said it's addressing a problem with the registration system, which may not provide an immediate email confirmation of the registration.
The number of registrations includes about 16,600 people in Jalisco state in Western Mexico, which is home to the popular resort destination of Puerto Vallarta.
Violence erupted in multiple parts of Mexico on Sunday, including across Jalisco, after the Mexican Army killed a drug cartel leader in a mountain town about 400 kilometres east of Puerto Vallarta by road. Gunmen blocked highways and set cars on fire in multiple places, and Canadian tourists in the region reported hearing blasts and seeing smoke and burned out buildings and vehicles.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta were advised to shelter in place on Sunday but the situation had calmed by Tuesday. Some tourists were posting on social media that they were able to resume their holidays, including going to the beach.
Canadian airlines also resumed flights in and out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday after widespread violence led them to temporarily suspend service on the weekend.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand would not say whether Canadians should reconsider plans to travel to Mexico. Instead she said those decisions should be made on a day-to-day basis.
“The advice that our government is providing is that this is a situation that is very volatile and it is evolving every day," she said. "To make a decision about your plans for next week on Tuesday of the week before may be premature."
Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Porter Airlines all announced they were resuming flights to and from the popular western Mexican resort city on Tuesday, with WestJet also offering service to Guadalajara and Manzanillo.
Flair Airlines said in a statement it plans to restore service to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara starting Wednesday.
"Conditions have stabilized to a level that allows us to operate safely, and recovery flights will begin bringing impacted customers home," a Flair spokeswoman said in an email to The Canadian Press.
Global Affairs Canada said in an update Tuesday it's working closely with Canadian airlines to ensure its responses are co-ordinated and timely as conditions develop, and allow for safe, normal airline operations.
Global Affairs Canada is advising people in affected areas to limit their movements and to travel to the airport only if they have a confirmed flight "and it is safe to do so."
Anand said Canadians should follow the guidance of local authorities, as the situation is evolving and can differ from region to region.
“The long and the short of it is, the situation is becoming more normalized. We should continue to see this trajectory unfolding. The situation needs to be closely monitored as we are doing with our consular officials on the ground in Mexico," she said.
Global Affairs Canada says Canadians should still avoid non-essential travel to more than a dozen Mexican states because of high levels of violence and organized crime.
The advisory says travellers should avoid the state of Jalisco within 50 kilometres of neighbouring Michoacan. Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are part of Jalisco but are outside that buffer zone.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
