Stranded in Paradise: Tourists Express Frustration Over Extended Stays at Luxury Mexican Resorts

American tourists in Puerto Vallarta have increasingly taken to social media to express their dismay at being confined to luxury resorts due to escalating cartel violence in the region.

Alarming images and footage circulating online depict a chaotic scene at the local airport, with both travelers and staff fleeing as armed cartel members seized control of the facility.

Residents of Puerto Vallarta have reported encounters with armed individuals riding motorcycles, accompanied by the unsettling sound of gunfire. Social media platforms like X and Instagram are now awash with videos capturing clashes between Mexican forces and cartel members.

Adding to the chaos, smoke has been seen rising from the city as cartel affiliates set vehicles ablaze, prompting the U.S. State Department to issue a security alert. American tourists have been advised to stay indoors, steer clear of large gatherings, and limit their movements.

This wave of violence erupted following the Mexican Army’s killing of Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, a significant cartel figure, in Tapalpa, located roughly 170 miles southeast of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco.

El Mencho was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels that plays a key role in trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl to the US. 

But as violence gripped the region, influencers took to social media to bemoan how they were stuck in the tourist hotspot.

‘We were supposed to leave this morning, and right as our shuttle came, our shuttle never showed up because they could not leave the airport due to a shutdown, due to cartel retaliation,’ makeup artist and mom influencer Kaila R Gibson shared in a video on Instagram, 

‘So I really want to cry, I miss my baby,’ she continued. ‘It’s really scary, honestly. I have no idea how long we’re going to be  here for. And it’s just quite terrifying.’ 

Violence gripped the Mexican state of Jalisco on Sunday following the death of cartel leader Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes. A burnt-out bus allegedly set on fire by cartel members is pictured on a highway

Smoke billowed at a distance in the popular tourist hotspot

Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes was killed by Mexican federal forces on Sunday, according to high-ranking officials who spoke with local publications. The chaos across Mexico is thought to be in response to his death

‘So if you could pray, I would super appreciate that – and pray for all the other girls that are also stuck here,’ she told her 275,000 followers.

In a follow-up post, she added that she is also ‘so sad for the families here as well.’

‘I’ve never felt unsafe here because the cartel stays out of the tourist areas,’ she said.

Still, Gibson said she was ‘praying we make it home to our babies soon and the people here are safe.’ 

Meanwhile, on TikTok another makeup artist said she was left stranded following a makeup retreat.

She said she had received a text from the airline that ‘basically there will be no travel through February 26 due to “civil unrest.”‘

In another video, she lamented that she will be ‘here until we’re not here.’ 

As night then descended, the makeup artist told her followers how the resort ‘closed all the restaurants except for the buffet, and they said room service was available, but there was no availability.

‘So I’m rationing deserts, I’m eating my feelings and I’m drinking all night,’ the influencer, with more than 78,300 followers said.

Firefighters extinguish a burning bus set on fire by cartel members

National Guard stood watch on the side of a highway connecting Mexico City with the state of Puebla after alleged cartel members set fire to a bus

Firefighters were seen extinguishing a burning vehicle set on fire on Sunday

She added that even if her flight was able to depart on Monday, she does not know whether she would feel safe.

‘So until then I will eat desert and keep y’all posted.’ 

But others tried to make the best of their misfortune, with Tarik Hagen filming himself dancing in his room.

‘Currently trapped in Puerto Vallarta because the cartel has shut down the city,’ he wrote in text overlayed on the video, which he captioned: ‘Can’t leave our hotel and the airport is closed.’ 

Mexican National Guard agents have since secured the airport in Puerto Vallarta, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, which runs the Puerto Vallarta airport, said Sunday night.

‘However, by decision of the airlines, today … all international operations and most domestic flights are cancelled,’ it added.

Burnt-down cars littered the highways in Jalisco following the raid to kill El Mencho

Smoke was seen billowing from burning vehicles in the tourist hotspot

Videos taken by travelers at Guadalajara International Airport in Jalisco show smoke rising from the runways

The news came as La Jornada, one of Mexico City’s largest newspapers, reported that a total of 26 people were killed in the chaos on Sunday.

Most of the fatalities occurred within federal and state security forces, which saw 17 agents killed on Sunday.

Eight alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel were also reportedly killed. 

Twenty-five people have also been arrested in Jalisco, state officials announced Sunday night.

Eleven were arrested for alleged participation in violent acts and 14 others were arrested for alleged acts of looting or pillaging.

Still, US Senator Gary Peters urged tourists on social media to sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which allows the State Department to contact Americans in case of an emergency.