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Government says over 3,000 Thomas Cook travelers remain in Cancun, Riviera Maya

Cancun, Q.R. — Days after the bankruptcy announcement of Thomas Cook, more than 3,000 tourists remain stranded in the state.

The head of la Secretaría estatal de Turismo, Marisol Vanegas Pérez, reports that there are still approximately 3,300 tourists waiting for help to return home after Thomas Cook ceased operations. She says that the government of England initiated a tourist rescue program and that Quintana Roo still has thousands waiting for a plane to return them to their country of origin.

She said at the moment, departures are being carried out in a timely manner as the embassy of the United Kingdom ensures the payment of the service providers by means of letters of credit.

In a press conference, she said that on the first day of bankruptcy, more than 300 people arrived at the Cancun International Airport to learn that there was no plane waiting to take them back home, a situation that created a bit of chaos.

She explained that an operation had to be implemented where staff of the British Embassy worked directly with hotels and airlines guaranteeing suppliers payment of services, and that by the end of the first day, approximately 400 Thomas Cook travelers departed the Cancun International Airport.

She says this arrangement has allowed them to continue registering the departures of approximately 400 Thomas Cook travelers per day, adding that it could take as long as 15 days for the situation to be regularized.

Vanegas Pérez added that they have already begun talks with other tour operators to ensure the arrival of the more than 10,000 European visitors expected for the upcoming holiday high season.