Cancun Crackdown

Cancun, known for wild spring break parties — booze cruises, wet T-shirt contests and all-you-can-drink discos, is trying to tame its image.

Local officials and business owners — including those in the hotel and nightclub industry — have signed a "civility agreement" to enforce stricter drinking restrictions, including barring those already intoxicated from entering bars and banning the use of advertising to promote drinking.

The decision, announced Wednesday, is aimed at reducing disorderly conduct among the thousands of spring breakers who flock to the seaside resort each year.

"No longer will Cancun tolerate open drink containers in the hotel zone, nor will we tolerate any establishment serving alcohol to minors," said Miguel Borge Martin, executive director of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Moreover, we will no longer permit the use of banners, signs and commercials that promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages or alcoholic prizes."

Discos advertising all-you-can-drink specials and drinking contests are common in Cancun, one of the most popular foreign spring break destinations for thousands of college students from the United States.

Each year, dozens of students are arrested for disorderly conduct or drug possession. The legal drinking age is 18, but many discos ignore it.