Is the travel situation getting worse in Mexico, or is it just that the media is picking up more stories about the drug cartels, gangs, and other generally illegal acts in our neighbor to the south? TravelingMamas posted earlier about the US State Department’s travel advisory against taking vacations in certain parts of Mexico. At that point, two suggestions was to stay in an all-inclusive resort, or to travel to the most popular tourist destinations, like Cancun and the Mayan Riviera. But a Canadian tourist was recently shot inside his hotel room in Cabo San Lucas (Calgary Herald) and the increase in criminal activity in Tijuana is well-known. UPDATE: New 2009 Mexico Travel Alert.
On the Gulf side (the Yucatan), Cancun and the Riviera Maya are gorgeous tourist destinations, with white sandy beaches and archaeological marvels that would make Indiana Jones drop his hat. The Riviera Maya starts at Playa del Carmen and ends in Tulum. Certainly worth considering for a family vacation, right? Consider this: The “hotel zone’ of small charming hotels and restaurants in Tulum is experiencing a scene right out of the Wild West.
One of those charming Tulum restaurants, owned by an Australian-born US citizen, was literally invaded last
week by a group of men working for a corrupt local politician. John Kendall, who bought the land six years ago, already has a certified local presence in the Mayan Riviera; his acclaimed Mezzanine hotel overlooks the sea in along the same historic stretch of Mexico. The Mexican politician, Gaston Alegre, has called Kendall the “Devil of Tulum” and sent police (and 30 private security guards) into Kendall’s beachfront restaurant to take the property by brute force. The restaurant, El Pez, was filled with tourists and customers; they were kicked out, and the restaurant was completely trashed. When Kendall attempted to take back his property, corrupt police from nearby Playa del Carmen fought him off. Kendall has said, “Gaston Alegre still thinks he’s in 1930’s Mexico.” Kendall will get his day in court, of course, but clearly corruption runs deep in many travel destinations here. This illegal land grab illuminates the need for stronger anti-corruption laws in Mexico (or at least that the ones on the books be upheld).
Criminal activity in Mexico has not just increased in recent months, but also has begun to spread into popular tourist destinations. Pack more than just your bathing suit and sunblock for a vacation south of the border; take some extra precautions as well. Watching Indiana Jones on the big screen is one thing. Finding ourselves in the middle of frightening battles in real life, quite another.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Gaston Alegre literally means Happy Spender, which is kind of ironic…
How frightening.
That’s so frightening. When we stayed in Tulum for our honeymoon the resort had guards patrolling the beach at night to protect against “banditos”.
We stayed in Playa a few years ago and had no problems at all. I have been working and traveling in Mexico for a number of years and it is by far one of my favorite places. It is a real disappointment to see such a great country fall apart like this. Reports of this type used to be quite over exaggerated in the past, but what I am hearing from the locals now is that the current reports are not representative of what is really happening (under reporting).
The state of Yucatan is considered to be one of the safest in Mexico. Read more travel safety tips form the U.S. Consul here: http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-asktheusconsul-6-05_1.htm
Since my son’s tragic death in Cancun last year, I have made it my priority to create awareness about the many unknown dangers of traveling to Mexico. Please visit my website before making any vacation plans. http://www.mexicovacationawareness.com
I can assure you that the crime being reported is only a fraction of what is going on in Mexico. According to CIAM Cancun, an organization ran by world famous journalist, Lydia Cacho, for abused/raped women and children, 82% of all crimes reported are never investigated and 92% of all crimes go unpunished in Cancun and Acapulco alone!
I can speak from experience that if something does happen to you in Mexico, the police will NOT help you. I was brutally raped, beaten unconscious and left for dead by a security guard. There was an eyewitness to the attack who told police that “she is not his first victim, only the first to go to police”, within hours of the attack. Yet today, over 16 months later, NO ONE has been arrested in my case, although there is an arrest warrant signed by a judge in July of 2007 for both men.
Please take a moment to visit my website and read my story along with stories of other victims of violent crime in Mexico.
http://www.ithappenedinmexico.com
great source of information
Nice Post
Oh my word! Come vacation in Thailand where there aren’t roving bandits.
The media is for some reason on a rampage to end tourism in Mexico and apparently people are buying it.
Please read http://www.thetruthaboutmexico.com Its a site that features articles from expat bloggers living in Mexico. It will shed some real light on traveling that that beautiful country.
This article is one of the most popular
http://www.thetruthaboutmexico.com/2009/03/spring-break-in-mexico-do-the-math-kids/
So please be informed before you believe everything the media feeds you.
So is it safe? Not in the border towns but who the heck goes to Juarez for Spring break anyways? Its like not going on vacation to Miami because of the violence in Detriot! It makes no sense.
I guess ignorance is bliss because my husband and I went to Cancun in Feb 2008 and we did not know this was happening and luckily we were fine and had a great time. You can check out our blog of our trip to Cancun, Mexico and other travels on amylynneadams.blogspot.com
My boyfriend and I are leaving for Cabo next Monday. Being the information junky I am, I’ve been reading some of the blogs regarding travel alerts (this being one of them). I’d like to reinforce what a few people have dared to say. Crime happens all over the world, in every city and in every country. I dare to guess that the wrong neighborhood in Detroit (just named the most violent city in the U.S.)is just as dangerous as anywhere else. Being aware and cautious is always makes good sense no matter where you are, but taking some crime statistics and using them to create fear in people is unfortunate. I wouldn’t go to Detroit and I won’t be going to Juarez, however I will have a blast in Cabo San Lucas!
I have been doing business with hotels in Cancun for 10 years, I agree with Amy and Ramona, Cancun it`s completely dependent on tourists, so believe me they really want them to spend a great time, as Ramona says crime it’s all over the world, but most of the places are safe, resorts, restaurants and popular tourists destinations you can be 100% sure you will have a great time. It`s always wise to be cautious, but you have to be in an extremely dangerous situation to have a small possibility of getting in trouble, for example a beautiful young girl drunk and alone in a bus is certainly at some risk, so for sure if you play with fire you can get hurt but that rule applies not only in Mexico I’m sure it applies also in a wrong neighborhood in Detroit as Ramona says.
Have a great time in your Cancun vacations I’m sure you will really enjoy them.