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 Safety and Travel in Mexico; Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.
By Sara Moen -Owner of Playa Maya News-Playa del Carmen, Mexico
There have been countless stories floating all over the internet, and in the news, in regards to the safety of foreigners traveling to Mexico. As a United States citizen that has been living in Mexico for the past 6 years I thought I would share my opinion on this matter. In addition, I am going to highlight an article published in the LA Times in regards to this subject. I have also included two local Playa del Carmen business owners that have written on what has become the travel debate of 2009.
There is no denying that there is drug related violence in Mexico, just as there is in any country, including the United States. Currently there has been a rise of violence, or at least the coverage of drug related violence, in Mexico. But keep in mind that the majority of these problems are on the border towns of the United States and Mexico where competing drug cartels are vying for the position of power.
In my opinion the Riviera Maya and Playa del Carmen are completely safe, and I do not feel in danger whatsoever. I live a bit outside of the tourist area in a part of town where my husband and I are the only foreign residents and I feel safe anytime; day or night. I think taking natural precautions when traveling anywhere is a good idea, but in my opinion Playa del Carmen and the Rivera Maya are the perfect place to be either as a year round resident, or as a visitor, taking full advantage of the strong dollar to peso exchange, and our beautiful Caribbean Beaches.
Mexico's drug war, contrary to report, does not mean all areas are unsafe for tourists.
By Pete Thomas- LA Times Writer
I enjoy watching CNN and respect its journalists, but the station blundered Saturday night while addressing Mexico's drug war and the dangers facing prospective visitors to Mexico during spring break.
"CNN Newsroom" anchor Don Lemon stated at the outset of a story focusing largely on border-town drug-related violence that people in the United States might want "to think twice before considering Mexico for a spring break vacation."
This implied that all of Mexico is embroiled in such violence, and it's simply not true.
Cabo San Lucas, East Cape, and La Paz? These areas in Baja California Sur, like many areas on Mexico's mainland, have not been sucked into the drug-related violence and do not deserve to be tossed into the fray. Resort operators from southern Baja spent much of their time at last week's Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show in Long Beach explaining to prospective clients how far removed they are from the drug-war front.
A sport fishing fleet owner from Cabo San Lucas told me that some business owners there are suspicious that U.S. media outlets are purposely trying to prevent citizens from spending money in a foreign country during these hard economic times.
CNN, or the L.A. Times for that matter, certainly would not stoop to such tactics.
To be sure, the CNN piece highlighted a serious problem that festers in border towns such as Tijuana and Rosarito Beach , where violence has been steady (in the former) or sporadic (in the latter).But the same story also implied that beaches in Rosarito Beach are unsafe for tourists. In fact, not a single drug-related murder, since the violence in border areas flared up beginning in 2007, has claimed a tourist in Rosarito Beach. And I could be wrong, but I do not think a murder of any cartel member or police officer actually occurred on a beach within a tourist zone. I don't mean to downplay a serious issue or imply there aren't risks associated with travel south of the border. But as with the United States, some places in Mexico are safer than others, and they deserve a fair shake.
Mexico And The U.S. Media
By Tom Doody- Owner of The Blue Parrot -Playa del Carmen, Mexico
If you've been considering traveling to Mexico and have concerns about what you've been hearing in the U.S. media, consider this:
With the exception of the Mexican border towns and economically depressed zones, traveling and vacationing in Mexico remains a far safer experience than many of the largest cities in the U.S.
The U.S. media loves to fill the 24 hour news hole with dramatic stories about the internecine drug violence in Mexico that--while very real--represent virtually no risk to tourists. Unfortunately, the by-product of this dramatization is the destruction of our local tourism-based economies.
From our direct experience, it took 6 weeks to recover from the hurricanes of 2006. It took another two years to fully recover from the financial destruction wreaked by the U.S. media's exaggeration of the damage done by the reports that Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya had been "destroyed."
The recent chain of stories in the LA Times, Wall Street Journal and countless more, are having the same destructive effect at a time when Americans should be taking advantage of the 15-1 USD exchange rate and the tranquility of the Riviera Maya.
So, if you've been considering coming down to the Blue Parrot and are alarmed by the warnings about travel by tourists to Mexico, think again. I'll walk down any street in Playa del Carmen with my family at any time of day or night. I don't think I'd make the same statement about my former home town in the United States.
Families Safe in Mexico
By Shawn Bandick-Owner of One Stop Real Estate -Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Hello Everyone. I thought I would share some interesting statistics with you today.
As many of you know I have lived in Mexico with my two children and my wife since 2001. We enjoy a remarkable lifestyle and we have many friends here from all over the world also living in Mexico.
Playa Del Carmen is enjoying a great high season full of happy travelers escaping the long winter. This year the crowds came earlier and we have many people arriving daily to enjoy some of the sun and fun the area has to offer.
The Mayan Riviera is enjoying record tourism this season. In January 2008 the Cancun Airport received 1,110,738 visitors, and this January 2009 they have seen a 7.1% increase for a total of 1,189,361 visitors. To top that off Cozumel is the number one cruise ship port in the world; 861 cruise ships have visited since the first of the year with a total of 223,000 passengers. These visitors are enjoying the diverse culture and all the activities the area has to offer.
Lately there has been a lot of news about crime and violence everywhere; I find it rather tiresome as I’m sure you do. I understand, like most people do, that no country is without crime, and I also understand that if some areas are having a problem, that doesn’t mean the entire country is, otherwise I would never leave Mexico after reading the headlines in the cities I fly into for vacation.
Hopefully all of the information in the above articles will help travelers put things into perspective in respect to some of the travel news lately. I hope you found the information useful and we look forward to seeing you in Playa del Carmen soon!
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I recently joined this site since my wife and I are considering moving to Playa in a couple of years (if not sooner). We have been researching for a place to move since our short visit to Quintana Roo (QR) three years ago. My wife could not believe the culture differences between the US and Mexico. The main factor of us deciding to move is the strong family values. It is rare to know any american family still bonded together at a dinner table. Most families eat separately from eachother or are just to busy. The crime factor is not relevant to us, for I have been in a Law Enforcement profession for at least 25 years. The crime in Orlando, FL, for example is much worse than tourists know when they visit Central Florida. Yes there is violence in the US-Mexican borders due to the drug wars, but here it is the average citizen trying to make a living whom is the victim. Carjackings, home invasions, robberies with grave consequences are not uncommon, and often tourist are targeted since prosecution will be unlikely even if they are caught. Most crimes which occur at major attraction parks are kept quiet so tourism is not affected.
I have relatives living in QR, and they laugh at the US news comments made about the crime in the state. Honestly, we cannot wait to move, and not because we do not like where we presently live. It is because is getting more violent to live here, and we want a safer and stronger family values up-bringing for our children.