Mexico Tourism: Is Cancun Safe for Visitors? USA Today says so.

Dear friends,

Kitty Bean Yancey from USA Today posted another article in ABC News Travel covering the topic on safety in Cancun and Mexico called “Is Cancun Safe for Visitors?“

The article includes testimonials from US citizens currently enjoying the beautiful destination as well as American and Canadian citizens living and working in Cancun.

All of them reassure what we have been working hard to prove: Cancun is a safe place to visit and enjoy a wonderful vacation. Violence exists, yes, but outside of the tourist strip, which is the safest part in Cancun. Considering Cancun depends 100% on tourism, it only makes sense that the Mexican Government will take all necessary measures to provide safety for tourists in the Hotel Zone and associated tourist spots.

Cancun

Some excerpts from the article:

Emerald Archer, pretty in a pink bikini top and carrying a foot-long plastic glass filled with a flamingo-colored cocktail, strolls the wide white sands of Playa Chac-Mool with three friends from Toledo.

“We haven’t been beheaded,” Archer, a 26-year-old dental assistant, says with a grin. “We’ve had no problems. People need to chill out.”

“The safest people here are the tourists” Erandeni Abundis of the Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau says over lunch at a restaurant overlooking the famously aquamarine sea. “We depend on tourism. We couldn’t afford to lose it.” To accommodate Americans, visitors now can dial 911 in Cancun for emergencies instead of the 066 that locals use, she says.

Over quesadillas and margaritas at Cancun’s popular Carlos ‘n Charlie’s — where waiters encourage tourist high jinks and form conga lines with visitors — American Laura Winfree, 24, who came to Mexico on vacation, met a Mexican and married him, talks about tourism.

She shuddered when she saw headlines last year saying “bombing in a Cancun hotspot.” It “was some divey little bar in a (non-touristy) neighborhood so bad that locals won’t even park their cars there,” she says. “Cancun is pretty safe for tourists. If you had a war going on in Los Angeles, you wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, don’t go to New York.’ “

Kelly McLaughlin, a Canadian blogger living in Cancun, says the real violence is “thousands of kilometers away. … Crime happens, sure, just like in Miami or New York or Los Angeles. Bring your common sense, be aware of your surroundings and your belongings. Don’t buy drugs, don’t solicit prostitutes. Millions of tourists visit the Mexican Caribbean every year, and the worst thing that happens to (most of) them is a sunburn or a hangover.“

Toledan Nicholas Weiss, 24, on the beach with Emerald Archer, checks in by e-mail after their trip. “We had a great time,” he writes. “No problems with any gangs, drugs or scary Mexican cartels.”

Samantha Kaleck, a freshman at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania who shared a shuttle with this reporter, reports on her visit: “We didn’t run into any trouble. We took taxis to and from all the places we went to. We all stuck together and kept an eye out for each other. We didn’t put ourselves in a position to be in harm. My friends and I decided that Cancun is only as unsafe as you make it. I would definitely, 100%, go back.“

Click here to read the full article at ABC News Travel

More useful links and information about safety in Cancun & Mexico:

How safe is travel in Mexico? Our most popular post! With a lot of useful information.

Is Cancun Safe? You bet! – A post with testimonials about the safety of Cancun and Riviera Maya, from “ex-pats” living and working in the area.

Is it safe to travel to Mexico? The answer is yes. Good post with lots of recent facts & figures, including a map showing the conflict areas in Mexico.

Is it safe to travel to Cancun? Cancun tops ABC News “7 safe places to visit in Mexico” list

External links and information about safety in Cancun & Mexico

What are other travelers from different parts of the world saying about the safety of Cancun and Mexico? Check out the following links.

Spring Break Update: Is Cancun Safe? – A recent post by Marlise Kast from Fodor’s Travel. Useful tips about Cancun’s Downtown plus also the Hotel Zone.

“Replete with resorts, Cancun is one of the safest cities in Mexico. Drug cartel violence generally takes place 1,300 miles from Cancun on the northern border of Mexico (the same distance from New York to Texas). In fact, Cancun’s crime rate is much lower than that of most U.S. cities. Mexico is a very large country and the resort city of Cancun continues to be a safe destination for visitors. Here are answers to four of today’s most common questions about safety in the area.”

Is It Safe To Visit Mexico? – A very complete post by Aysha Griffin, an American travel writer.

“Is it safe to visit the resorts and popular tourists destinations, like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Playa del Carmen, etc? Probably as safe as it has ever been. The decent, kind-hearted Mexicans, who know the value of tourism, welcome you. … be aware of your surroundings, as you should no matter where; and continue to visit and enjoy the diverse scenery, culture, food, climate and genuine hospitality of Mexico.”

Why I’m Not Afraid of Mexico – An excellent post by Candice, a Canadian 20-something traveler.

“… danger is real, but it’s real anywhere. Get schooled about the places to go and the places to avoid, don’t go venturing down any shady alleyways, mind your own business and be polite. Do your research. Being smart will get you a lot further than being afraid.“

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