The United States Department of State has expanded their travel warning for Americans traveling to Mexico to now include two new states Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, which are home to popular tourist destinations of Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Due to the violence associated with the drug cartel, innocent bystanders have been shot and killed in these areas recently.
Per the US Department of State,
The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas. Â U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Mexico issued December 8, 2016.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
The U.S. State Department has warned its citizens about traveling to Cancun and Los Cabos, two of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations, after a surge in violence in those regions.
A travel advisory issued Tuesday upgraded the warnings for two states, Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, saying turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime and shootings in which innocent bystanders have been killed.
For years, both regions were largely insulated from the drug war violence that has engulfed other parts of Mexico, but this year they have each seen a major uptick in killings.
There have been deadly gun battles in downtown Cancun, and in January, five people were killed at a nightclub in nearby Playa del Carmen. In Los Cabos, a municipality on the Pacific Coast that includes the cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, three people were shot to death this month at the entrance to a popular beach.
Bottom Line
Be sure to think twice before planning your next trip to one of these popular tourist areas in Mexico which now include Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Tulum, Los Cabos and La Paz.
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I live in Washington DC. Last month there were more murders here than there were all of last year in both Cancun and Los Cabos combined. We continue to travel to Mexico every Christmas with all of our extended family, as it’s one of our favorite places to visit. As with anything, the best advice is just to be safe and prudent as you would anywhere.
My wife and I fly into Cancun and stay in the Riviera Maya every year, have never felt unsafe. Meanwhile we live 20 miles from Madison, Wisconsins state capital. In July they already passed last years murder rate. Shootings going on every night between the gangs and thugs. Just yesterday everyday citizen had bullet come through front windshield and exit out back between passengers. Top of mayors agenda – removing confederate monuments of dead from graveyards, what a joke. I wouldn’t even consider spending any of my tourist dollars in Chicago, St. Louis, LA, or a number of these crime infested cities!
I go to cabo every 2 months and I feel safer in cabo than here in New York I was in cabo last week and it was very safe whe whent out at night and I dint feel unsafe I think this is just propaganda from the government to keep tourism within the U.S
I live in La Paz I used to live in Toronto I still watch the news on CP24 in Toronto every morning where there is a shooting or stabbing almost everyday I don’t see that here. The streets are safe and so are the beaches, it’s a great place to visit don’t let propaganda scare you away.
Thank God, thank Trump. Please don´t come to Mexico, we are tired of paying US prices in my beautiful country, go elsewhere like Florida.
Think twice like the bottom line remarks.
It’s because Trump is sending all the Bad Hombres back…..apparently they like the beach too!
I must have missed the advisory about travel to Chicago, where there were 38 fatal shootings last weekend.
Alberto – thanks for nothing for steering those folks over here from Mexico. Don’t come to Florida folks – keep heading north – make like a Democrat and high tail it off to Canada!
We have family in Mexico and they live in a a fairly medium sized town. We’ve never felt unsafe here either. We go out and do as we please and my extended family who live in Mexico say they never feel unsafe either and have yet to be harassed or threatened. Disregard the broad language this article says. While there are some areas that are unsafe, just be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. There are still plenty of areas in Mexico that are beautiful and safe. There’s violence everywhere one goes. It’s just a matter of awareness. Surely the author of this article needs to get their facts straight.