Travel advisory for people travelling to Mexico.?

Question

I've been to Riviera Maya and Acapulco and I just loved it. I was planning another vacation until my travel agent gave me the advisory. In the past 2 years, 6 canadians and 8 americans have been murdered or were found dead in Mexico. Another 150 tourists were arrested for breaking their laws and kept in jail. The police over there also have a reputation of botching investigations and lack training. I know its a different country and they have their rules, but i think i'll be visiting the Dominican or Cuba from now on.

Do advisory like these scare you or would u still go on and visit countries like these?

Answer 1

Do have the statistics for how many foreign tourists have been attacked or murdered in the U.S. in the past 2 years and how many foreigners are in American jails?  These crimes against tourists in  Mexico are horrid, but it happens in every country.  And regretably, there are tourists who think that an enjoyable time is getting drunk and drugged out of their minds and then end up arrested.  Look at how many questions are on here about trying to sneak alcohol or drugs in luggage across the border or on planes or ships.  People do risky behaviors and suffer the consequences.  According to the article below, every year over 2000 Americans are arrested  in other countries and over 1000 are put in foreign jails.   The 150 in 2 years in Mexico is a small percentage of the total.  Foreign tourists in the U.S. are also the victims of crimes.  It is sad wherever it happens, but I believe we cannot put on blinders and see ony the crime in Mexico.  Thousands of Americans and other foreigners live in Mexico permanently and safely.    I am just saying we need to look at the whole picture.  In the U.S. there have been multiple murders in malls, restaurants, schools...but people do not stop going to these places.   More people were killed in 2 recent mall shootings in the U.S. than   tourists killed in Mexico in 2 years time.  That is not saying the touists "brought it on themselves,"...though some may well have if they were involved in drugs. Still... I lived in a city with a low crime rate compared to the national average  and in the years shortly before I moved, a British tourist was murdered by a gang member in the parking lot of the neighborhood drug store, a woman was shot walking less than 100 yds from her car into the mall less  than a mile from my house, 2  staff members in the hospital where I worked were murdered IN the hospital while on duty,my house was broken into and robbed twice, 14 children were murdered in a school shooting in a nearby town...in other words...Mexico sure does not have a corner on crime. We all need to be careful and wise wherever we are.

Answer 2

the drug wars in mexico are really heating up. It's just not safe in Mexico. On top of some bad pollution and randsome and kidnapping problems (one persone kidnapped in Mexico City every 30 seconds!)

but ... i don't know...

Answer 3

That the travel agent is in the complot to deter tourism in Mexico or something?

It's not like foreign tourists drop dead every 5 minutes. If an American were to die on mexican soil, there would be such a public outcry from it, it would be on mexican tv 24 hours nonstop, the killer would have to get caught real quick to save international face.

There was 1 American who got killed in the idiotic Oaxaca APPO conflict, but according to witnesses he was demonstrating which is 100% against the law because he was in the country as a tourist and not as a legal resident. He got shot in the backfire between the police and these violent people that were blowing up historic buildings for no legal reason. Just think for a moment, American, voluntairly in a place with people with bombs blowing stuff up and not running in a circle to hide under a car? Isn't that suspicious? A normal tourist would have been hiding in a cupboard or something but he was on the street as if it were nothing. Had he survived, he would have been deported from the country with no chance to re-enter for at least 10 years.

If you don't mess with people, they don't mess with you. You've already been in Acapulco which is a fan faorite place to say the pace is dangerous and there's people dying every 2 minutes and you survived with no problems. It's 99.9999% probbaly sure your next trip will be just as nice. It's more probable you'd die in a car accident than a real murder or something intentional.

Answer 4

There have been 5 Canadians killed in Mexico. Two from Toronto were in fact murdered.  One fell from a balcony and another hit by a car.

In the past ten years in the United States of America there have been at least 200,000 thats right TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND murders and 40,000 in the past two years.

I am not a rocket scientist but if you are that concerned you should find a way to live here, where, if you stay out of the drug trade you will be very safe.

150 tourist jailed ? I dispute that.

I live in Acapulco and in the last twenty years the police have only ever said, with a smile< Buenos dias o Buenos noches.

I saw the results of what some stupid drunken tourist did to a volkswagon taxi here.  The front window and both passenger windows both shattered over a tequila fueled "fare dispute"

We should start doing criminal background checks here to keep these kind of things from happening.

What do you think we should with your criminals here.  Let them go ? What message would that send? The police here are doing you a favor by fining you on the spot.

150 tourists is a low number considering how violent in nature you are.

one kidnapping every 30 seconds--That is the biggest crock of S@##$$ I have ever heard.

Gringo

Answer 5

well i just booked for puerto vallarta .how many people went in the last 2 years?less then 200 had a problem . isay good odds you will have a good time.been there 3 times by myself  not a problem

Answer 6

I would still go.  I think you have to use caution when traveling to other countries like Mexico, but I think as long as you're careful with the people you meet and the types of situations you get involved in you should be fine.  You definitely want to stay under the radar of the Mexican police, but I've heard it's pretty easy to pay them off if anything does happen so they don't arrest you.  If you use good judgment on situations and stay in the safer areas of town, the trip should be enjoyable.