« Mexico's drug war, contrary to report, does not mean all areas are unsafe for tourists
8:23 AM, March 9, 2009
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 sportfishing 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.
-- Pete Thomas
Comments
I think if you considered the boarder cities of Mexico like the inner cities of many large towns. You sure wouldn't take your vacation in the crime riddled ghettos of inner city of Detroit or LA. But there are many great places to visit in Michigan and California.
Its the same in Mexico, Most of Mexico is safe and a wonderful place to visit.
And remember all these problems in Mexico are funded by drug users in the US.
Posted by: gonzo White | March 09, 2009 at 08:51 AM
I would really like to have a true comparison to the amount of crime in Souther California to the crime in Rosarito Beach. I would think you would see the Southern California is a much more dangerous place to live
Posted by: love Baja | March 09, 2009 at 10:07 AM
The comments posted are correct. Look at the violent crime rate of Mexican cities, excluding Juarez and Tiuana, and compare these rates to similarly sized cities in the US. In almost every instance the US cities will have a higher total violent crime rate.
Posted by: John Jay Street | March 09, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Sound like an expert Jon K. Any chance you live in Mexico? I would doubt it. Certainly not in Puerto Vallarta where I have lived for the past 4 and 1/2 years with my wife and 3 kids and where I feel safer than most parts of the US I have lived in.
The author of the article is dead on (oops... bad choice of words). The problem, which is real, is centered in very limited parts of the country. Come to Vallarta, enjoy incredible weather, live like a king with the current value of the dollar, and prepared to blown away by the kindness of the vast majority of honest, hard-working, Mexican people!
Posted by: LCR | March 09, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Jon K, you're an idiot! Who consumes the drugs that are transported through Mexico? You know where a majority of the guns used by the Mexican Drug lords are acquired? Through the US! It's Mexico vs (US funded) CARTEL.
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. Unfortunatley, the by-product of this dramitization 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 to the popular Mexican tourism destinations 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 States.
Posted by: Blue Parrot | March 09, 2009 at 04:35 PM
Mexico where there are two wars going on: the war against corruption and the war against drug cartels. That is far beside the point of this article though. The article discusses how it is actually safe for tourists to travel to Mexico. No, it is not safe for drug cartels or police officers fighting the corruption and cartels. Since the dramatic increase in murders in Mexico, especially in the border region, security has also increased just as much to protect tourists. Mexico is safer now for a common tourist than ever before. Rosarito has a new police force whose sole purpose to to protect tourists. Similar action is taking place all over Mexico because tourism is the backbone of their economy and the last thing they want to do is put tourists in harms way. Please read my two previous blog posts about what the current situation is really like for tourists. Great article Pete but take it a step further and do the research on how many innocent tourists are actually being harmed and you will find that the numbers are way down from previous years and far below the majority of US cities.
Posted by: Unomos | March 09, 2009 at 09:14 PM
I have lived in Mexico for 14 1/2 years and in Baja California (Ensenada) for the last 9. I have yet to be affected even remotely by violence. Many people i know travel regularly across the border and I have yet to hear a single story of an American being hurt, much less killed. I feel much safer here than in the U.S. - having lived in San Francisco, L.A., New York. I wish the American press would stop the Mexico bashing. Yes there's violence, but it is avoidable. Use common sense. Don't travel at night for openers. Don't flash wads of American dollars. Don't be arrogant. Obey the local laws. Take reasonable precautions just as you would in any big city.
Posted by: Dianne C | March 09, 2009 at 10:26 PM
I live in Cozumel, Mexico, and feel very safe walking to my home from downtown at 2am or anytime. More than I can say for most places in the US.
Trish Taylor
Posted by: Trish Taylor | March 10, 2009 at 08:48 PM
I live in La Paz,Mexico and it is one of the safer cities in baja california sur.I feel way more safer here than i EVER did in the US. I was afraid to go to my car at night knowing that something would happen...and i lived in Point Loma,CA. What i have realized here is the older crowd comes to visit its rich culture andquiet atmosphere...unlike cabo's spring break young wild fest!! however if you want to go fishing go to cabo!!! they have really great captins and super great REAL mexican food. If people are talking about how there are murders in mexico....there are murders in the united states as well...every single day. The media just needs to bag on other countrys knowing that the US isnt doing so hot. So all in all....stay away from the border towns,sinaloa,guerrero,cancun and DF if you really dont want any drug war issues.
Posted by: Olivia Brower | March 11, 2009 at 01:19 AM
I must thank the press for the bad publicity. I have never sailed through a border crossing as fast as I have recently. That's the only bad part I have about Mexico and that's coming back throught the notorious long border. Wish it could always be so quick, or is it because of tighter immigration like having a passport, etc? I love Mexico!
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