Thinking of visiting Mexico for spring break? First off, follow this link to the State Department. It explains why there's a Travel Alert for Mexico. Their report is wonderfully detailed and includes specific places to be wary of and specific attack/kidnapping hot spots. Examining their Travel Alert is the single most important thing you can do before deciding if you want to travel to Mexico and where you might want to go.

Also, check out my series of blogs on the recent surge in drug cartel violence (including how it directly affects Americans): PLEASE CLICK HERE for those reports. Read this report for helpful safe travel tips in Mexico. It also  explains the difference between a Travel ALERT (like in Mexico) and a Travel Warning.

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March 7, 2009

The following post is correspondence I had with a reader about traveling to Cancun, Mexico for spring break this year and whether it is safe (drug cartel violence in Mexico is rising). After a conversation with  the communications director of the Mexican Embassy to the United States, which is in Washington, DC, I changed my opinion from a previous blog I posted.

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Hi Nik,

Your thoughts?

Much of the travel alerts surrounding vacationing in Mexico seem to focus on
college students-don't go!

My wife and I; and some good friends are planning a trip to Cancun.  We have
reservations at a resort south of Cancun on Mex 317.  Our travel agent told
me yesterday that she would take my tickets and go with her
grandmother-confirmation of her lack of concern.  I then called my local US
Senators office and was told to read the US State Department Website which I
have done over the last week.  The person that I talked to at the Senators
office did say that he didn't think it wise for students to travel to
Mexico; but friends of his just returned without a problem.  No concrete
recommendation from him.

So, given this information, plus your experience-would you take your wife
and go to Cancun in a few weeks?

I would appreciate you honest view.

Reader

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Reader,

I called the Mexican Embassy to the United States, which is in Washington, DC. The conversation I had with the communications director really changed my perspective for spring break travel to Cancun. In my opinion, it's very safe for you, your wife, and your friends to travel to Cancun for spring break. You are "grown up" adults, but I would give the same advice to young adults who are going there to party... as long as they're not too big of knuckleheads. In their case, a safe vacation lies in behavior. In your case, a safe vacation lies in common sense.

Ricardo Alday is the communications director/spokesman for the Mexican Embassy to the United States. He put the problems in Mexico in perspective for me, or as he would say, in context. As for the U.S. State Department's Travel Alert for Mexico, Mr. Alday made it clear that he does not want to diminish or ignore the fact that violence is rising Mexico, but he points out that it is unique to specific parts of Mexico, particularly to northern regions and along the border.

Ricardo and I talked at length about Cancun. He says the hotels were at 90% occupancy in February, full of tourists from all around the world. In February, a Mexican Army general was tortured and murdered (he was in charge of cleaning up the city's crime and corruption)- the city's police chief and several officers were later arrested in connection with the murder. The chief and his officers were linked to drug cartels, like many similar attacks are. Alday says this is a situation where context is helpful; he points out this was a targeted attack at an official. Tourists, he says, who use common sense are safe, just as they are when traveling anywhere else in the world.

The most poignant comment, to me, that Ricardo made was in relation to Washington, DC. He pointed out that there are high crime rate in two parts of DC, yet people from around the world visit the city, including dignitaries, foreign officials, and politicians... they just don't go to the bad neighborhoods. Just like Cancun, he says, the rest of the city is relatively safe for tourists and residents. According to this report from the FBI, there were 1,414 violent crimes per 100,000 people in the District of Columbia in 2007.

Again, Alday, points out that he doesn't want to diminish or ignore the rising violence in parts of Mexico... he says people need to use common sense and follow the law.

The bottom line is that it seems safe, to me, to travel to Cancun. In a change from a previous blog I posted, now I personally would not hesitate to go there with my family and friends (I recommend reading that blog, though, because it has tips for travel safety). I'm the kind of guy who likes to go off the map and explore cities beyond the tourist areas, but this year I would be extra careful and stick with highly populated/busy areas. In the coming days, Ricardo will send me a letter from the Mexican Tourism Board regarding spring break travel (they were in the process of writing it when we talked). I will post this letter on my blog as soon as I get it.

Happy trails, soak up some sun for me,
Nik

nik.ciccone@foxtv dot com