Head Tale

One of the most common questions I hear when we tell people we’ve gone to Mexico multiple times over the years (and are going again this year) is, “Is it safe?”

It seems there are daily news stories about drug cartels’ influence on the highest levels of government and horror stories of mass shootings with these sensationalistic stories making it seem like you’re heading into a war zone instead of a tourist paradise.

And there are definitely places in Mexico that are less safe than others (including former tourist hotspot Acapulco which now has one of the highest murder rates in the world – but continues to be a tourist draw!)

So is a trip to Mexico really as dangerous as it seems?

10 Reasons Mexico Is Safer For Tourists Than You Think

1. As sad as it is, the reality is that the majority of killings happen to locals in poorer areas of cities (often who are willingly or not involved in the drug trade), not to vacationers in tourist hot spots.
   
2. Most all-inclusive resorts have high levels of security personnel at all entrances (including on the beach, especially at night when guests aren’t out) and rules that only people staying at the resort are allowed on the property.  (Resorts also have all sorts of other security measures – from wristbands that identify you as a guest to lighting around the property to security cameras to – as pictured above – (usually) well-hidden razor wire along the perimeter to dissuade non-guests from entering the property!)
3. Government travel advisories sound dire but are often issued as a precaution after any serious incident involving just a single tourist even if the actual risks to the millions of other tourists who visit a country are minimal.
4. When tourists do get hurt or even die in Mexico, there is often a reasonable explanation – a lover’s quarrel, being in the wrong place at the wrong time for an insurance scam, getting into a cab when there is already somebody besides the driver waiting, someone tries to buy drugs, trying to climb on a high balcony while drunk, getting lost in a jungle, slipping on rocks while cliff jumping or whatever – but with distraught families often trying to blame on hotel workers or locals (or proclaiming their innocence if they are found guilty of killing another tourist which also occasionally happens.)
5. The Mexican government and everyone directly and indirectly involved in the tourist industry have a vested interest in keeping people safe, happy and, most importantly, coming back year after year.  Though incidents do happen, all involved try to do everything they can to minimize risks that could push people towards Cuba, Dominican Republic and various other tourist options.
6. Even with the occasional death, accidental or otherwise, the odds are incredibly small that something will happen to the average tourist.  Millions of people visit Mexico every year and there are a handful of tourists who are hurt or killed, often because they don’t use common sense and take risks they might not take at home in terms of staying out late, drinking too much, going to dangerous areas of town or whatever.
7. Many American cities like Chicago and New Orleans actually have higher murder rates per capita than many Mexican tourist cities yet people regularly flock to these cities which rarely have travel advisories.
8. Linked to that last point and especially in the age of Trump, the reality is that there is often a small (or large) amount of fear/racism in people’s negativity towards Mexico that has little connection to the actual risks.
9. I live in a small Canadian prairie city of ~200,000 people yet we have all sorts of crime including shootings and murders.  But I don’t live in fear going about my daily business here so why would I act differently just because I’m traveling to a larger centre that has more of *everything* – from high-end clothing stores and fancy restaurants to yes, crime and murders.
10. Humans are really bad at risk assessment.  We think flying in an airplane is more dangerous than driving a car when the reverse is true.  Although incredibly rare, airplane accidents tend to have mass deaths whereas car crashes tend to kill people in small numbers but, taken together, exponentially more die in car crashes compared to plane crashes.  Similarly, a story about a single tourist death or the mass shooting of a number of locals in “Cancun” (though likely in the city proper, not in the tourist zone) makes us think that these places are more dangerous than they actually are.

It’s obviously up to everyone to decide how comfortable they feel if they are thinking of a trip to Mexico (and there’s part of me that likes when people decide to stay away from Mexico as it helps push down prices for those of us who aren’t too worried about going!)

But ultimately, if someone is worried about the risks, real or imagined, of visiting Mexico, there’s always Disneyland! 😉