tjkeller1

My wife and I have booked a trip to Rivera Maya in May of 2011. I am hearing enough news that makes me wonder just how safe it is. can anyone help me out if they have been there recently or have heard anything to put our fears to rest.

suze

Things are OK in the tourist spots. What you hear on the news has to do with drug cartels, politics, and the inner workings of things. It is not about a typical tourist in a typical beach destination drinking margaritas on the beach. Just keep to the mainstream and you will be fine.

emd3

There are many other recent threads on this same topic re safety in the Riviera Maya. Search for them, or just scroll down the list, you will find them. I think everyone here has sort of shot their _ _ _ on the topic.

qwovadis

It is generally fine safe in torist areas booking up quickly

Downtown Cancun is and always has been dodgy.

travel.state.gov review for a heads up.

insuremytrip.com always wise biggest risk petty theft.

Have fun,

suze

emd3- This is a 1st post from a brand new poster on Fodor's. Maybe they don't know to use the 'search' and obviously don't know that this question is asked & answered pretty much weekly on the forum.

emd3

That's why I also suggested scrolling down the list of questions. There was a pretty long thread just last week about this with lots of good postings and feedback, and it is not that far down the list of questions to the left.

emd3

"How Safe is Travel to Cancun" (with 48 responses) is #23 right now on the list of threads on the left side of the page here...

emd3

Here is another one:

Riviera Miya Mexico travel 2011, is it safe?
Posted by: Will_Vanderwall on Feb 17, 11 at 1:10pm Posted in: Mexico & Central America Tagged: Mexico Jump to last reply

So my family and I are all traveling to Playa Del Carmen/Riviera Miya, Mexico, October 2011. My brother and his fiance have decided to have the ceremony at one of the resorts, so we're all packing up to join them. My grandfather/grandmother will not go, their reason is due to all the news about Mexico. I've heard the horror stories about the Mexican drug cartels kidnapping tourists for ransom money from 2008-2010 and that it is suppose to get worse 2011. I've read the other related questions about this topic already on the website but they were dated back in 2009, so I just wanted to get a feel on what everyone thought about traveling to that area for this year 2011. Your input is greatly appreciated Thank you.
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bniemand on Feb 17, 11 at 2:07pm

My husband and I stayed in Playa del Carmen for a week in January 2011 and never felt unsafe at any time. The issues with the drug cartels are mainly happening in northern Mexico near the US border and in areas where there are battles for power between competing gangs, mostly hundreds of miles away from Riviera Maya. There is currently nothing like this happening in the Playa - Cancun - Riviera Maya region.

If you Google something like "is it safe to travel to Cancun" you'll get lots of results with facts that may be able to convince your grandparents. I hope they change their mind.
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schmerl on Feb 17, 11 at 3:07pm

The problems in Mexico are NO WHERE NEAT the Riviera Maya area. In fact, on the news last night they showed a map and said the tourist areas near Cancun are not effected by any of the "drug violence'.
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schmerl on Feb 17, 11 at 3:08pm

That should say no where NEAR.
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suze on Feb 17, 11 at 3:24pm

I don't know where you are reading "horror stories" and "the Mexican drug cartesls kidnapping tourists for ransom money" in Cancun or the Mayan Riviera. I have never read a single news story where this has happened in that area.

Seriously, people need to look at a map as already suggested. Don't hang around border towns, don't go to Monterrey or Juarez. There have been NO problems in the tourist destinations like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta. None. Nada.
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hopefulist on Feb 17, 11 at 3:47pm

I'm one who thinks there are occasional problems wherever you go so saying there have been none doesn't sound realistic to me. Ex: I live in a nice, little rural town in Oregon and a mentally ill man shot 2 of his neighbors to death last spring.

That said, we've made 2 trips to the Yucatán in the last 7 months and have been happy, healthy, and safe. You can read about them and see my photos at the link below. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
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suze on Feb 17, 11 at 4:05pm

hopefulist~ I didn't say nothing ever happens (because I agree bad stuff can and does sometimes). I was replying specifically to the statement about drug cartels kidnapping tourists for ransom. I have never heard of that on the Mayan Riviera.
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RAC on Feb 17, 11 at 5:13pm

Well, not all tourist towns are unscathed. Mazatlan, for one, has more than its share of this stuff going on.

But, yes, the Yucatan is not effected.
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hopefulist on Feb 17, 11 at 7:12pm

suze - Since you said, "There have been NO problems in the tourist destinations like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta. None. Nada." you can see why I'd think you meant there have been NO problems. ;-)

I think there are certain risks inherent in all travel. Where the disparity between the locals' wages and tourists' economic status is great there will be crimes of opportunity so it's good to be careful.

As for the terrifying reports, I agree that a map is in order. It's a little like saying, "Don't visit Oregon because there are areas of Washington DC where the crime rate is high".
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suze on Feb 17, 11 at 7:46pm

I'm sorry I was not clear. I thought I was answering the OP's question about tourists supposedly getting kidnapped by the drug cartel & that there were no reported problems of THAT sort.

merckxxx

My barber owns a house in Acapulco which he stays in every January - Feb. He just got back and was telling me that the tourists are fine, but the vilolence is insane. He said he knows an architect living down the st. who was driving one day recently. He came to a light that had turned red, and there was one vehicle in front of him. It was one of those giant GMC or Lincoln black things. He said that 90% or more of all the car dealerships in Mex. are now mob owned, so they only buy the giant vehicles and constantly abandon them, but most Mexicans should know when they see one of those big black things that there could be danger.
The light changed to green, but the big vehicle did not move. The arch. sat without honking or trying to pass - thru 3 red/green light changes. After 3rd time, a guy jumped out of the psgr side and ran to the arch's window and handed him 10,000 pesos. He said "Take it. You won it as part of a bet I had with the driver for 100,000 pesos on whether you would honk or try to pass. I won the bet for 100,000 so I am giving you 10% . Take it or I will kill you. We were going to kill you anyway if you honked or tried to pass." The arch took the money and all was well, but he was shaking for more than a week after. He said many of the young idiots are just so heavily armed and they want to kill - anybody, just get in their way.

TC

Merckxxxx, Acapulco is nowhere near Cancun or the Riviera Maya! It's like telling people not to go to Savannah because there was a gang shouting in L.A.

TC

Oh....IPad typing! "gang shooting" ........shooting in L.A. Might be some shouting before the shooting starts

merckxxx

TC - where did I write "stay away"? The op/ is "Mexico" not Cancun. Thanks anyway for the great geo. lesson, but you completely missed the point.

suze

No you missed it. While the title says only "Mexico" the post clearly says they are booked and staying on the Mayan Riviera.