Cold Margaritas, White Sand Beaches, And Hot Sun: But Is Mexico Safe?

Mexico is the land of cold margaritas, white sand beaches, and hot sun. But is Mexico Safe? I spend quite a bit of time in Mexico, in particular in the Riviera Maya. Occasionally friends in Canada, the US, or the UK ask me if Mexico is safe. Or in particular, is the Mayan Riviera safe? My instinctive response was always “Yes, very. Why do you ask?” Turns out the media they hear paints a very different picture. So, I decided to investigate crime in Mexico. Looking to find the difference between my experience and what people were perceiving of Mexico. And to answer the question, ‘Is Mexico Safe?’ See what I found – it might surprise you, it certainly surprised me.

To start I decided to base this on factual data where I could. Rather than giving an account of my experiences alone. So, I focused on finding comparable statistics on crime in Mexico, Canada, the USA, and the UK. Fortunately, there’s a neat resource, Nation Master. It allows you to compare statistics, including crime across countries. But, most countries don’t collect statistics on all the same crimes, so it made it a little harder to find direct comparisons. However, there were 4 crimes with statistics collected for Mexico, Canada, the USA, and the UK. Also, they collect the stats for many other countries too. So, I could compare these crime stats to answer the question, is Mexico safe.

• USA ranked highest at 10th out of 46 countries, followed by
• Mexico 12th
• Canada 28th
• UK 44th

• UK ranked highest at 5th out of 73 countries, followed by
• Canada 7th
• USA 11th
• Mexico 27th

• UK ranked highest at 4th out of 81 countries, followed by
• Canada 10th
• USA 22nd
• Mexico 46th

Mexico compares favourably to the USA, Canada, and the UK, having the lowest crime rates in 3 out of the 4 categories. The UK, surprisingly, ranked highest in 3 out of 4 categories. Begging the question ‘is the UK a safe place to travel to?’ Being an ex-pat Brit I kinda find that one amusing.

The chart below shows homicide rates in the Americas in 2016. As you can see, Mexico’s homicide rate is below that of Belize. And that of Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Venezuela, and many other countries. Indicating again that Mexico is a safe place in the region.

Despite having the lowest total crime rates out of Mexico, the USA, Canada, and the UK, Mexico, did rank second in murder with firearms. And in recent years violent crime in Mexico has been on the increase. So what’s the cause of that and where is it happening? And is Mexico safe still as a result of this?

To find out more, I found many interesting insights from a University of San Diego study. (Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico, Analysis Through 2018, Justice in Mexico, Department of Political Science & International Relations, University of San Diego, April 2019, by Laura Y. Calderón, Kimberly Heinle, Octavio Rodríguez Ferreira, and David A. Shirk). These insights help explain some of the media reports especially related to violent crimes. And they add a lot of perspective on safety in Mexico.

According to the study up to 2/3’s of violent crimes in Mexico are by organized crime groups. In recent years violence has changed as the major cartels have become fragmented due to government enforcement. The study states “While there is a general perception that Mexico’s violence is pervasive and persistent throughout the country, violence has been highly localized, sporadic, and geographically specific”. For example, “homicides have been regionally concentrated in the major drug trafficking zones in the northwest and the Pacific Coast.” This explains why people perceive Mexico to be unsafe. And why my experience is so different. In the Riviera Maya on the Caribbean (east) coast, the situation is very different from some specific areas in this large country. As you can see in the graphic below which shows homicide rates across Mexico. The map shows that homicides have been regionally concentrated. And are in the major drug trafficking zones in the north and areas of the Pacific Coast.

But what do the official travel advisories from the US, UK, and Canadian governments have to say on the question is Mexico safe? And do they provide specific information to the question is the Mayan Riviera safe?

The Government of Canada has a regional advisory to avoid non-essential travel in specific areas within Mexico. These seem to coincide with the same areas in the US State Department map above. But, whereas the US State Department issues a blanket level 3 or 4 on these areas, the Government of Canada provides specific guidance. For example, the US State Department classifies all Nayarit state as Level 3. But the Government of Canada only specifies “the area within 20 km of the border with Sinaloa and Durango, and the city of Tepic” to avoid non-essential travel. The rest of the state of Nayarit is fine.

So, while Canada currently has a no travel advisory worldwide due to Covid 19, from a crime perspective is Mexico safe? And is the Mayan Riviera safe? According to the Government of Canada any of the tourist areas such as the Riviera Maya, Baja, are safe.

The UK Government does not appear to apportion levels of crime or risk to Mexico or regions within Mexico. Instead, they provide advice based on very large regions. Each of which would be much larger than many European countries including the United Kingdom. But they do state “The Mexican government makes efforts to protect major tourist destinations like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Nuevo Vallarta. These areas have mostly not seen the levels of drug-related violence and crime experienced elsewhere in Mexico.” They then provide some basic vanilla advice “If you’re visiting any of these areas, you should monitor local advice, remain vigilant and follow the advice of the local authorities and your tour operator.” Is Mexico safe? At least in these tourist areas, it would appear so according to the UK Government. And based on their advice on the major tourist areas the UK Government answer the question is the Mayan Riviera safe, affirmatively.

Based on all the evidence the answer to is the Mayan Riviera safe, is yes. As you can see from the chart earlier, crime in the Riviera Maya is one of the lowest in the country. Crime rates in the Riviera Maya are low not only compared to the Mexican average. They are also lower than in other tourism places. Such as Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, and other Pacific Coast areas, within Mexico. But, this isn't that surprising. As the Mayan Riviera is the number one tourist area in Mexico it generates more revenue for the economy than any other area. The Mexican government understands this and has focused on security efforts to ensure the Mayan Riviera is safe.

Although this article is intended to look at and compare crime data, it's important to discuss Covid19 safety as well. Like the crime data, the situation with Covid19 in Mexico varies throughout the country. Larger rates of infections occur in the denser population centers. But throughout Mexico, there has been the adoption of some stringent practices. For a detailed discussion read Covid19 – Learn From My Experience Of Traveling To Mexico Now. This describes the procedures and practices from a few months ago that were adopted in Mexico well before they were in other parts of the world. Including in Canada where I live part of the time.

The region I am most familiar with is the Riviera Maya in Quintana Roo. Because of the procedures adopted the area has been open for most of the last year. Albeit at reduced capacities of patrons in shops, beaches, restaurants, etc.

Below is data from John Hopkins University comparing the number of Covid19 cases per million people in Canada, the USA, the UK, and Mexico. I was quite astonished when I first saw how low the cases have been in Mexico in comparison to these ‘leading’ countries.

Despite some of the dramatic headlines in the media, millions of travelers visit Mexico safely every year. In fact, in the Riviera Maya alone there are 25 million visitors every year! And the vast majority don’t have any problems at all. Yet, no matter where you travel in the world there are certain basic precautions you should take. And is Mexico safe will then definitely be answered positively. Below are 10 tips to stay safe.

1. Use your common sense at all times and be aware of your surroundings

2. Always keep your valuables out of sight

3. Avoid visiting the high crime areas noted above

4. Avoid wandering alone at night or in poorly lit areas

5. Be vigilant when renting cars and take detailed notes of damage to your vehicle before signing off on it. Where possible only rent from reputable car rental companies

6. If you’re out late nightclubbing watch your drinks and drink in moderation

7. When traveling across Mexico, be sure to avoid the known areas of violent crime.

8. If you are a solo woman traveler dress modestly and low key to avoid unwanted attention

9. Leave valuables and irreplaceable items in a safe place. Or don't bring them at all so you won’t be the victim of petty theft. Leave valuables in the vacation rental or hotel safes.

10. Make copies of important documents (such as your passport) and keep a list of important numbers (such as your local Consulate)

Hopefully, like most people you do stay safe in Mexico during your visit. But if you do have an emergency while in Mexico and need help embassies or consulates will often be able to provide assistance.

U.S. Citizen Services From Mexico: 999-316-7168 From the United States: 1-844-528-6611 AskMeridaACS@state.gov

The consular services include both routine, and specialized services. Routine services to help US citizens in Mexico include

• Apply for a U.S. Passport
• Apply for a Report of Birth Abroad
• Notarial Services
• Help with voting from overseas
• Special Citizen Services
• Help with the Arrest of a U.S. Citizen
• Help with the Hospitalization of a U.S. Citizen
• Help with U.S. Citizen Victims of Crime
• Help with the Welfare and Whereabouts of a U.S. Citizen
• Help with the Death of a U.S. Citizen

During Covid19 staff are working remotely and you are asked to call +52 (55) 1670 3200 (option 4) 24/7, if you require emergency assistance. For other matters, you are asked to contact them online.

Services provided by the consulate include:

• Help if you are the victim of a crime or if you have been arrested
• Help with replacing lost or stolen passports and other travel documents
• Travel advice within Mexico
• Accessing healthcare and other services if you are living in Mexico
• Help with Taxes, benefits and pensions and
• Deaths, marriages, and births while in Mexico

About Our Blog

Exploring The Riviera Maya is Ocean Breeze Akumal's Blog. Here we explore the diversity of Mexico's best tourism destination to highlight the best beaches, cenotes, restaurants, attractions, Mayan ruins, etc., etc. We provide information to help you explore this spectacular part of the world and give you tips and tricks that only the locals know. Helping to give you the vacation experience of a lifetime.

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