Is it Safe to travel to Cancun Mexico
Last Updated on March 8, 2023 by MeganIs it safe to travel to Cancun?
"Americans killed in Mexico.” Is the most recent headline that is scaring travelers that are interested in traveling to Cancun. It makes you really wonder if it is safe to travel to Cancun?
Top story headlines read – “Two of four US citizens kidnapped in Mexico found dead” or “4 American’s Kidnapped in Mexico, 2 killed”.
On Friday March 3rd, 2023, four Americans drove from South Carolina south over the Mexico-United States Border into a dangerous town called Matamoros. This town is in the state of Tamaulipas. Tamaulipas is just south of Brownsville Texas.
One of the passengers was scheduled for medical treatment.
United States officials familiar with the investigation said their vehicle was mistaken for another identity and shots were fired against this car.
It is likely that the Mexican’s mistook the Americans for Haitian drug smugglers.
Two people were killed and all four were then kidnapped. As of today, all four Americans have been found and two are back on United States soil.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said “We continue to work every day towards peace and are very sorry that this has happened in our country,” he said. “We send our condolences to the victims’ friends and family and the American people. And we will continue to work towards peace.”
He then went on to say that American Politicians will also use this crime as an opportunity to push “their agenda.” All while Mexico Politicians remain silent when Mexicans are killed in the United States.
23 people were shot over the exact same weekend in Chicago, Illinois.
According to the Chicago Police Department data, 23 people were shot in 23 separate shooting incidents between 6:00 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday night. Click here to see a list of every victim killed in Chicago in 2023.
I mention this because I live approximately 45 minutes away from Chicago. There are unsafe neighborhoods and there are beautiful neighborhoods in my state of Illinois.
As mature adults we all want what is safe for our friends and family. We need to pay attention to travel warnings because they save lives.
We have been receiving many emails and phone calls from concerned travelers, spring breakers, families and couples planning their honeymoons, asking us is it safe to take a vacation in Mexico and specifically is Cancun safe because of the travel warnings that they have seen.
These travel warnings are scary, and need to be taken seriously, however they also need to be put into the right context.
For your concern, the U.S. Department of State has a website that you can visit before your trip to Mexico. The site gives four travel advisory levels numbered one through four.
- Exercise normal precautions (dark blue)
- Exercise increased caution (yellow)
- Reconsider travel (dark orange)
- Do not travel (red)
They also offer a travel map shaded with these color codes to visually help you make a decision on the safety level of Cancun. This mapping application is updated daily. The map also gives you a legend of where you can find your local Embassy and other U.S. offices.
This map works great while you are planning your vacation, but what if things change before your arrival? The Department of State has a free service to allow U.S. citizens traveling abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest Embassy or Consulate and receive Alerts called Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
The benefits of enrolling in your trip with this program are you will receive important information from the Embassy about the safety conditions in Cancun, helping you stay informed and feel confident in your travel plans and decisions. Also, when you enroll in your trip with STEP it will help your family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency whether natural disaster, civil unrest or a family emergency.
My reason for giving you this information is to help you stay informed with real current facts.
Cancun’s state of Quintana Roo had 169 violent killings in the first six months of 2017, this number was up from 65 killings in the same period from 2016. When you compare these homicide rates to major cities in the United States, they are very small.
The whole state of Quintana Roo’s murders during the first half of 2017 were half of the city of Chicago’s 328 people killed over the same time period, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a professional association of police chiefs and sheriffs.
I travel to Cancun often. Mostly by myself to manage our property rentals. I get asked by my friends if it is safe to travel there all the time. My answer is yes. I live one hour away from Chicago, and I feel safe walking alone on the sidewalk in certain areas, and there are certain areas I just will not go. The same is true for Mexico.
Cancun is very safe. Especially in our resort area because we have 24-hour security located on the beach and all throughout our gated area.
Arriving at the airport in Cancun alone is also very safe. The very first time I traveled to Cancun International Airport I was traveling alone and surprised to see all the armed security guards walking around with their drug sniffing dogs along with the National Customs Officers that are also armed.
If you use common sense and do not go where the trouble is, you will be fine. I wish the State Department would create a travel warning map for our dangerous cities in the United States it would be interesting to compare Cancun to Orlando or Chicago or New Orleans.
2022 Cancun Violence Dropped
Oscar Montes de Oca Rosales, State Attorney General, stressed that this year there were fewer homicides than 2021. He stated that there were 641 homicides committed in 2022, 34 less than in 2021 and 225 less than 2018 when he first took office.
He attributed this decrease due to the joint work carried out by the Coordination Group for the Recovery of Peace and State Security.
Cancun is very safe
Especially in our resort area because we have 24-hour security located on the beach and all throughout our gated area.
Arriving at the airport in Cancun alone is also very safe. The very first time I traveled to Cancun International Airport I was traveling alone. I was surprised to see all the armed security guards walking around with their drug sniffing dogs.
Want to read more?
I found this super cute travel blog for more information is PASSPORTS & GRUB check it out, she is funny.
If you use common sense and do not go where the trouble is, you will be fine.
I wish the State Department would create a travel warning map for our dangerous cities in the United States. I think it would be interesting to compare Cancun to Orlando or Chicago or New Orleans.
