Is it safe to visit Cancun?

Mexico is responding to a string of shootings around Cancun with a new security force designed to protect and comfort tourists.

But let’s face it: over the years, Americans’ interactions with Mexican police haven’t exactly built confidence.

Case in point: We were recently pulled over for driving this “suspicious vehicle” on a highway outside of Cancun. We were driving from Playa del Carmen up to Valladolid, and surrounded by armed officers for nearly an hour.

At one point, they were taking steps to detain us at the nearby police station and confiscate the “suspicious” Kia we’d rented the day before. They wouldn’t allow us to show them the rental documents or call the rental company. Evidence and information was not what they were after, of course.

I’m not sure why it took so long, but eventually the officers came up with an idea: We could pay the fine right there on the spot! How convenient.

The officer talking to me knew two words in English: “discreet” and “camera.”

He pointed to a surveillance camera behind him, which he clearly did not want to catch our cash exchange.

We settled on 4,000 Pesos (around $200), which was really all we had. We counted out a stack of cash to place on the back seat. Another officer “discreetly” walked around, opened the back door away from the camera, and took the cash.

It’s a familiar tale.

People driving down to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) have had these run-ins for decades. Ours was lengthier than normal, as the officers also made up other “crimes” I’d committed before they suggested a bribe.

It’s shady activity like that, which has me question whether a country with so many corrupt officers is capable of stemming the violence we’re seeing in resort towns along the beautiful Riviera Maya.

After several shootings, including two at beach resorts in Tulum and Cancun, Mexico’s National Guard recently deployed nearly 1,500 troops to patrol the region as part of something they labeled a “Tourist Security Battalion.”

The mayor of Cancun, who seems genuinely interested in boosting security, helped roll out a splashy PR campaign for the incoming “battalion” in December.

The video her office produced, with a dramatic bed of music, shows officers on the beach, along with video of what appears to be a high-tech command center:

Mexico’s National Guard is now deployed indefinitely from Cancun down to Tulum. Government officials say the mission will evolve with security needs, and serve as a model for deployments to other parts of the country.

The Guard arrived in Cancun December 1st. Two weeks in, Mexico’s Public Security Secretary said: the plan was working. Muggings, murders, and other violent crimes were down 30-50%. Of course, most of the crime happens away from the resorts.

He also placed part of the blame for the rise in drug cartel violence on tourists, who often go to the hotels looking for cocaine and other drugs.

In addition to the federal troops arriving in the Cancun area, the city’s police force is also getting major upgrades. The mayor of Cancun posted photos of officers receiving new tactical gear and weapons, as part of crime task force, on her Twitter account:

It’ll take time to see whether these actions become more than photo ops.

In the meantime, tourists, myself included, almost always ignore US State Department travel warnings to Mexico. A warning posted in December advised Americans to reconsider travel and “exercise increased caution” in Quintana Roo (home to Cancun) due to “crime and violence.”

A similar advisory cautioned of “kidnapping” in Jalisco, which is home to Puerto Vallarta.

No one I know is canceling trips to PV over fears of criminal activity.

Chances are, if you visit the Cancun area, you may not even notice an increase in armed authorities. If you do, maybe they’ll really make you feel secure?

The bottom line is: there’s always a risk in any kind of travel. All we can do is arm ourselves with up-to-date information on anything from violence to Covid, and make well-informed decisions for our own individual travel plans.

Based on the tourist loads in Cancun right now, Americans haven’t been scared-off by cartel violence.

So, I’ll still visit Mexico this year (after Omicron dies down) but this new “Tourist Security Battalion” won’t be a factor in my planning.

In general, if you rent a car in Mexico, it’s best to follow this advice:

-Have someone with you who speaks Spanish.

-Take cash along, but don’t store it all in one spot.

-Never drive with any kind of drug, including marijuana.

-Drive slowly, obey the speed limits, and try to travel during daylight.