Mexico's drug war, contrary to report, does not mean all areas are unsafe for tourists

I enjoy watching CNN and respect its journalists, but the station blundered Saturday night while addressing Mexico's drug war and the dangers facing prospective visitors to Mexico during spring break.

"CNN Newsroom" anchor Don Lemon stated at the outset of a story focusing largely on border-town drug-related violence that people in the United States might want "to think twice before considering Mexico for a spring break vacation."

This implied that all of Mexico is embroiled in such violence, and it's simply not true.

Cabo San Lucas, East Cape and La Paz? These areas in Baja California Sur, like many areas on Mexico's mainland, have not been sucked into the drug-related violence and do not deserve to be tossed into the fray.

Resort operators from southern Baja spent much of their time at last week's Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show in Long Beach explaining to prospective clients how far removed they are from the drug-war front.

A sportfishing fleet owner from Cabo San Lucas told me that some business owners there are suspicious that U.S. media outlets are purposely trying to prevent citizens from spending money in a foreign country during these hard economic times.

CNN, or the L.A. Times for that matter, certainly would not stoop to such tactics.

To be sure, the CNN piece highlighted a serious problem that festers in border towns such as Tijuana and Rosarito Beach, where violence has been steady (in the former) or sporadic (in the latter).

But the same story also implied that beaches in Rosarito Beach are unsafe for tourists.

In fact, not a single drug-related murder, since the violence in border areas flared up beginning in 2007, has claimed a tourist in Rosarito Beach. And I could be wrong, but I do not think a murder of any cartel member or police officer actually occurred on a beach within a tourist zone.

I don't mean to downplay a serious issue or imply there aren't risks associated with travel south of the border. But as with the United States, some places in Mexico are safer than others, and they deserve a fair shake.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo (top): Rancho Leonero Resort is a sleepy fishing destination in Baja California Sur's East Cape region, far removed from the drug-related violence in Mexico.

Credit: Pete Thomas / Los Angeles Times

Photo (bottom): Matt Miller of Redondo Beach hoists a dorado, or mahi-mahi, caught on off Cabo San Lucas.

Credit: Pete Thomas / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Kacie]

In summer 2010, my classmates and i took a week long trip to Puerto Vallarta. There, i had the time of my life. Not once did i ever feel threatened. The people there treated us with such respect and were so nice, i never thought twice about being in danger. Every night we came back at like 3-4 am from partying and still, at that time of night, the cab drivers were so nice, the security guards asked if we had a good time...everyone there was just amazed at how nice these people were to us. Honestly, you wouldnt catch me outside at my house alone back in the US, i always feel like i have to watch my back here...but in Mexico, it was just amazing..i've never felt more safe and protected in my life..and i cannot wait until the day i return (:

[Pastor Nacho]

Raising my sons in Southern Baja, my wife and I have gone with little or no diffculties through our 24 plus years while working with many families and villages. Our main rule was never to go looking for trouble, in areas where our friends would warn us not to go. All in all, we have manage to help the different communities with assistance to build senior citizen centers, medical facitilies, churches, septic systems/pumbling, aiding the youth, and participating in helpful activities wherever we could. Late night activities which includes driving in dangerous areas, loud/boisterous partying, and non-respectful attitudes to Mexicans was always look upon with disdain and we always tried to project a positive relationship to all while we were there. So, if you look for trouble, you're going to get in trouble.

[sfh]

this is silly

[anonymous]

im doing a project on the drug wars and it seems to me like the media needs to portray this a little better. how do other countries view MX? the U.S. sure isnt helping anything.

[david s]

IM actually moving with my wife and two kids to la paz in sept for one year.i have traveled all over the world and lived most of my life in Los angeles.Talk about a corruption, our legal system sucks!! The criminals get away with everything, our goverment even though we are a powerful country in so many ways is corrupt in a whole different way. i love ann response LOOK AT THE GREED THAT CAUSED THIS MAJOR RECESSION AND HAS CHANGED PEOPLE LIVES FOREVER! When i get pulled over in mexico for something small that is in fact my falt i simply pay it right there (20.00dlls) and its done .The most important for me is they know how to live life.VIVA LA PAZ!!!!!!

[Joe Brennan]

I went through Mexicali with my son and his girlfriend over President's Day weekend. No problems. We had a nice lunch before crossing back over the border with about a million other people.

[John Fontana]

Im currently serving in Afghanistan. I am going on leave for R&R. I can go anywhere in the world and where am I going? Mexico. Four planes and 26 hours later, I will be on a beach in Mazatlan enjoying my two dollar cerveza.

Why Mexico? because Im enlisted and I can't afford Europe, The Bahamas or Hawaii. As far as corruption, I belong to a Police Mentoring Team to teach the Afghan National Police. All means to teach these cops to be honest, have all met with negative results. This place is hopeless.

I think our services would have better results in Mexico. Mr. Presidente, call us and we will clean up your problem with your corrupt cops and military. I love your country. I am willing to help.

PS As a tourist in Mexico, I always feel safe.

[BajaBrent]

Drug War stats are being spun to deter tourism from Mexico because economy is down; Mexicans dont advertise in US press; and Iraq has settled down for now.

Although I sympathize with the families of the innocents that have perished, I have yet to see ONE ACCOUNT of a Gringo whether tourist or expat that has been killed in this so called "war".

Meanwhile more gringos died in ALABAMA on 3/10/09 (two days ago) when some looney tune went on a shooting spree killing many at random including the Sherriff's wife and child. TEN PEOPLE DIED exclusive of the suicide of the killer.

WANT SOME MORE?? Feb. 14, 2008: Former student Steven Kazmierczak, 27, opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, fatally shooting five students and wounding 18 others before committing suicide.

Dec. 5, 2007: 19-year-old Robert A. Hawkins opened fire with a rifle in Omaha, Nebraska at a Von Maur store in the Westroads Mall, killing eight people before taking his own life. Five more people were wounded, two critically.

Oct. 7, 2007: 20-year-old Forest County, Wisconsin Sheriff's Deputy Tyler Peterson went on a shooting rampage at a Crandon home where seven young people had gathered for pizza and movies. Peterson killed six and injured the other before fatally shooting himself.

April 16, 2007: Cho Seung-Hui, 23, fatally shot 32 people in a dorm and a classroom at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, then killed himself in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

IN LAST 2 YEARS 61 GRINGOS EXECUTED; 24 WOUNDED in USA. (and these are just MASS KILLINGS). Gringos have a greater chance of being executed in the USA: going to the mall; attending class; or sitting on their front porch...than they do vacationing in Mexico... And these weren't even the ghettos of Detroit, New Orleans or LA

ADD the 3000+ who died in 9-11 ...and I cant believe people who brag about their safety in the USA!!!

AGAIN THE MEXICAN DRUG WAR IS AMONG NARCOS, COPS, MILITARY,and therefore, so are the fatalities,,, occassionally an innocent gets caught in crossfire....BUT NONE WERE GRINGOS!!!!

[confucius]

Why risk or take chances with your life? Don't go there if you are unsure. Just goto Hawaii, Guam, Jamaica or Puerto Rico. I heard Japan or France is pretty safe... How about Holland or Switzerland? Mexico is not the only place.

[Ann Hazard]

I live in La Paz, Baja California Sur. I am originally from San Diego. La Paz means the peace. It is a peaceful place, a stunningly beautiful place. We love living here.

I have traveled in and lived in Mexico all my life. It is a wonderful country and the people are friendly, helpful, loyal, joyful. For over 50 years I have heard the same negativity about Mexico in the US press. Before the drugs it was the banditos. My parents friends all thought they were nuts to take their kids traveling in Mexico (back in the 60s) but they did and we loved it. We never had any problems.

OK, for people like Jon K. I have one remark. The Emperor is Naked. This recession y'all are experiencing is a result of corruption and greed at its highest level.

[Robert Akers]

One thing about mexico is if you get into trouble you are on your own guilty or not, unless you have money to buy your way out, you will be there a long time, their ploice are all corrupt. that alone keeps me from going there.

[Jess]

They still have donkey shows in Mexico?? I know they definitely have them in the San Fernando Valley on the daily..

Oh, and the U..S isn't corrupt at all (SILENCE)...(MORE SILENCE)

There's also no violence in any major U.S. city (CRICKETS CHIRPING)

[Barry Free]

I must thank the press for the bad publicity. I have never sailed through a border crossing as fast as I have recently. That's the only bad part I have about Mexico and that's coming back throught the notorious long border. Wish it could always be so quick, or is it because of tighter immigration like having a passport, etc? I love Mexico!

[Olivia Brower]

I live in La Paz,Mexico and it is one of the safer cities in baja california sur.I feel way more safer here than i EVER did in the US. I was afraid to go to my car at night knowing that something would happen...and i lived in Point Loma,CA. What i have realized here is the older crowd comes to visit its rich culture andquiet atmosphere...unlike cabo's spring break young wild fest!! however if you want to go fishing go to cabo!!! they have really great captins and super great REAL mexican food. If people are talking about how there are murders in mexico....there are murders in the united states as well...every single day. The media just needs to bag on other countrys knowing that the US isnt doing so hot. So all in all....stay away from the border towns,sinaloa,guerrero,cancun and DF if you really dont want any drug war issues.

[Trish Taylor]

I live in Cozumel, Mexico, and feel very safe walking to my home from downtown at 2am or anytime. More than I can say for most places in the US.
Trish Taylor

[Jon K.]

LCR,

I lived in Mexico for three months. Mexico City and Acapulco.

The truth of the matter is that Mexicans find it very difficult to admit the rampant corruption and ineffeciencies in their country. Rather than reasonably discuss their culture of corruption, instead they attack the person out of hyper-defensiveness. It's a clear sign of insecurity.

Yes, there is corruption and crime in the United States, but I don't see any major publications recommending that people go to Detroit for their vacation.

Also, last time I was in Detroit I didn't notice any donkey shows or things like that available to the public.

Mexico could be a great country: Beautiful, natural resources, hard-working people, but they have a culture of corruption and abuse of power by the elite. Until that changes, Mexico will continue to deny itself of its potential.

It's just that simple and if a reader wants to attack me for saying this, well, I'll see it for what it is: A sign of a person who loves their ego more than reasonably discussing the improvement of Mexican society.

[Dianne C]

I have lived in Mexico for 14 1/2 years and in Baja California (Ensenada) for the last 9. I have yet to be affected even remotely by violence. Many people i know travel regularly across the border and I have yet to hear a single story of an American being hurt, much less killed. I feel much safer here than in the U.S. - having lived in San Francisco, L.A., New York. I wish the American press would stop the Mexico bashing. Yes there's violence, but it is avoidable. Use common sense. Don't travel at night for openers. Don't flash wads of American dollars. Don't be arrogant. Obey the local laws. Take reasonable precautions just as you would in any big city.

[Unomos]

Of course the murder rate is going to be higher in Mexico where there are two wars going on: the war against corruption and the war against drug cartels. That is far beside the point of this article though. The article discusses how it is actually safe for tourists to travel to Mexico. No, it is not safe for drug cartels or police officers fighting the corruption and cartels. Since the dramatic increase in murders in Mexico, especially in the border region, security has also increased just as much to protect tourists. Mexico is safer now for a common tourist than ever before. Rosarito has a new police force whose sole purpose to to protect tourists. Similar action is taking place all over Mexico because tourism is the backbone of their economy and the last thing they want to do is put tourists in harms way. Please read my two previous blog posts about what the current situation is really like for tourists. Great article Pete but take it a step further and do the research on how many innocent tourists are actually being harmed and you will find that the numbers are way down from previous years and far below the majority of US cities.

[BobbyB]

Pete, you are somewhat right and somewhat wrong. Yes, the press portrays all of Mexico as in chaos with the drug violence when it's really mainly based along the border in the states of Baja California, Sinaloa and Chihuahua. Cabo and southern Baja as well as Cancun, etc seem to be pretty safe just as in the past.

Where you are wrong are the killings on the beach in Rosarito. Though technically correct that no one has been killed on the beach, there have been multiple killings a couple blocks from the beach including cops in Rosarito as well as south of town.

The two biggest problems comparing crime in Rosarito/TJ to US is the corruption (who can you trust? Cops?) and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Tio Foncho]

For the two Mexico-enablers who claim that the crime rate is higher in US cities than in Mexico, I have some hard facts for you. The murder rate in Tijuana last year was 72 per 100,000. The murder rate in Rosarito last year was 39 per 100,000. By comparison, the murder rate in San Diego was 4 per 100,000 and in Los Angeles it was 6 per 100,000. For the entire country of Mexico as a whole, the official murder rate is 3 times that of the US. Mexico has the highest kidnapping rate of any county on the planet. One city in the US has a high kidnapping rate: Phoenix. But every single kidnapping there has been tied to Mexican drug gangs. Thank you Mexico, for exporting another one of your products to the US.

[Blue Parrot]

And Jeffrey Dahmer was apprehended in Milwaukee, so what's your point?

[Tim]

The guy who dissolved 300 people was caught on the beach in front of Baja Seasons next to Bajamar so no murders may have been commited but a big time murderer was caught on a tourist beach

[Blue Parrot]

If you've been considering traveling to Mexico and have concerns about what you've been hearing in the U.S. media, consider this:

With the exception of the Mexican border towns and economically depressed zones, traveling and vacationing in Mexico remains a far safer experience than many of the largest cities in the U.S.

The U.S. media loves to fill the 24 hour news hole with dramatic stories about the internecine drug violence in Mexico that--while very real--represent virtually no risk to tourists. Unfortunatley, the by-product of this dramitization is the destruction of our local tourism-based economies.

From our direct experience, it took 6 weeks to recover from the hurricanes of 2006. It took another two years to fully recover from the financial destruction wreaked by the U.S. media's exaggeration of the damage done by the reports that Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya had been "destroyed."

The recent chain of stories in the LA Times, Wall Street Journal and countless more, are having the same destructive effect at a time when Americans should be taking advantage of the 15-1 USD exchange rate and the tranquility of the Riviera Maya.

So, if you've been considering coming to the popular Mexican tourism destinations and are alarmed by the warnings about travel by tourists to Mexico, think again. I'll walk down any street in Playa del Carmen with my family at any time of day or night. I don't think I'd make the same statement about my former home town in the States.

[rogerg]

There is not a state in Mexico that has not experienced a murder due to this drug war. I live in Nayarit, which is 800 miles from the border.
Montana is nice this time of year.

[Eura Moron]

Jon K, you're an idiot! Who consumes the drugs that are transported through Mexico? You know where a majority of the guns used by the Mexican Drug lords are acquired? Through the US! It's Mexico vs (US funded) CARTEL.

There is corruption in Mexico. I hope your realize there is a lot more corruption in the US. Remember who put the world in this recession.

Maybe the US can hobble along as a semi-functional country...