Gary’s Dive Shop
Special Mexico Travel Safety Advisory
Reports of violence are extremely overblown.
Some recent visitors to Mexico say the reports of disorder have been overly exaggerated.
One visitor said “I would definitely say that the impression that the Americans get in the media is more intense and hyped-up than reality.”
Another said “Millions of people go to Mexico every year without any incident whatsoever.”
Another said “The situation is grave in some sense, but it’s not that significant for most tourists. … But people need to be careful and stay informed where the major incidences are happening.”
Still another said “People who know Mexico will keep going. It is less expensive than many places, and it is easier to get there.” She continued “But then, I’m cautious. I don’t do stupid things. I dress appropriately and I’m not rude to people. I try to speak Spanish as much as possible,” she said, “These are all the things that I do as a traveler anywhere.”
People need to look within their own borders. Looking at crime statistics, it would appear that Americans are safer in Mexico, especially Sonora, than they are in many parts of the United States. It’s true there is violence in Tijuana and other border towns, however the violence is against one another (much like gangs or gangsters of prohibition), this is also true with kidnapping. It’s the wealthy Mexicans being kidnapped; not tourist or snowbirds.
It’s also important to remember that the rise in violence is due to the pressure being placed on the cartels and corruption by a Mexican President and new administration that is dedicated to clean things up and removing as much corruption as possible.
CRIME in the USA vs. MEXICO:
• Just about every country in the world is now experiencing increased crime rates. However, there are usually safe areas in every country where the crime rate is lower or non-existent.
• The U.S. State Department put out a warning about the violence in Mexico. The report states that 128 Americans were killed in Mexico between January 2006 and December 2008.
• Looking more closely at the data, Rosarito Beach, Ensenada, Mexicali, San Felipe, Tecate and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) only had 42 Americans killed in the last three years combined. Those are the largest tourist areas of Northwest Mexico, excluding Tijuana. In Los Angeles County, there have been 103 murders in the last six months. In 2008, there were 324 homicides in L.A. County. People in Los Angeles would probably say that there are certain unsafe areas to avoid. People living in Mexico would say the same thing.
• More detailed statistics indicate that he murder rate per 100,000 people in Mexico is about 13. Recent FBI statistics show the murder rate in Baltimore is 43.3, Washington DC is 29.1, and Detroit is 47.3.
