Canadians Travelling To Mexico Are Advised Not To Leave Their Resort For Any Reason Amid Violent Crime Warnings
After a recent travel advisory, the Canadians travelling to Mexico are advised not to leave their resort and the government advises Canadians not to travel to certain parts of the country currently. The advisory covers the Northern and Western regions of Mexico, informing people to avoid non-essential travel there. The advisory comes after numerous incidents of violent crime in the country.
Fortunately for Canadians, popular tourist destinations like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta aren't included in the advisory, but that doesn't mean they are completely immune to violence. In fact, just this past week in Playa del Carmen, another tourist hot-spot, seven people were killed in a brutal night club shooting.
Despite incidents like these, Canadians still flock to Mexico every winter to escape the cold. In fact, earlier in 2018, the Canadian Government said that around 2 million Canadians visit Mexico every year and that most of them have no problems, especially if they don't leave the resort.
This is simple advice for the millions of Canadians heading south this year, especially those who are hearing the government's warning while they are already on vacation there or those who already have tickets to travel there soon. Here are some other things to keep in mind if you're travelling to Mexico.
The first, and theoretically the most obvious tip for staying safe while travelling in Mexico is to not go to areas that have the high-level government warnings. If the government is telling you to avoid travel to a particular area or region, you should follow that advice.
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Even in places not under the advisories, it's still important to stay vigilant while travelling in Mexico. A police expert from BC, Walter McKay, has a number of tips for staying safe in Mexico. Of course, his biggest tip is don't leave the resort.
If you look at a lot of the violence occurring in Mexico, the most recent nightclub shooting, for example, it's outside of the resorts. McKay says that's because the money coming in from the resorts is beneficial to everyone, so no one in Mexico wants to compromise that. On top of that, the resorts often have their own highly qualified police officers on site.
The issues arise outside of the hotels when people choose to go on adventures or visit nightclubs. Then, out in the cities, tourists are very easy to spot and to criminals, McKay says they look just like ATM machines walking around asking to be taken or attacked.
Other experts also have warned that if you need transportation somewhere, like to or from the airport, you should arrange a car or taxi through the resort rather than hailing someone from the road so as to limit your risks.
If you follow all these tips, your trip to Mexico should be safer and more enjoyable. Even McKay says that when it comes to tourist resorts, Mexico is as safe as ever.