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In yet another effort to boost safety for millions of travelers this summer, Mexican officials have deployed hundreds of tourist police to deter organized crime.
With safety being one of the hottest topics this year, authorities want to prevent criminals from damaging the Mexican Caribbean’s stellar reputation or, worse, targeting travelers.
As millions of people are expected to flock to the region over the following months, here’s the latest on what’s being done to protect tourists.
More Police Reinforcements Deployed In Popular Resort Hotspots
Spotting armed military and police officers is a common sight in resort hubs like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. And this summer, the country’s National Guard is joining efforts to stem crime, further bolstering security in one of the world’s trendiest destinations.
With the peak of the summer season approaching, the National Guard – a paramilitary organization founded in 2019 to tackle rising rates of organized crime – has announced new deployments in several Mexican Caribbean hotspots.
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Despite being significantly quieter than the busy winter months, the likes of Cancun and Playa del Carmen are shattering all travel records this summer as travelers flock to the region’s sun-soaked white-sand beaches and astonishing all-inclusives.
July and August are especially busy, with most resort destinations seeing occupancy rates of 80%, an impressive figure for what’s typically considered the region’s low season.
Officials have said up to 200 new armed officers from the National Guard would join the organization’s Tourism Battalion, a highly specialized unit that regularly patrols busy touristy areas.
The National Guard will work closely with state and local police to further enhance safety.
Over the coming months, travelers can expect to see more officers patrolling public beaches – especially in Cancun’s hotel zone – commercial streets, as well as airports and cruise ship and ferry terminals.
Together with other law enforcement agencies, hundreds of officers will watch over travelers this summer.
It is not unusual for the national government to send troops to patrol Cancun and other Quintana Roo destinations during busy travel periods.
Spring break, Christmas, and New Year, as well as easter, see some of the highest travel demand annually, usually coinciding with a noticeable presence of law enforcement.
How Safe Is Cancun This Summer?
With summer in full swing, travelers are leaving their resorts to explore the natural, historical, and cultural wonders of the Mexican Caribbean.
Cancun stands out as a safe haven for travelers, especially compared to other crime-stricken cities across Mexico. The combination of reinforced troop deployments and vigorous safety checks around the hotel zone means that Cancun is one of the safest places to visit in Mexico this summer.
Even so, visitors should closely follow essential safety tips, with scams and other forms of petty crime continuing to plague the city. Visitors can also download Guest Assist, a new online tool created by local officials to help travelers report crimes and reach out to police.
According to the latest U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory, the Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo is currently under a level two travel warning, meaning visitors should exercise increased precaution.
And with soaring reports of overcharging taxi drivers, prevalent online scams, and pickpockets, travelers should maintain a high degree of situational awareness at all times.
Safety-conscious travelers should opt to stay in Cancun’s resort zone, where law enforcement is most visible, as opposed to online rentals elsewhere in the city.
When out and about, dress modestly and avoid flaunting expensive jewelry, watches, or electronic devices. An often overlooked safety tip is applying enough sunscreen, with temperatures soaring to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and above.
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Alfredo Munguia
Friday 7th of July 2023
The biggest SCAM, going on right now in the Cancun Hotel Zone area, is from Scammers offering tourists a free breakfast to attend a presentation about what the hotel offers, once you are at the Hotel, you have a salesperson seating down to breakfast with you interrogating you about income and work status and they keep asking if you have a Credit Card to be able to attend that breakfast, bottom line you don’t enjoy breakfast because the salesperson is seating right beside you and they never shut up, pretending to be your friend and very talkative. Once they know your income, if you have a credit card, after not enjoying your breakfast, they take you on a tour of one of there ocean front suite, lying to you about how you will enjoy your time at that location. After that you go to another area of the hotel where they have a professional liar salesperson that will try to get you to invest in a international beach club, telling you one lie after lie about what it is they are selling you, which is a big LIE. These people are professional Liars and will have an answer and a solution to any thing you try and do to not be robbed scammed of your money. I am extremely disappointed that this is going on because, A lot of good people tourists are being scammed robbed of their money, while the Scammers selling beach club lies are making millions of dollars by fraud and deceptive practices of Scamming American Tourists. Lying to tourists to Rob/Scam them of their money is a crime.