The Rosas-Standring Family

I am so happy about the amount of people who have been searching about the safety here in Tulum and The Rivera Maya. I have also received a number of emails with specific questions. Thank you for doing your research and trying to get accurate information. My friend and fellow blogger wrote a great post the other day and she has given me permission to copy it here. Please continue to do your research. You will find that visiting this area is very safe and well worth your while.

Cancun, Mexico is Safe for Tourists
March 2nd, 2009

I want to share the content of an email I got today. I think it offers some words of wisdom and some important facts regarding the safety of travel to tourist areas in Mexico right now.

Travel Still Safe to Major Tourist Hubs in Mexico

On February 20, 2009, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert to those visiting Mexico, warning of increased violence and drug-related conflicts in several areas. The alert states, in part, “While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including thousands who cross the land border every day for study, tourism or business), violence in the country has increased recently.”

Travel agents should be aware that the most noteworthy crimes are taking place in border towns including Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua. The most popular tourist destinations, including Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta, remain safe for visitors.

The following is an abbreviated response from the Mexico Tourism Board:

Mexico remains a safe tourist destination and this is reflected in the 22.6 million international visitors that arrived in 2008, of which 18 million were Americans. This number represents a 5.9 percent increase from the previous year. Tourists who suffered any incidents were minimal. The violence associated with drug trafficking is isolated in cities that are far away from tourism destinations. We suggest using common precautions as when traveling to any foreign country.

Q: Is Mexico an unsafe place to travel?

Mexico ranks tenth as an international travel destination in the world and is the number one international tourism destination for North Americans traveling abroad. Many tourists to the country are repeat visitors, which demonstrates that the vast majority of tourists are satisfied and leave with overwhelmingly positive impressions.

Q: The travel alert issued by the U.S. State Department warns that even travel within the country beyond the border is dangerous. Should I just avoid traveling to Mexico completely?

No. Common sense and proper precautions must be taken when traveling anywhere, and Mexico is no exception. Whether traveling on the border or if you find yourself in another area of the country, stick to legitimate businesses and tourist areas. Be aware of your surroundings and your stay should be a memorable and safe experience. Mexico’s frontier, like many other frontiers in other countries, at times experiences certain conflicts and those crossing border states should do so while taking the proper precautions.

Q: Then what do you make of the U.S. State Department warning against travel to the border due to infighting among drug cartels?

In Mexico, the possession and consumption of drugs and narcotics are illegal. The laws governing these offenses are stricter and the resulting fines and prison sentences are often harsher than those provided for in U.S. and Canadian law.

The recent incidents involving drug traffickers have prompted U.S. and Canadian authorities to suggest travelers exercise extra caution when visiting certain border towns.

It is important to note, however, that this temporary announcement does not advise travelers against visiting the many safe tourist destinations. In fact, Leslie Bassett, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, declared that the intention of the alert is to inform of the violent acts that are taking place in specific states of Mexico as well as in other nations. She clarified that in no way does this alert seek to negatively portray the tourist destinations.

Q: Shouldn’t everyone just avoid going to Mexico, with everything that is going on with the crime and drug dealers?

It’s important to note that hotel occupancy in the popular destinations for tourists within Mexico remains strong. A report from the Secretary of Tourism elaborated this month (February 2009) shows the following: Cancun’s hotel occupancy at 73%, Riviera Maya at 85%, Los Cabos at 69% and Puerto Vallarta at 78%.

As the country’s promotion agency, the Mexico Tourism Board recommends visitors to contact our many offices for more information on the destination they are planning to visit.

Drug dealing and possession are a social problem that every nation faces, and Mexico is no exception. Visitors can be confident that local authorities are working hard to apprehend all those who violate the law to bring them to justice.

Q: What if something does happen? Will emergency services be able to help?

Federal and local governments are constantly working on improving emergency services, not only for tourists but for locals, too. Visitors should take precautions if they have any pre-existing medical needs and speak to their doctors before they travel abroad. We are also working on raising the bar in our standards to that our guests are kept safe, such as de-legalizing open bars in areas known as Spring Break destinations.

Hundreds of thousands of American students travel to resort areas throughout Mexico over Spring Break each year. The best way to enjoy their vacation without incident is to use some common sense to avoid dangerous situations. We encourage students to drink responsibly and be aware of the laws and regulations.

As stated in the U.S. State Dept. website:

“Excessive alcohol consumption and unruly behavior can lead to serious problems with Mexican authorities. Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of arrests, accidents, violent crimes, rapes, and deaths suffered by American students on Spring Break. Disturbing the peace, lewd or indecent behavior, littering, driving under the influence, drinking on the street or on public transportation, using public transportation without payment, or making obscene or insulting remarks are all considered criminal activities by Mexican authorities.

For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Mexico, please contact the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. You may also contact the Embassy by e-mail at: http://ccs@usembassy.net.mx. The Embassy’s Internet address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/

Here’s a link to the full text of the U.S. State Department Travel Alert, please read it yourself. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html


It is worth noting that in the past few weeks the Cancun Airport has seen record numbers of international flights arriving, the airport is busier than ever before with tourists arriving for vacation.

I also want to point out that the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and the Mexican Peso is such that Americans traveling to Mexico right now can enjoy real bargains.

Is Tulum, Mexico safe. Is Tulum safe for Children? Is it safe to travel in Mexico? YES!YES!YES!YES!YES!YES! I have been bombarded with questions, posts, news and people wondering if Mexico especially the Yucatan and the Rivera Maya are safe to travel in. Let me say this... 1) I lived in the tenderloin of San Francisco for 10 years. This is not a good area. it is filled with drugs, shootings, and gangs. However. People NEVER asked me or questioned me about the safety there. But since I have lived here... (a town that is filled with kind caring people) I have gotten many questions about its safety.

Now, if you do not use common sense then yes the world is dangerous. Not Mexico. Not Mexicans. But the world. If you do not use the brain that god/buddha/the higher power/ YOUR MOTHER gave you then yes... the world is a scary place. however, if you use your head you will be fine. and that could not be more true then here in the Rivera Maya.

I understand that Mexico and the USA are involved in a very scary war on the cartels. First of all... this is not a Mexican problem. This is a problem that is as much north of the border as south. I am glad that President Obama has very realistic ideas and goals to this problem. But I can say for sure that I feel so safe here. My children are safe here. The people here want no harm to come to us.

I read a blog entry a while back... (if you read any of the meican bloggers here then you have heard a lot about this subject) Check these 2 out for some great information.
www.hiddencancun.rivergirl/2009/02/09/is-cancun-safe-for-tourists and
www.cancuncanuck.com/2009/02/tourists-safe-in-cancun

But that aside... my family is safe here. We walk all over town at all hours of the night totally safe.

I hope that people do actual research and do not listen to scare provoking propaganda that attempt to strike fear in tourists. If you have any questions about anything here in the Yucatan, Tulum, Cancun or anywhere in the Mayan Riviera, please email me... my address is mindyintulum@yahoo.com. I have many friends all over the Yucatan and Mexico who would be happy to answer ANY question that you have. Or would be happy to give you their input or advice on visiting here. This is a beautiful area, full of amazing people. But there are many that are using false stories or half truths and various manipulations to achieve their own agenda.

I have no agenda. I live in Mexico, with my kids. I want Mexico to be safe. i would not allow my children to be in an unsafe place. But I allow my children more freedom here in Tulum, Mexico then I did in the USA. It is because the people here are all looking out for my kids. Please. if you have concerns about visiting, please contact me. I will get you in touch with someone who lives in that town so that you can get REAL information. Information that you will most likely not be getting in main steam press. again mindyintulum@yahoo.com. also check out ANY of the blogs on my blog role and all of them would be happy to answer any questions that you have.

Get real information about a place. Please do not rely on media stories that are designed to invoke fear in order to sell papers. We live here, we walk the streets (sometimes a little in cohesive - BE SAFE!!!) ask us, we would be happy to tell you anything. The good, the bad the ugly... but usually the amazing.

Today we took the kids to visit Casa Cenote. Cenotes are the kids favorite thing to do here and there are so many to visit. It is our goal to visit as many different ones as possible. Casa Cenote is just north of Dreams Tulum off of the main road, 307.

We took a collectivo from town to the road where the cenote is. The collectivo cost us 15 pesos per person. The kids sat on our lap so they did not cost anything. Once we got off the collectivo, there was a very long walk to the cenote. We were not ready for that long of a walk but it was not too bad. There were also some beautiful houses on this road on the beach. Some of these homes are for rent.

We finally came to the cenote. It was beautiful. It was very near the ocean so you could hear the sounds of the ocean and the water was much more salty then some of the other cenotes. The water extends about 200 meters back into the jungle. It is so beautiful.

You could clearly see the bottom of the cenote and you could see tons of fish. The person who was running the cenote did tell us that we were welcome to swim as far back as we wanted but did say that we needed to be aware that there could be crocodiles. It is possible that they are there but they said that they check every morning and every night. We got to swim a lot and had a lot of fun.

We got hungry and had only brought a few things to eat. But Akilean, as always, was hungry. Not surprising. That kid is always hungry. We ate across the street at the Casa Cenote restaurant. It was right on the beach under a beautifully done palapa. The food was very good and we had a wonderful day. The kids and I went swimming some more while Ruben headed to work.

After a little while we got tired and started to long trek home. That road was much longer the 2nd time but that was okay. Once we were on the main road we waited for the collectivo and headed home. All of us have a bit of a red face but we had a lot of fun.