Lonely Planet Travel Writer Provides Facts About Safety in Mexico

Lonely Planet Travel Writer Provides Facts About Safety in Mexico

Is Mexico safe for tourists? Lonely Planet Travel Writer Robert Reid addressed that question recently in an article reprinted by the Huffington Post. In fact, after reviewing the facts, Reid turned the question on its head, asking “Are Americans Safer in Mexico than at Home?”

Reid noted “What you don’t get from most reports in the US is statistical evidence that Americans are less likely to face violence on average in Mexico than at home, particularly when you zero in on Mexico’s most popular travel destinations.”

For example, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta have far fewer murders than Orlando, home of Walt Disney World. Texans are twice as safe in Mexico, and three times safer than in Houston. According to CNN, violence in Ciudad Juarez dropped by 45 percent in 2011, and the first six weeks of 2012 saw an additional 57% drop, per this BBC story.

Reid even quotes from the US State Department travel warning, which says, “millions of US citizens safely visit Mexico each year.” The travel warning advises warns against non-essential travel to just four of Mexico’s 31 states. Meanwhile, 13 states are fully free from the State Department’s warning, including top Mexico tourist destinations such as Baja California Sur, Yucatan, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Guanajuato.