Cancun and Los Cabos in Mexico are a couple of favorite tourist destinations but, due to an increase in incidents of violence, the US State department has cautioned its citizens about traveling to these locations. The states of Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, where these tourist hot spots are situated, have witnessed turf battles in which innocent people have been killed. Such drug war violence has resurfaced this year after a brief lull, hence the travel advisor being issued.
Certain popular tourist destinations in the world are already out of bounds because of threats from terror related activities and the nearby spots in Mexico pose dangers of violence related to the drug mafia.
The choice is getting restricted.
Violence in tourist spots
Los Angeles Times reports that gun battles from drug wars among warring rivals have become more frequent in the tourist spots of Cancun and Los Cabos. In downtown Cancun, five people were killed at a nightclub last January. More recently, three people were shot dead in Los Cabos this month. Both these locations are tourist hot spots and this spurt in violence is not good for business in the tourism sector. The travel warning issued by the United States could deal a major blow to tourism in Mexico.
Mexican officials have tried to portray its beach resorts as family friendly and safe tourist destinations but, in the current year, the number of homicides that it has witnessed could be the highest in the last two decades.
This increase is believed to be because of the growing demand for heroin in the U.S. coupled with the struggle for power among the leading drug cartels.
What is the future like?
In the opinion of experts, the spurt in violence in Los Cabos could be attributed to the fast growth and development of the area because of the arrival of migrants who are building new hotel rooms and resorts to cater to tourists.
Apart from drug wars, another aspect for worry is the quality of food and drinks served. It seems a young woman died after she drank tainted alcohol at one of the resorts. The US State Department has, accordingly, warned vacationers on consuming alcoholic drinks.
There is no doubt that tourism in Mexico has taken a beating and there is a downward trend in the arrival of American tourists.
However, according to World Tourism Organization, the country has gone ahead of Turkey to become the eighth most popular tourist destination in the world. It attracted more than 30 million international visitors last year and in order to improve upon the figures, Mexico must take necessary measures to rein in the violence and ensure safety of tourists. Tourism is a major revenue earner for Mexico and it has to address the problems.
