I live here, and here's what I told someone recently, who was thinking about coming to live in Cancun for four months- Some readers will have heard of the attack on the casino in Monterey, Mexico- far, far from Cancun- that occurred recently. Not wanting to take any chances with the tourists' safety here, our state law enforcement shut the Playboy casino in the HZ, just a day ago, on orders of the governor, when they were found to have what the government said was inadequate provision for the safety of its patrons. The Hotel Zone may very well be one of the safest places you could hope to be in the world, and now it's just a little safer.
V, Mexico is the new Colombia and one should not say that its safe because internationally publicized crimes are far far away from Cancun. Cartels dont only run drugs, they also run ilegal gambling machines, casinos, extort weekly and monthly "protection" fees from legit businesses. Casinos are a major revenue generator for Cartels. Money is generated in two ways....1 illegal gambling machines owned by the cartel, the force real casino owners to make room for their machines in their establishments or they setup their own illegal casinos and the 2 is to simply extort huge sums of money on a monthly basis from real legit casino owners. Cartels steal land from legitimate land owners, extort money from cattle ranchers, farmers, etc etc.... Medellin has seen 7 or 8 casino owners killed for not agreeing to extortions. What happened in Monterrey can happened anywhere, including Cancun. Casinos mean money, cash, the money simply flows in. The Casinos that are being shut down in Mexico right now were shut down for failed inspections. Its only in reaction to the Monterrey attack. People died in Monterrey because the casino had been modified and emergency exits were blocked and people died unnecessarily. The attackers probably did not even intend to kill so many people, they intended to burn it down and maybe set an example but no kill so many. Just to stay in the topic of Casinos, Casinos are cash money, millions of dollars per month per City not across the entire Country, do the math. The Monterrey attack can happen anywhere including Cancun, with all due respect, you nor anyone posted do not have any idea which Casino is being extorted, which Casino refuses to be extorted or which Casino was purchased by "business men"..... Monterrey can happen anywhere including Cancun, its about money not regions. I was born in Medellin Colombia, I have nearly 100 family members still living there, cousins, in-laws, uncles, etc....none of them have been killed by the violence, however, in Colombia just like in Mexico currently there is an underworld power struggle. In Itagui alone, Itagui is where I am from, on a weekly basis 10 to 15 people are being violently killed and that number does not count the people that are disappeared. If you find your self in town, at the wrong place, at the wrong time.....the end.... Do I feel safe when I travel, yes I do. However, my network of family keeps me safe. The locals always know what store, business, bar is owned by a shady characters, which gang is battling which gang, which neighborhood is in dispute so they help us navigate. Tourist should not worry greatly if they stick within tourist areas but to say "that happened very far away" or "that was isolated", thats misleading. Tourism is fine but Mexico as a whole is to be navigated wisely.
If your point is that visiting casinos carries with it an enhanced risk, then I'm with you: the article I read about the attack in Monterey offered the same explanation, that they are often associated with criminal activities, which you've reiterated for the readers with your post. Of more interest to the tourists is their relative safety while visiting here- which I rate as very high, indeed, once we get past eating and drinking too much, and the extra risks that can create around sun, sand, and sea!
i·so·lat·edAdjective/ˈīsəˌlātid/ 1. Far away from other places, buildings, or people; remote. 2. Having minimal contact or little in common with others. Misleading.... One could say...its rare, unsual, not often used, for gangsters to use granades and jugs of gasoline to send a message. I am willing to say that its not often that it occurs, wont go further than that.
Though the gang members react in highly violent ways, these gangs do not operate as freely in Cancun as they do near the US borders. That is why Cancun is indeed safe compared to the areas where all this drug gang activity takes place. Keep in mind that tourism is the number 2 source of income for Mexico in a whole. And Cancun is the number 1 source of this income. Therefore the government does all possible to keep Cancun very safe for tourists. Keep in mind that you as the tourist may do something dumb and no protection will help protect you in that case. But this trouble is started individually vs. on a much large scale as in the border areas. So you are safe till you look for trouble. Same as in any other city.
I find that my Mexican boyfriend is a pretty intelligent guy and when he says he feels perfectly safe here in Cancun, I find no reason to argue with him. Monterrey is in fact a very dangerous city; one of the most dangerous in Mexico. While, those poor victims probably did feel safe to be in a Casino that day, I am sure they wouldn't be one to say they felt their city was. One only has to do a google search. Do the exact same search about Cancun. I am sure the results speak for themselves.
Good point ToriB. Monterrey, a city of commerce, as opposed to tourism being the dominant industry, has a horrible reputation for crime and danger.
