Here’s a little surprise for you; one of the main attractions of buying Mexico real estate is safety! Reading the recent travel advisories from the Department of Homeland Security of the State of Texas, you wouldn’t think so. Yet, upon a closer look at their travel advisories, it’s beginning to look they are simply buying into media sensationalism instead of real statistical research to keep their citizens safe during Spring Break.
Let’s start by looking at the advisory; this advisory is warning Spring Breakers not to go to any part of Mexico, specifically naming Acapulco, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Tijuana and, most surprisingly, Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
Without looking closer at some of the other destinations, it’s interesting to note that Yucatan Peninsula remains among the safest areas in the country. Crime rates on the Peninsula are considerably below those of many American cities. Thousands of Americans and Canadians have bought Cancun real estate and live there year round, safely and soundly, enjoying life on the beach, not to mention thousands more who visit every year.  Playa del Carmen is likewise very safe.
So, why would the Texas include Cancun and the surrounding area in its list? Taking a look at the list, it simply repeats what they already said; “Don’t go to Mexico, any part of it.â€Â It almost looks like they just threw in a few of the most popular destinations just to make it look like they researched some specific places. But it is obviously NOT the case that they did any research. They are painting Mexico with one big brush stroke, and not distinguishing between the safe and unsafe locations. Perhaps they simply can’t be bothered to check out the stats. Perhaps they got their list from sensationalized mass-media news stories. Who knows.
On the other hand, Texas has a real reason to be worried about where the state’s residents travel; just across the Rio Grande, in Ciudad Juarez, they are staring eye to eye with one of the ugliest, least safe, crime-ridden cities on the continent. The reason is that the drug trade – which is a real problem – gets its income from across the border, so cartels battle over the main border crossings and control of the cash. Department of Homeland Security of the State of Texas should be concerned about vacationers crossing to this area. But instead, the list includes areas probably safer than the main cities in Texas. What concerns me most about that is that while Texans are being warned against traveling to safe places like Cancun, they are not being warned about really unsafe places near the Texas border crossings.
Even more strikingly, no mention is made of places like Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta or (take note) Houston, each of which nearly double Mexico’s violent crime rate, not to mention the lower rate on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Roberto Borge, Governor of the State of Quintana Roo (which includes Cancun and Playa del Carmen) is also concerned. He has planned trips to the main Texas cities of Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio to defend places like Cancun and Playa del Carmen and, more importantly, present the real stats about safety.
Perhaps the Department of Homeland Security should warm Governor Borje about the safety hazards of traveling to Houston.
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely