Puerto Vallarta and Cancun are more than 1,100 miles apart, but the headlines are causing confusion for travelers.
Is it safe to travel to Mexico? See what our experts say.
USA TODAY’s Eve Chen spoke with former CIA officials and security experts about the current situation in Mexico after the death of “El Mencho.”
- A military operation against cartel leaders in Puerto Vallarta has raised safety concerns for tourists traveling to Mexico.
- Security experts and local residents say tourist destinations like Cancun, more than 1,000 miles away, have remained largely unaffected and calm.
- The U.S. State Department is urging travelers to use “extreme caution” toward Mexico, with a particular warning for Quintana Roo.
Elizabeth Uraza works for the wedding planning company Paradise Wedding and is based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in the state of Quintana Roo, about 45 minutes south of Cancun. After hearing about the military operation in Puerto Vallarta, many of her clients who are planning weddings in Cancun next year have called to ask what they should do.
“They’re panicking because the news is new to their homes,” Uraza told USA TODAY. “And people might see the news or just save the date and send it. They’re like, ‘Oh my god, we’re getting married in Mexico,’ but it’s probably a year and a half or a year away.”
On February 22, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, head of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel and known as El Mencho, was murdered along with six other cartel members. His death sparked civil unrest in more than a dozen Mexican states, including Puerto Vallarta and Quintana Roo, where cars were set on fire and highways were blocked.
Tourists were evacuated and scrambled at the airport. Now, some people are so shaken by the incident that they are reconsidering vacations in Mexico outside of Puerto Vallarta. That includes Cancun, the country’s most visited destination.
By February 24, airport operations had returned to normal and flights from Puerto Vallarta were added. The US State Department’s advisory has also lifted shelter-in-place guidelines, and there are no reports of further road closures. Nevertheless, security experts warn of the risks of traveling to Puerto Vallarta and surrounding areas.
Cancun is over 1,997 miles from Puerto Vallarta, which is comparable to the distance between Los Angeles and Chicago.
The drop in visitors to Mexico’s biggest tourist hub could have far-reaching implications. Tourism is a major part of Mexico’s economy, generating $36.7 billion in revenue last year, with more than half of the tourists concentrated in Quintana Roo.
Many Cancun locals stress that the situation portrayed in the news does not fully reflect what is actually happening on the ground. They encourage travelers to look beyond the headlines and social media and instead seek out reliable, up-to-date information to make informed decisions, and may even proceed with their travel plans if they feel comfortable doing so.
“Everything is very controlled[in Cancun],” Uraza said. “So it’s like you get in the van and head to the resort and have a good time at the resort and come back. I think when you travel, just like anywhere else in the world, obviously be careful.”
Is it safe to visit Cancun?
Mexico is under a Level 2 travel advisory from the State Department, which urges travelers to “exercise caution” due to terrorism, crime and kidnapping. Travelers in some states are at high risk, reaching Level 4, a “do not travel” status. Quintana Roo has been given a Level 2 advisory for “risk of violence.”
Anxiety about visiting Mexico is not necessarily new. Although many travelers are aware that cartels exist in many parts of the country, violence like the one that occurred in Puerto Vallarta is usually rare in tourist destinations. “Because there are so many tourists, organized crime tends to leave the bears alone because they don’t want to peck them,” Mike Ballard, director of intelligence at security firm Global Guardian, previously told USA TODAY. “But people are going to have to rethink the whole security picture in those places.”
Local media outlet Riviera Maya News reported that Quintana Roo state was largely unaffected by the February 22 riots, which left several cars and stores set on fire.
Jason Wright, who founded Paradise Weddings and is primarily based in Montreal, said most travelers to Cancun don’t leave the resort, which is guarded and considered safe. “You go from one bubble, which is the airport, to another bubble, which is the resort. If you want to go on an excursion or something like that, it’s a different story. Or if you go into the city and walk down the street, it’s a different story.”
Wright doesn’t expect a significant number of tourists to stay away from Cancun for an extended period of time. “While incidents may temporarily raise questions, Cancun has decades of experience hosting millions of international tourists each year,” he said. “That familiarity breeds confidence, so we don’t expect demand to decline permanently or significantly.”
“One incident in one city”
As of the afternoon of February 23, life in Cancun is business as usual. Mariana Lange, who has lived in Cancun since 2019, said she finds the city “totally peaceful.” Lange, whose company Mexico Immigration Guide helps people move to Mexico, said people are flocking to beaches, public transportation is working, children are in school and businesses are open.
He added that while the event was “scary” and some people may wonder if “Riviera Maya is next”, most people don’t need to worry about safety. “Unfortunately, all of Mexico is now considered a war zone,” she added. “But nothing could be further from the truth. One incident in one city does not throw an entire country into chaos.”
She urges travelers to stay informed through government websites, including State Department advisories, and not just the videos and images of burning cars on social media.
Jeff Natale, an American who moved to Playa del Carmen six years ago and is working toward becoming a Mexican citizen, said he had never experienced anything like this cartel-related incident before. “I think the biggest impression people get here is that cartels control everything and it’s not safe,” Natale told USA TODAY. “Trust me, they don’t care about you guys. They have their own cartel-versus-cartel issues. … The only time it really makes the news is when foreigners are involved or when it’s at big resorts with tourists and travelers. But most of the time we don’t see that happening, it’s very few and far between.”
Uraza echoed that sentiment, saying that while some residents of Quintana Roo initially panicked when they heard the news, officials and officials have reassured everyone that everyone is safe and it feels like any other day in Cancun. “We are telling (customers) that things are business as usual in Cancun, just like last week,” she said.
