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After recent acts of violence in Tulum, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will send the National Guard into Tulum to protect tourism in the Riviera Maya.
The president lamented the acts of violence and the subsequent deaths of the tourists at La Malquerida restaurant by saying, “The alleged perpetrators have already been identified, I hope they will be arrested soon.“
“All the authorities are already acting and this crime will not go unpunished, those responsible will be punished and at the same time we are taking measures to reinforce the presence of the National Guard, not only in Tulum but throughout the Riviera Maya.”
What We Know So Far
Two tourists were killed whilst eating at the La Malquerida restaurant in a suspected gang crossfire shooting.
Prosecutors suggested the gunfight broke out between two groups operating street-level drug sales within the area. Unfortunately, the two tourists were caught in the middle of it, along with three other injured tourists.
In response, The German Foreign Office issued a travel advisory about the violence, suggesting tourists shouldn’t leave their hotel if they’re currently in Tulum. They said, “if you are currently in the Tulum or Playa del Carmen area, do not leave your secured hotel facilities.”
The killing has threatened Tulum’s reputation as a safe, quiet, and carefree beach town that’s perfect for tourists looking to avoid the hustle and bustle of Cancun.
U.S tourist James Graham — who’s currently in Tulum — said, “I think that what was surprising, is we figured that this type of crime wouldn’t necessarily be where the main tourist areas are, just because it’s such a big part of the economy.”
“You would think that you would be very careful to make sure that you know the tourists feel very safe coming here.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first act of violence in Tulum in recent months. Two men were killed on a beach in Tulum in June, and police staged a massive raid in Playa del Carmen last week, arresting 26 suspects for apparent drug sales in the process.
The prosecution said, “Crime has gone up a little with extortion, with drug sales to foreigners and Mexicans.” Locals hope the government action will prevent any future violence in Tulum this year.
COVID-19 Situation In Tulum, Mexico
Mexico is a popular destination for American tourists this winter because it has very few COVID-19 entry restrictions. The nation remains open to all U.S travelers, and U.S tourists don’t need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test on arrival and there’s no quarantine on arrival either.
The land border between Mexico and the United States will reopen on November 8th to nonessential travel. Until that date, travelers must arrive by air travel only.
However, Americans will still need to provide evidence of a 72-hour negative COVID-19 PCR test when arriving back in the United States. The CDC has listed Mexico at level three on its travel advisory rating. That means the CDC suggests Mexico is ‘high risk’ but not ‘very high risk’ at level 4.
Travelers must complete a health declaration form and scan a QR code on arrival in Mexico. Mexico has had around 3.77 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, with just over 285,000 deaths.
However, the current 7-day average in Mexico is 3,108, which is a sharp decrease from the 7-day case average of over 18,000 in August.
Despite the news of violence in some of Mexico’s most popular resorts, the nation still offers an excellent carefree destination for Americans this winter.
And thankfully, these horrible situations are rare.
Read More:
Travel Insurance That Covers Covid-19
Countries That Have Reopened For Canadian Tourists
Dominican Republic To Remain Open For Tourism With No Testing Or Vaccination Requirement
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Christian
Wednesday 27th of October 2021
Americans don’t need a PCR test when returning back to the US if they cross the border by land.
ajdj
Wednesday 27th of October 2021
it's a shame this is not so rare. it is mexico in the end. I was there feb 2017 and there was a grenade attack to bust out a cartel leader from a prison that no western media reported on probably hushed by local authorities to protect its tourist reputation and the world moves on until 2 innocent tourists get caught in the middle of gang violence
Pepe
Friday 5th of November 2021
Like all of mexico
Christian
Saturday 30th of October 2021
@ajdj, just like in the US, tourists need to have common sense and avoid dangerous areas.