For years now, Mexico has enjoyed a booming tourist business, with mega resorts lining the enumerable sandy beaches. It’s a fantastic destination offering copious amounts of sun, tequila, hospitality and great low rates, but unfortunately there’s a looming problem. Regional violence and recent issues have forced the U.S. State Department to issue a travel warning, putting many holiday plans in limbo.
Playa Del Carmen
All inclusive mega resorts and white sandy beaches make this seaside Mexican town a beacon for tourism. Just an hour from Cancun and nearby Cozumel, it offers a buzzing location, perfect for cheap and cheerful fun in the sun. But two recent area explosions, one of which was aboard a tourist ferry have prompted the US State Department to issue a Travel Warning for travel to the area.
Travel Warning
A travel warning is not necessarily significant, but the underlying advice really matters. These warnings are an official caution to US visitors already in the area or considering tourism to the region. Similar such warning exist for Europe and other wildly popular areas. This newest warning however is in response to a very significant threat. A recent explosion on a tourist ferry traveling between Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel injured 26 people, including many American citizens. Furthermore, undetonated explosives have been found in the area with increasing frequency.
Official Advice
The U.S. State Department has banned federal employees from taking tourist ferry service in the area, and has closed the U.S. Consulate in Playa Del Carmen. The advice urges tourists to take out travel insurance, especially coverage which includes emergency medical evacuation – and exercise extreme caution. Needless to say, it may be time to postpone a trip, or consider another area of Mexico.
Alternate Destinations
Mexico is a vast country with many celebrated beach destinations. If you’re worried about travel to Playa Del Carmen during this mysterious time, investigate other nearby areas in Mexico as a potential alternative. If you’d prefer to look farther away, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic are famous for similar, easy going beach vacations.
Actually, there wasn’t explosions. Just found the explosives. It is not good but not as bad.
If it’s only the beach there are alternatives. But in culture and gastronomy there aren’t.
Probably still safer than the USA!
Espcially if you’re non white…
It seems very alarming really. I was out there on holiday staying at a hotel close to where this incident incident happened.
Initially it was announced that there was a maintenance fault and the ferries appeared to operate normally soon after. Surely they must have known that it was more likely that a terrorist incident had occurred rather than it being a maintenance fault!!
Heavily armed and balaclavered Mexican Police patrolling Playa Del Carmen beach didn’t seem to be visible until Sunday when it happened on the Tuesday.