In August 2022, four bodies were found in the Tulum hotel area according to The Cancun Sun.
While those victims were not tourists, the violence of locals occurring in a tourist neighborhood that is growing in popularity is still an issue. Sadly the fact that the violence was not of tourists can give visitors of false sense of security.
“A recent Bloomberg article highlighted another incident in which the crimes of rival gang members came dangerously close to tourists visiting Tulum. In this situation, which took place back in February, two drug dealers were shot and killed in an upscale restaurant. It is a very real example of how the turf war between gangs affects tourists, and businesses, which are commonly forced to pay these gangs for protection.“ The Cancun Sun, August 2022
When I asked the state department for details and criteria on how they drew up this Quintana Roo taxi security alert they didn’t respond. What made the taxi issue now reach the level of an alert for this area is unknown. It is also unclear how long this alert will likely last, what is needed for it to come down, or what it coming down actually means.
