Drug War Continues But Most of Mexico Is Safe for Travel and Business, Experts Say Andrew O'Reilly - Fox News Latino
go to original November 30, 2013

A Mexican federal policeman stands guard near the beach in Acapulco, Mexico. (Getty Images)

Tucked into a protected bay on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Acapulco has in recent years become the poster child for how the country’s vicious drug war has turned a once idyllic tourist destination into a killing field.

Headless bodies, gang rapes of tourists and hours-long shootouts have driven even the hardiest of visitors away from the city’s famed beaches and high-rise hotels. Foreign visitors flying in have decreased from over 350,000 in 2006 to fewer than 61,000 in 2012 and the once popular spring break destination saw the number of U.S. college students visiting drop by 92 percent in the last three years.

While Acapulco – and border cities like Ciudad Juárez and Reynosa – have dominated the headlines for the gruesome drug violence, much of Mexico’s 761,606 square miles remain relatively safe for both tourists and business interests. Analysts and travel experts tend to agree that Mexico is both as dangerous and as safe as it ever has been; it just depends on where one travels.

“There are areas of the country that are very dangerous – especially along the northern border and in key ports - but the vast majority of Mexico is very safe,” said Christopher Wilson, an associate at the Washington D.C.-based think tank the Woodrow Wilson Center.

“Americans continue to do business, travel, study abroad in Mexico all the time without any problems," Wilson said.

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