The Word is Getting Out Over Tulum, Mexico

Back in October, I wrote a long post describing how Tulum, Mexico has gone completely down the tubes.  The Mexican government is loathe to publicize any bad news about its tourism sector-- but now the Mexican media is beginning to lift the veil on its dirty little secret.  Between January and September 2021, the town registered 65 murders, an 80.5% increase over the same period last year when just 36 murders took place, according to statistics from the National Security System.

And the violence has only continued. On October 20, two foreign tourists, a travel blogger from India and a German citizen were shot dead at a restaurant in Tulum, caught in the crossfire of a shootout between gangs. Three other tourists were injured.  This year has also seen attacks claim the lives of nationals from Spain, Uruguay and Belize.  And now local businesses are highly concerned that the violence is driving away tourism. In October, the German government issued a travel advisory warning about visiting Tulum, although this was later retracted.

Criminal groups are being attracted to the drug trafficking and extortion possibilities offered by this tourist hotspot.  According to David Ortiz Mena, president of the Tulum Hotels Association, large raves and dance parties have led to an increase in demand for drugs, which have attracted organized crime.

While the world shut down during the pandemic, Tulum became known for continuing to hold raves and music festivals-- which was accompanied by a rise in demand for drugs.  Extortion attempts on hotels, restaurants and visitors have also increased. “Hotel owners are alarmed because their clients, tourists, are being threatened by the bad guys. And when they demand attention from authorities, they don’t get a response,” Juan Noriega Granados, another member of the Tulum Hotels Association, told the press.

The situation has grown so dire that security forces have had to be sent in. 450 federal troops were sent to Tulum in late October, among other security strategies, following the murder of the two tourists.  While a number of criminal groups, including national-level threats such as the Zetas Vieja Escuela cartel and local gangs such as the Bonfil, have long operated in Tulum, the arrival of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation has been blamed for an escalation in violence.