This Is The Safest Beach Destination In Mexico According To New Report

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Mexico could also be each American’s favorite sunny destination, due to its year-round heat climate, vibrant and welcoming tradition, and tropical ambiance, however there’s no denying that, regardless of its surging reputation, security stays a major concern for guests.

Be it the mainstream media’s misinformation campaigns or journey advisories that fail to precisely depict dangers on the bottom, many U.S. guests have developed an irrational concern about vacationing South of the border.

View Of The Puerto Vallarta Beachfront, Jalisco, Mexican Pacific, Mexico, Latin America

We can’t precisely blame them when each violent occasion that takes place in Mexico, nevertheless sporadic and much from the same old touristy spots, makes it to the entrance web page within the United States, even when safety is tight and dangers for foreigners stay minimal.

One such instance is Puerto Vallarta, a coastal metropolis in Jalisco, a state in Mexico many would think about harmful attributable to gang exercise, however one which has, in reality, been named the most secure seashore vacation spot in the complete nation:

Is Puerto Vallarta Actually A Lot Safer Than It Gets Credit For?

Puerto Vallarta is likely one of the hottest seashore zones in Mexico, well-known for its highly-developed resort strip, Pacific seashores, and LGBT-friendly Romantic Zone, a picturesque, cobbled, historic district the place colonial custom and bohemia go hand in hand.

Americans find it irresistible for the laid-back coastal vibes, the good native meals, and naturally, the lengthy miles of sand separating PV from the azure ocean, however there has all the time been one large draw back for overcautious vacationers: its state thought-about a Level 3 vacation spot by American authorities.

View from the street below of the The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe with colorful flags strung across the street on a sunny morning in Puerto Vallarta

In easy phrases, U.S. authorities urge Americans to ‘reconsider travel’ to Jalisco as they could expose themselves to greater ranges of crime and even threat kidnapping.

Still, PV stays Mexico’s third most-booked sunny trip after Cancun and Los Cabos, and we discover it onerous to imagine that may nonetheless be the case ought to crime be as rampant as it’s made out to be.

Now, we’ve confirmed our suspicion Puerto Vallarta and its surrounding seashore zone is safer than it will get credit score for.

Over 80% Of Residents Find PV Safe To Live In

Based on new information collected by ENSU, Mexico’s National Urban Public Security Survey is likely one of the most dependable parameters for assessing security ranges that there are. The overwhelming majority of PV residents aged 18 and over think about it a secure metropolis to reside in.

More particularly, solely 19.4 p.c of residents understand it as unsafe, towards 80.6 p.c who’ve reported feeling secure residing regionally.

It is price noting that researchers have evaluated security perceptions for native residents, not vacationers.

Still, the truth that the pata-salada (how the Vallarta-born are known as) are adamant their metropolis is secure – and they’re usually dwelling in suburban zones themselves, not holed up in heavily-guarded five-star resorts – ought to solely function proof gringos must be even much less involved.

Additionally, Puerto Vallarta is the most secure seashore vacation spot in Mexico, charting greater than each different coastal hub on ENSU’s rating, together with the aforementioned Cancun and Los Cabos.

By extenstion, it’s the second most secure municipality in all of Mexico.

A Busy Sandy Beach In Puerto Vallarta, Near The Malecon Boardwalk, Jalisco, Mexico

It locations behind solely Benito Juarez, which has a destructive security notion fee of solely 15.2 p.c, however curiously sufficient, it charts greater than Merida, in Yucatan, and San Francisco de Campeche, in Campeche, typically thought-about Mexico’s safest state capital.

Both of those cities have been added to the U.S. State Department’s Level 1 itemizing, that means Americans can train regular precautions when visiting.

Despite PV’s wonderful leads to ENSU’s newest evaluation, it nonetheless retains its Level 3 standing, so what isn’t including up?

Travel Advisories Are Just That: Advisory

Police Patrolling The Streets In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

The State Department is thought for being exceedingly conservative in relation to assessing security dangers for various locations.

In the case of Mexico, specifically, every state is awarded its personal classification versus the entire nation: no different vacation spot worldwide has its states, provinces, or different types of home administrative division evaluated in another way for the needs of threat evaluation.

As each state in Mexico is analyzed individually, this may result in extra scrutiny and, in some instances, a hyperfocus on destructive occasions affecting them.

The state of Quintana Roo, dwelling to Cancun and Tulum, infamously had a journey alert for crime and kidnappings in 2022, though one single kidnapping case was reported all through that whole yr.

It took months and a collection of remarks by the Mexican President till the kidnapping warning was eliminated, bringing into query the timeliness of those advisories.

That’s to not say Jalisco’s inclusion within the Level 3 itemizing is unwarranted, as American authorities could have entry to delicate data most people is just not conscious of, however it’s solely pure that new questions are put forth when completely different, equally dependable sources current a special viewpoint.

Playa Esmeralda In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

In sum, being considerably cautious when visiting Mexico as an entire can do no hurt.

While it’s unlikely you may be affected by petty or violent crime vacationing in stunning Puerto Vallarta, particularly when the state of Jalisco has deployed more police to guard vacationers final yr, keep away from displaying pointless indicators of wealth, strolling alone in poorly-lit areas after darkish, and avoid far-out, dodgy neighborhoods.

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