While more than one generation has fond memories of catching some rays in Cancun, the Mexican resort town has had a rough few weeks maintaining its image as a safe vacation destination.
At the start of April 2023, local authorities found four bodies very close to the main hotel zone. A few weeks earlier, an American tourist was shot in the leg at the nearby resort town of Puerto Morelos while a Mexican tourist was killed in the exclusive Tulum resort on April 11.
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The washed-up body saga did not stop before the month was over and eight more bodies were located in Cancun and nearby areas.
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Search for Missing People In Cancun Turns Up Answers
After learning of their disappearances from family, the police department for the Mexican state of Quintana Roo embarked on a regular search for missing people over the weekend of April 22-23.
Volunteers, who in many cases were the family members of the missing, also joined the search by spreading out to cover additional ground.
The search spanned wooded lots, sinkhole ponds and even nearby construction sites and eventually turned up eight new bodies that officers then began working to identify. Forensic evidence showed that the bodies were dumped there between one week and two months ago.
On April 25, Quintana Roo's head prosecutor Oscar Montes de Oca told reporters that three of the bodies were people who had formerly been reported missing and stressed that his team would not stop trying to find others.
According to the Associated Press, there are currently more than 112,000 people reported missing in Mexico while an increase in gang violence in Cancun has exacerbated the problem in the area.
'Only Damages The Reputation Of Quintana Roo'
While the bodies were found closer to the airport and outside the main hotel and beach area, news of the discoveries significantly damage the image of the picture-perfect tropical vacation paradise that Cancun works hard to maintain.
Montes de Oca's office also published a Facebook post clarifying that the bodies did not turn up at a hotel beach and asking the public "not to publish and share on social networks false news that only damages the image of Quintana Roo."
Amid a recent spike in drug and gang violence, the U.S. government issued a March travel warning advisory that urged American citizens to "exercise increased caution in the downtown areas of popular spring break locations including Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum."
While the government had long warned against travel to individual Mexican states such as Sinaloa and Zacotecas, the recent advisory raises alarm against popular tourist areas that it had previously marked as safe.
The violence is usually limited to members of rival gangs and a fraction compared to the 5.6 million American travelers who visited Cancun in 2022. That said, any public discovery contributes to visitor worries and perception of Cancun as a crime-riddled place.
While the U.S. State Department reiterated that the "vast majority [of visitors] travel safely," it advised registering one's visit on the embassy, staying alert and maintaining situational awareness and getting health insurance coverage that extends to Mexico.
As many of the safety incidents involve alcohol, the government also advises "knowing one's drinking companions" and consuming alcohol with a "group of friends who have your safety in mind."
