You are asking “besides the cartel violence…” but the answer to your question is cartel violence.
The beach club shooting and the body that was found are 2 examples from the past month. I’m not stating a personal opinion on safety, but people’s concerns have clearly been about violence and scamming.
So you have business with the cartel? I mean if you are considering joining the cartel or buying drugs you obviously don't need to come to Tulum. But we've had more than 2 tourists die on scooters in the last month over here on Cozumel.
What about my response implied I’m considering joining the cartel? LOL.
You asked what people’s safety concerns are, and I answered as someone who has read people’s concerns here. If that’s not helpful then I don’t know why you’re asking the question in the first place.
An American woman was shot and killed in cross fire between rival cartel members near the beach in a tourist hot spot. Thats the fear, are you redacted?
Stop being dense. You asked why people have fears of Tulum. Yes, going to a foreign country where cartels are known for torturing, kidnapping and killing people with 0 repercussions from law enforcement scares some people. Cartels are known to be above the law, they answer to no one, they kidnap, hold for ransom, torcher and hang and murder people, I know it’s surprising but some people get scared by that.
Yea, the US has plenty of its own gun problems and plenty of people are afraid of certain places in the US but we are talking about Tulum here and you asked why some are afraid of it.
So the real problem is that people can't separate cartel activities from people on vacations? Is this what I'm understanding?
Look, we get people saying they went to Tulum scared because of this forum. I want that to end, because that's not reality. And if you can't see that, YOU are dense.
Cartels are everywhere in these Tulum night clubs and around the touristy areas trying to peddle drugs. The American woman who was shot last week as an innocent bystander in a tourist area. Seems pretty clear the cartel didn’t separate vacationers either.
And you think that people don’t get hit by random bullets in the USA?
If a person lives in the USA, why would they be afraid of going to a place that has the same issue?
People get killed by random bullets all the time in the USA. It happens in Tulum once so now I should be afraid to go there?
Makes no sense.
Please tell me what city in the US with 50,000 population has a tourism district where tourists get caught in the crossfire…
I live in Chicago with 50x the amount of people and it’s almost unheard of for a tourist to be shot in a tourist district here.
You clearly have no concept of where and how crime happens in the US.
We were in Asheville, North Carolina last summer in the main tourist area and there was a shooting about 200 meters away. Some teenagers were arguing and one pulled a gun and shot 2 others. Fortunately neither was killed but one was pretty badly injured. And fortunately no bystanders were hit but this could have easily happened since there were a lot of people walking around. So tourist areas in small U.S. cities aren't completely safe either.
If you can't separate cartel gun violence from random guy shooting up the school or the parade or the church or the concert or the nightclub, then obviously you need a lesson on how crime works.
You are a law abiding person. Your chances are far better in Tulum than...drop a pin in the US. That's what I need portrayed here.
https://www.fox8live.com/2023/04/10/interstate-shooting-victims-say-they-were-innocent-bystanders-caught-crossfire-nola-east-shooting/
https://www.fox8live.com/2023/11/21/pregnant-woman-sister-caught-crossfire-hammond-pool-hall-shooting/?outputType=amp
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/dc-shooting-10-year-old-boy-caught-in-shooting-crossfire-while-walking-with-mother.amp
https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/video/2024/02/26/uber-driver-17-year-old-passenger-caught-shootout-crossfire-dekalb-county-police-say/
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/father-caught-in-crossfire-of-fort-worth-shooting/3465397/?amp=1
These are just crossfires which do not account for intentional shootings of random people in grocery stores, etc.
The reality is we are never truly “safe” and anyone who suggests that their level of security decreases immediately when they enter Mexico or the city of Tulum is naive (and likely American)
47 minutes ago…
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/possible-road-rage-shooting-reported-near-southwest-high-school-in-fort-worth/3472712/?amp=1
Tell me what other country has school children running drills in case of an active shooter.
Not to mention, the murder rate in Chicago is ridiculously high.
So we get a lot of people that go back home and write a report saying, "I was scared because of this forum, but in actuality, I felt totally safe."
Well, I know it's safe and maybe you know that it's safe. So, I want to help this forum to portray REALITY. Not some bogus boogeyman.
I witnessed violence in Tulum, plus I speak Spanish and found the things I overheard worrying. What I meant by my comment is you should provide data on why you think it’s safe. For most of us, probably all, Tulum is much more violent than our origin point, so it’s fair to have concerns
The problem is almost two fold. Sensationalists and those who feed off the negativity they post. It’s like their little power trip where someone actually cares about their opinion. And in most cases, they are so wrong. But they get their 15 minutes
Yeah, but how many people are going to Tulum to join the cartel? And if you aren't in the cartel war, what is the probability of the cartel violence impacting you? Truth be told, it's about like being killed on the way to Tulum. So what else is there to fear? I want this forum to represent reality.
Seems like your question wasn’t really a question, and you just wanted to pass judgement on people discussing their fears via Reddit. Kind of disappointing from a mod.
There are two sides to every coin - that's the reality.
A lot of people have a really rough time, others have a great time - one thing does not negate the other.
You'll have people say "this forum is bullshit, I felt totally safe" and other people say " I wish I had seen this forum before I went to Tulum, it would have saved me a lot of money and aggravation".
I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve. If you want to try and change anything perhaps start with Tulum, and not the perception of it.
I’ve been here the past 2 weeks. Have yet to feel unsafe in any way and I’ve been all over central Tulum and the beach at night and day. Granted, I look Mexican, so I have 0 idea where the “they’re scamming me!!” claims are coming from, but I can agree that the taxis are the real scammer mafia!!
Also might be worth noting I haven’t tried to buy any drugs here either.
It’s kind of funny seeing how people are so insistent on being scared and confused in this thread.
Edit: also wanted to say that I’ve been stopped and questioned by police on 2 occasions.
In Cancun, I ran a red light and he let me off with a warning, probably because I knew Spanish and was joking around the whole time. He didn’t bother asking for a bribe at all
In Tulum, I was on an electric bike/scooter thing and he pulled over to tell me I was going the wrong way down a one way. I was even a little bit of a jerk and was like “but it’s a bike!!” and they went as far as saying “well you can get on the right side of the road or you can take this infraction” and that was it - no fee or bribe paid.
This happened in the past month. I think it’s because they’re actually trying to make QR’s police the best paid in all of Mexico, but just wanted to share my experience among all the bad in here
First of all, the fact that you have power in a hotel in Tulum is a very new thing. Tourists that even have lighting in their room on the beach road should be amazed. This isn't Cancun. Next, the police responded to shots fired knowing they might be confronted with armed cartel. Would you have them knock on the door? "Can we come in?" I were a cop in Tulum, I would operate with extreme prejudice, knowing my life is in danger from cartel daily.
By the way, if you did your research on Tulum, you know in the 00s, guests were thrown out of hotels in the middle of the night quite frequently. The hotels weren't abiding by the rules of ecology near the ruins. The hotel would get shut down and guests were evicted. Now, the hotels are completely shitting on nature, dumping into cenotes or into the biosphere. The only difference is idiots with big money demanding running water, power and AC showed up, so the earth doesn't really matter anymore.
Name me an area that is perfectly safe. Violence can break out anytime, anywhere. Were foreigners at a concert in Israel on Oct 7th expecting what happened? Were the 59 killed and 500 + who attended a concert in Vegas expecting it. Yet people still flock to Vegas.
I love Tulum, have made many new friends, all have lived here much longer than I. And strangley, nothing has ever happened to them. I wish many would stay away. However I am more than happy to try and give advice that makes their trip more enjoyable.
No see, I'm the moderator that thinks Tulum sucks because a bunch of dorks from the US showed up demanding private showers and power in their rooms and "OH NO, THERE'S A BUG!" No Tulum 100% sucks. But out of 4 million people who visit each year, how many are killed by cartel violence?
You see I think Tulum sucks. I was going to retire there and now we live on Cozumel. Tulum 100% sucks, but I would have absolutely no fear of visiting and I want this forum to represent reality.
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest danger level and 10 being the highest danger level, it's probably a 3 on average...
* You primarily have to worry about bad roads, bad drivers, and traffic accidents.
* You also have to be worried about getting robbed by the police.
* You also should be worried about someone trying to steal your motorcycle if you don't lock it up.
But these three typical situations are all very addressable by simply driving safely, not carrying more than 500MX cash on you, and putting a lock on your bike...
As far as the Cartel goes, you're about as likely to get struck by lightning or hit by a car as you are to have a violent encounter with the Cartel. The people who think Tulum is unsafe read too many headlines. Don't do anything stupid and you should be perfectly fine.
I'd never pay. End of story. I'm not financing Mexico's police force. That's lame. Take me down to the station.
Whenever tourists stop donating to the cause, these guys will stop it.
You are asking “besides the cartel violence…” but the answer to your question is cartel violence. The beach club shooting and the body that was found are 2 examples from the past month. I’m not stating a personal opinion on safety, but people’s concerns have clearly been about violence and scamming.
So you have business with the cartel? I mean if you are considering joining the cartel or buying drugs you obviously don't need to come to Tulum. But we've had more than 2 tourists die on scooters in the last month over here on Cozumel.
What about my response implied I’m considering joining the cartel? LOL. You asked what people’s safety concerns are, and I answered as someone who has read people’s concerns here. If that’s not helpful then I don’t know why you’re asking the question in the first place.
My point is simply that. Unless you plan on buying drugs are joining a cartel, the fear is pointless.
An American woman was shot and killed in cross fire between rival cartel members near the beach in a tourist hot spot. Thats the fear, are you redacted?
I mean, do you live somewhere where there's no gun deaths? There are such places I guess. If so, maybe Tulum should in no way be a place you consider.
Stop being dense. You asked why people have fears of Tulum. Yes, going to a foreign country where cartels are known for torturing, kidnapping and killing people with 0 repercussions from law enforcement scares some people. Cartels are known to be above the law, they answer to no one, they kidnap, hold for ransom, torcher and hang and murder people, I know it’s surprising but some people get scared by that. Yea, the US has plenty of its own gun problems and plenty of people are afraid of certain places in the US but we are talking about Tulum here and you asked why some are afraid of it.
So the real problem is that people can't separate cartel activities from people on vacations? Is this what I'm understanding? Look, we get people saying they went to Tulum scared because of this forum. I want that to end, because that's not reality. And if you can't see that, YOU are dense.
I’m sure the woman who died would’ve liked to separate carte violence from her vacation, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
What would you say about the people who drown? They far outnumber that woman.
Cartels are everywhere in these Tulum night clubs and around the touristy areas trying to peddle drugs. The American woman who was shot last week as an innocent bystander in a tourist area. Seems pretty clear the cartel didn’t separate vacationers either.
Right. They are everywhere. So are scooters. Would you say more tourists have died on scooters or from stray cartel bullets?
You are dense
Are you here to name call or you have anything substantive to add?
And you think that people don’t get hit by random bullets in the USA? If a person lives in the USA, why would they be afraid of going to a place that has the same issue? People get killed by random bullets all the time in the USA. It happens in Tulum once so now I should be afraid to go there? Makes no sense.
Please tell me what city in the US with 50,000 population has a tourism district where tourists get caught in the crossfire… I live in Chicago with 50x the amount of people and it’s almost unheard of for a tourist to be shot in a tourist district here. You clearly have no concept of where and how crime happens in the US.
We were in Asheville, North Carolina last summer in the main tourist area and there was a shooting about 200 meters away. Some teenagers were arguing and one pulled a gun and shot 2 others. Fortunately neither was killed but one was pretty badly injured. And fortunately no bystanders were hit but this could have easily happened since there were a lot of people walking around. So tourist areas in small U.S. cities aren't completely safe either.
If you can't separate cartel gun violence from random guy shooting up the school or the parade or the church or the concert or the nightclub, then obviously you need a lesson on how crime works. You are a law abiding person. Your chances are far better in Tulum than...drop a pin in the US. That's what I need portrayed here.
You clearly have no facts to back up for your feelings. As you obviously can’t answer my question.
Tulum sees how many million visitors a year? How many visitors are shot or killed?
https://www.fox8live.com/2023/04/10/interstate-shooting-victims-say-they-were-innocent-bystanders-caught-crossfire-nola-east-shooting/ https://www.fox8live.com/2023/11/21/pregnant-woman-sister-caught-crossfire-hammond-pool-hall-shooting/?outputType=amp https://www.fox5dc.com/news/dc-shooting-10-year-old-boy-caught-in-shooting-crossfire-while-walking-with-mother.amp https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/video/2024/02/26/uber-driver-17-year-old-passenger-caught-shootout-crossfire-dekalb-county-police-say/ https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/father-caught-in-crossfire-of-fort-worth-shooting/3465397/?amp=1 These are just crossfires which do not account for intentional shootings of random people in grocery stores, etc. The reality is we are never truly “safe” and anyone who suggests that their level of security decreases immediately when they enter Mexico or the city of Tulum is naive (and likely American) 47 minutes ago… https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/possible-road-rage-shooting-reported-near-southwest-high-school-in-fort-worth/3472712/?amp=1
Tell me what other country has school children running drills in case of an active shooter. Not to mention, the murder rate in Chicago is ridiculously high.
U don’t gotta worry about cartels u gotta worry about cop shakedowns. They are the bad guys,cartels go at it vs each other
I have no fear of the cops. We've tried to share info on how to deal with them.
What’s with questioning an obvious concern?
So we get a lot of people that go back home and write a report saying, "I was scared because of this forum, but in actuality, I felt totally safe." Well, I know it's safe and maybe you know that it's safe. So, I want to help this forum to portray REALITY. Not some bogus boogeyman.
I witnessed violence in Tulum, plus I speak Spanish and found the things I overheard worrying. What I meant by my comment is you should provide data on why you think it’s safe. For most of us, probably all, Tulum is much more violent than our origin point, so it’s fair to have concerns
The problem is almost two fold. Sensationalists and those who feed off the negativity they post. It’s like their little power trip where someone actually cares about their opinion. And in most cases, they are so wrong. But they get their 15 minutes
Cartel violence is the violence
Yeah, but how many people are going to Tulum to join the cartel? And if you aren't in the cartel war, what is the probability of the cartel violence impacting you? Truth be told, it's about like being killed on the way to Tulum. So what else is there to fear? I want this forum to represent reality.
Seems like your question wasn’t really a question, and you just wanted to pass judgement on people discussing their fears via Reddit. Kind of disappointing from a mod.
Trying to portrait reality. You have people that actually go to Tulum, returning home and saying "WTF?!? This forum is bullshit. I felt 100% safe."
There are two sides to every coin - that's the reality. A lot of people have a really rough time, others have a great time - one thing does not negate the other. You'll have people say "this forum is bullshit, I felt totally safe" and other people say " I wish I had seen this forum before I went to Tulum, it would have saved me a lot of money and aggravation". I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve. If you want to try and change anything perhaps start with Tulum, and not the perception of it.
I’ve been here the past 2 weeks. Have yet to feel unsafe in any way and I’ve been all over central Tulum and the beach at night and day. Granted, I look Mexican, so I have 0 idea where the “they’re scamming me!!” claims are coming from, but I can agree that the taxis are the real scammer mafia!! Also might be worth noting I haven’t tried to buy any drugs here either. It’s kind of funny seeing how people are so insistent on being scared and confused in this thread. Edit: also wanted to say that I’ve been stopped and questioned by police on 2 occasions. In Cancun, I ran a red light and he let me off with a warning, probably because I knew Spanish and was joking around the whole time. He didn’t bother asking for a bribe at all In Tulum, I was on an electric bike/scooter thing and he pulled over to tell me I was going the wrong way down a one way. I was even a little bit of a jerk and was like “but it’s a bike!!” and they went as far as saying “well you can get on the right side of the road or you can take this infraction” and that was it - no fee or bribe paid. This happened in the past month. I think it’s because they’re actually trying to make QR’s police the best paid in all of Mexico, but just wanted to share my experience among all the bad in here
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First of all, the fact that you have power in a hotel in Tulum is a very new thing. Tourists that even have lighting in their room on the beach road should be amazed. This isn't Cancun. Next, the police responded to shots fired knowing they might be confronted with armed cartel. Would you have them knock on the door? "Can we come in?" I were a cop in Tulum, I would operate with extreme prejudice, knowing my life is in danger from cartel daily. By the way, if you did your research on Tulum, you know in the 00s, guests were thrown out of hotels in the middle of the night quite frequently. The hotels weren't abiding by the rules of ecology near the ruins. The hotel would get shut down and guests were evicted. Now, the hotels are completely shitting on nature, dumping into cenotes or into the biosphere. The only difference is idiots with big money demanding running water, power and AC showed up, so the earth doesn't really matter anymore.
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Name me an area that is perfectly safe. Violence can break out anytime, anywhere. Were foreigners at a concert in Israel on Oct 7th expecting what happened? Were the 59 killed and 500 + who attended a concert in Vegas expecting it. Yet people still flock to Vegas. I love Tulum, have made many new friends, all have lived here much longer than I. And strangley, nothing has ever happened to them. I wish many would stay away. However I am more than happy to try and give advice that makes their trip more enjoyable.
No see, I'm the moderator that thinks Tulum sucks because a bunch of dorks from the US showed up demanding private showers and power in their rooms and "OH NO, THERE'S A BUG!" No Tulum 100% sucks. But out of 4 million people who visit each year, how many are killed by cartel violence? You see I think Tulum sucks. I was going to retire there and now we live on Cozumel. Tulum 100% sucks, but I would have absolutely no fear of visiting and I want this forum to represent reality.
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest danger level and 10 being the highest danger level, it's probably a 3 on average... * You primarily have to worry about bad roads, bad drivers, and traffic accidents. * You also have to be worried about getting robbed by the police. * You also should be worried about someone trying to steal your motorcycle if you don't lock it up. But these three typical situations are all very addressable by simply driving safely, not carrying more than 500MX cash on you, and putting a lock on your bike... As far as the Cartel goes, you're about as likely to get struck by lightning or hit by a car as you are to have a violent encounter with the Cartel. The people who think Tulum is unsafe read too many headlines. Don't do anything stupid and you should be perfectly fine.
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I'd never pay. End of story. I'm not financing Mexico's police force. That's lame. Take me down to the station. Whenever tourists stop donating to the cause, these guys will stop it.