Last Updated
The Council of Los Cabos has revealed that 88% of tourists who visited the area would rate it as a safe destination, in positive news for the region.
The good news was announced at the latest Security Table meeting, which is held by the Los Cabos Coordinating Council comprising representatives from all levels of the government. Julio Castillo Gómez, the executive president of the council, announced the results in an interview with the media.
Important factors have led to the result, including the authorities carrying out operations at strategic points around the Cabo San Lucas Marina area, resulting in the arrest of people carrying out illegal activities.
Castillo Gómez said, “The operations that have recently been carried out by the Navy, which have increased prohibition and reduction of illegal activities such as drug dealing and smuggling, have revealed that there is a serious problem with ‘coyotaje’ which harms many citizens, tourists and the image of the region.
Coyotaje is a colloquial phrase to describe the practice of people smuggling across the US. – Mexico border. The smuggling is an illegal practice often used to employ workers, however Castillo Gómez mentioned that work will be carried out to strengthen surveillance in the Cabo San Lucas area.
Also at the Security Table meeting, the Los Cabos Tourism Trust discussed other statistics surrounding the perception of security in the region, which helps to promote the image of Los Cabos as a tourist destination.
Discussing this, Julio Castillo Gómez said that, “According to the in-depth statistics provided by Fiturca (The Los Cabos Tourist Association) each month, in the month of April a very high percentage of tourists said that they felt extremely secure in Los Cabos”.
He continued, “88% said that they felt very safe, indicating that there is a positive perception of Los Cabos as a secure destination, which will encourage more tourists to visit and strengthen the image of the region”.
He concluded by reminding the Security Table that these great statistics were ablel to be achieved through the hard work of all the authorities, citizens and businesses that have made the effort to make Los Cabos a safe destination for visitors.
The positive statistics come after news at the start of 2022 that Cabo is one of Mexico’s safest destinations, with Baja California Sur having the least amount of homicides.
However, last year there were still reports of violent crimes connected to drug cartels happening in tourist areas, as well as more minor incidents such as pickpocketing and scams.
As recently as this year, March 2022 saw the US government issue a travel advisory warning for Baja California Sur, which includes Cabo due to growing safety concerns relating to violent crimes involving organized crime and drug trafficking.
Most of the areas of Los Cabos with the highest crime rates are not areas that tourists visit frequently, and many of the crime statistics include offences such as traffic accidents. The areas with the highest crime rates have been named as Villas de la Joya, 4 de marzo, El Caribe, Las Palmas, Mesa Colorada and Los Cangrejos.
The government has responded well to most crime in the area however, providing increased police training and more CCTV surveillance in tourist areas, which has led to the latest improved perception.
The new statistics are only set to increase the already record-breaking number of tourists heading to Los Cabos, which, with its beautiful beaches, ocean filled with wildlife and new resorts, is fast becoming the destination of choice for everyone from the LGBT+ community to celebrities like Justin Bieber.
In the first quarter of 2022, Los Cabos saw visitor numbers of more than 800,000, with more than 500 weekly flights from the US and other countries.