Despite Highest Crime Rate In Baja California Sur, Los Cabos Is Perfectly Safe For Tourists

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Last Updated 10 months ago

For the month of May, Los Cabos once again registered the highest level of crime in the Baja California Sur state of Mexico.

That’s not surprising due to the fact that it is the largest and most visited city in the entire region.

That crime statistic may be alarming to those looking to visit the beach resort destination for a vacation in the next couple of months.

However, a deeper look into the numbers tells a completely different story for Los Cabos visitors.

Crimes Against Visitors

Looking at the recent Baja California Sur Crime Stoplight for the month of May shows that crime actually held steady in Los Cabos.

It registered six red lights, for high levels of criminal activity, for the month. The categories that were red for the month included extortion, drug dealing, injuries, business theft, rape, and family violence.

None of these were related to tourists or tourism.

In the entire state of Baja California Sur, crime actually dropped month-over-month in the month of May.

There were some yellow warning lights that were concerning for the entire state overall. One was related to vehicle theft. However, it was an issue in La Paz and not in Los Cabos.

State Department Advisory

Despite this fact, the United States Department of State continues a level two warning for Baja California Sur – exercise increased caution. The warning levels range from level one – exercise normal precautions – to level four – do not travel.

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According to the State Department advisory, the level two advisory is based on the overall criminal activity and violence in the state.

There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur, which includes tourist areas in Los Cabos.

The travel advisory was issued on October 5, 2022 and has been a sore spot with local government officials in Los Cabos, who feel that it is out of date and in need of updating to the more favorable level one advisory.

Only Campeche and Yucatan states in Mexico have the exercise normal precautions level one rating.

Actions to Decrease Crime

The Los Cabos municipal police have been working closely with the Los Cabos Tourism Trust and local resorts to not only decrease the incidence of crime involving tourists but also to ensure the crimes that occur are openly reported.

In fact, Mexico has opened a multilingual Center for the Care and Protection of Tourists (CAPTA) and Tourist Assistance Center (CATTAC) in Los Cabos and La Paz to assist U.S. citizen visitors in resolving disputes with merchants and government entities, filing criminal reports, securing needed services, and locating special needs accommodations.

These proactive actions have helped to keep the overall crime rate for visitors low in Los Cabos.

Tourists Should Feel Safe

Overall, tourists should feel safe when visiting Los Cabos. However, they should take normal precautions that they would normally take when traveling, especially to a foreign country.

The way to stay safe when traveling is to be aware of the surroundings and take standard precautions.

Be careful wearing excessive jewelry or showing other items of value. Visitors should leave valuables instead in a hotel safe and not carry excessive amounts of cash.

Visitors should also avoid putting themselves in situations that jeopardize their safety, such as accepting drinks from strangers or entering unknown vehicles.

Another important thing visitors should make sure to have whenever they travel is adequate travel insurance that covers not only health issues but also the theft of items and travel disruption.

These policies are relatively inexpensive for the short duration of a vacation trip to Los Cabos and provide the visitor with the peace of mind that they are covered in the event of a loss.