No Travel Restrictions for Cozumel or the State of Quintana Roo
Travelers leaving their home countries are always checking travel advisories to ensure they are visiting locations that are safe places to travel for a vacation. Verifying current information will assist you in determining if you feel it is safe to leave the ship or hotel or take a tour while visiting as nobody wants to go anywhere in the world and come into harm's way. The best way for a traveler to make any decisions regarding their destination is to research and investigate a place before travelling there. For those coming to Cozumel and other areas of the State of Quintana Roo (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum), we recommend you check advisory status before making travel plans and for all of Mexico travel. For almost two (2) decades now, this website has been answering these questions to the best of our ability.
Since tourist destination economies like Cozumel don't exist without travelers, those living/working in an area really have a conflict of interest when answering the "safety" question. If travelers stop going to a destination, everyone in the local economy suffers and of course no business wants to close their doors. Consequently, it is up to travelers themselves to gather information not only from locals living and working in the area but from as many different sources as possible so as to make an informed decision about safety.
Unfortunately, due to drug cartel related violence that has been prevalent through mainly the interior of Mexico in recent years since 2006, the U.S. State Department was pressured by various regional Mexican tourism agencies to move away from a general "broad" safety statement about Mexico and instead provide travelers with a more "regional" view of safety and security within Mexico. It goes without saying that any advisory or warning is based on factual information, i.e. - crime statistics and criminal eventsl. Sadly, in many areas of Mexico dependent on tourism like Cozumel, police are not keen to have crimes reported/documented because it adversely affects the State crime statistics and then local economies suffer due to lack of tourism.
If you decide to travel to Cozumel (again Cozumel has NO TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS on the island) or anywhere in the country of Mexico, here are the U.S. Department of State's recommendations for travel precautions to ensure your safety:
US State Department Travel Recommendations for Mexico
Use toll roads when possible and avoid driving at night.
Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos.
Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
In 2018, the U.S. State Department created a new categorization method to provide recommendations based on a "Four (4) Travel Advisory Levels" which are noted in the Advisory by State:
US State Department Travel Advisory Threat Level Recommendations
Level 1 - Exercise Normal Precautions
Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution
Level 3 - Reconsider Travel
Level 4 - DO NOT TRAVEL
Below is the most recent travel advisory issued by the U.S. Department of State for the entire State of Quintana Roo (includes Cozumel, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum).
U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico Issued AUGUST 22, 2023 shows the Mexican State of Quintana Roo (includes Cozumel, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, and Tulum) to be a LEVEL 2 Advisory - Exercise Increased Caution (Level 4 Advisory is Highest Risk):
There are "NO RESTRICTIONS" on U.S. government employees for travel to "ANY PARTS" of Quintana Roo state, which includes tourist areas such as: Cozumel, Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum. However, U.S. government employees are advised to exercise increased situational awareness and caution after dark in downtown areas of Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen, and to remain in well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist zones.
U.S. citizens should as always exercise increased caution and be aware that according to Government of Mexico statistics, criminal activities and violence, including homicide, remain a concern throughout the State. While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations and turf battles between criminal groups that have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Bystanders injuries, while rare, have occurred. While not directed at tourists, shootings between rival gangs have killed or injured innocent bystanders. Additionally, U.S. citizens have been the victims of both non-violent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas.
U.S. Department of State Most Recent Travel Advisory Says:
8/22/2023 -The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas. U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states.
For information on security conditions for the other specific regions of Mexico, please click on the link directly below to view the U.S. State Department's Mexico state-by-state assessment:
U.S. government personnel and their families are prohibited from personal travel to all areas to which the Department recommends "defer non-essential travel" in this Travel Warning. As a result of security precautions that U.S. government personnel must take while traveling to parts of Mexico, our response time to emergencies involving U.S. citizens may be hampered or delayed.
General Conditions
Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations and has engaged in an extensive effort to counter criminal organizations that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico. There is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.
U.S. government personnel are prohibited from patronizing casinos, sports books, or other gambling establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit.
Kidnappings in Mexico take the following forms:
Traditional: victim is physically abducted and held captive until a ransom is paid for release.
Express: victim is abducted for a short time and commonly forced to withdraw money, usually from an ATM, then released.
Virtual: an extortion-by-deception scheme where a victim is contacted by phone and coerced by threats of violence to provide phone numbers of family and friends, and then isolated until the ransom is paid. Recently, hotel guests have been targets of such "virtual" kidnapping schemes.
U.S. citizens have been murdered in carjacking and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads. Carjackers use a variety of techniques, including roadblocks, bumping/moving vehicles to force them to stop, and running vehicles off the road at high speeds. There are indications that criminals target newer and larger vehicles, but drivers of old sedans and buses coming from the United States are also targeted. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from intercity travel after dark in many areas of Mexico. U.S. citizens should use toll roads (cuotas) whenever possible. In remote areas, cell phone coverage is limited or non-existent.
The Mexican government has deployed federal police and military personnel throughout the country as part of its efforts to combat organized criminal groups. U.S. citizens traveling on Mexican roads and highways by car or bus may encounter government checkpoints, staffed by military or law enforcement personnel. In some places, criminal organizations have erected their own unauthorized checkpoints, at times wearing police and military uniforms, and have killed or abducted motorists who have failed to stop at them. You should cooperate at all checkpoints.
For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the State Department's internet web site, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 001-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). U.S. citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to enroll with the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Mexico, please contact the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate with responsibility for that person's location in Mexico. For information on the ten U.S. consular districts in Mexico, complete with links to Embassy and Consulate websites, please consult the Mexico U.S. Consular District map. The numbers provided below for the Embassy and Consulates are available around the clock. The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. U.S. citizens may also contact the Embassy by e-mail.
The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. U.S. citizens may also contact the Embassy by e-mail.
You can reach the U.S. Consulate in Merida which serves Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo by dialing their main number. From the United States, dial 011-52-999-942-5700. From within Mexico, dial 999-942-5700. You can also access Merida on-line via the US Consulate website. The address is Calle 60 no. 338-K x 29 y 31, Col. Alcala Martin, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico 97050.
There are alsoConsular Agency Offices in Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
In Cancun: Blvd. Kukulcan Km 13 ZH Torre La Europea, Despacho 301 Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico C.P. 77500, telephone +52-998-883-0272.
In Playa del Carmen: Carretera Federal Puerto Juarez-Chetumal, Mz. 293 Lt. 1 Plaza Progreso Local 33, telephone +52-984-873-0303 or 202-370-6708(U.S. number).
Again, please review the new Mexico Travel Warning from the U.S. Department of State in its entirety on the U.S. Department of State Website.
Remember this as you review the warnings for each area of Mexico: a majority of crime goes completely unreported (93% in 2018) and for those that are reported, the impunity rate in 2019 stands at 96% (2013 - 2017 was 98%)......meaning only 4% of REPORTED crime perpetrators get prosecuted and convicted.
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