Is Tulum Safe?

Everyone thinks about Tulum and thinks about peace, relaxation, and as a time to get away from it all. After all, Tulum is a place for everyone, from celebrities like Paltrow to your friends and family, who have been there for a long vacation.

But recent reports indicate that Tulum has had some critical incidents. Two women who went to Tulum would experience their last vacation. These Tulum tourists would find themselves innocent bystanders in a cartel shooting. They were unfortunately in the middle of a spontaneous gunfight between two vicious and ruthless crime syndicates.

The shooting incident startled many because everyone looks at Tulum as an oasis, not a potential resting place.

These individuals were in the safe and comfortable town of Tulum, not in the more dangerous parts of Mexico. They expected to stop by for a little respite, a break from their more hectic lives in their hometowns, and instead, they would find themselves in an incident that would wound more than two people at a highly frequented restaurant in the local area.

The incident would take place at La Malquerida, a restaurant close to the nearby beach. The women would hail from South Asia and Europe and find themselves in a hectic situation, caught in the middle of a violent gunfight between drug dealers.

Government officials in the area have noted that these incidents in Tulum are on the rise. These cases may have been scarce in the past, but more violence is present in this area now. Officials from the local law enforcement authorities note that no one is safe when such an event takes place.

Tulum Has Much To Offer but Visit it With Caution

The area, with its Mayan attractions, beaches, food, and wonderful people draw a wide variety of people each year. But while the siren song of Tulum is irresistible, it also houses cartels and regular events of vicious violence.

Riviera Maya is gradually experiencing an increase foreign death counts due to cartel violence. There have been several incidents of tourists finding themselves in harm’s way in the area. 

From Americans who have been kidnapped and killed earlier this year to others who have died while near tourist hotspots in Tulum. But brutal executions and killings did not merely take place in the summer of 2021, they have also taken place in August as well. While these events are still low in number, it does show that Tulum is not necessarily the paradise that many may make it out to be.