Copper Canyon, Mexico- Sierra Madre Explorations

Tourist Zones Up To 26 Times Safer In Mexico than U.S.A.
If you're thinking about taking a trip to Mexico but are still concerned about safety, let this new study released by RE/MAX Investment Properties, put things into perspective. The homicide rate research, released today by the Mexican real estate agency, indicates that major tourist zones in Mexico are up to 26 times safer than some tourist zones in the U.S.A. The figures also show that Mexican tourist zones are even safer when the homicide rate is compared with major cities in the U.S.A. and Canada, where many tourists to Mexico have their homes. The Mexican state of Baja California Sur - location of tourist zones Los Cabos, La Paz and Loreto - has a homicide rate 26 times lower than Orlando, 18 times lower than Miami, 17 times lower than West Palm Beach, 12 times lower than Tampa and half that of Honolulu.

Survey supports that Mexico is a Safe Tourist Destination
Posted on March 17, 2009
Results are contrary to media and consumers' misconceptions

March 17/PRNewswire/ - The recently updated Mexico Travel Alert has been broadly misinterpreted by media and consumers. The alert does not discourage U.S. citizens from traveling to Mexico, but instead encourages travelers to take common sense precautions to ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable. To get a pulse on how vacationers who recently returned from Mexico felt about their safety and experience, The Mark Travel Corporation (parent company to Funjet Vacations) initiated and aggregated a consumer survey.

From March 6 - 15, 2009, more than 900 responses were received from travelers who took a vacation to Mexico between October 2008 and March 2009. The results were overwhelmingly positive with 97% of those surveyed indicating they would return to Mexico for another vacation and 90% of all respondents agreeing to the statement "I felt safe and secure." Of the respondents who agreed to feeling safe and secure, 92% traveled in 2009 and 88% traveled in 2008, indicating that a growing number of travelers felt safe and secure in Mexico in 2009.

There were some travelers, only 9%, who indicated they felt unsafe at some time during their vacation in Mexico and less than 1% of respondents felt unsafe while on the resort property. The vast majority of reasons for feeling unsafe reflected isolated concerns that were not related to personal or physical safety.

The majority of respondents vacationed in Cancun/Riviera Maya, the most popular leisure destination in Mexico, which is more than 1,300 miles from the nearest U.S./Mexico border town referred to in the updated Mexico Travel Alert. Other respondents also vacationed in major tourist destinations including Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Acapulco and Mazatlan. These destinations are a minimum of 375 miles (the distance from Mazatlan to Chihuahua) from any U.S./Mexico border town. To view a map of Mexico that includes tourist destinations, border towns and mileage, visit Mexico-Update.com, a Web site recently launched by the Mexico Tourism Board to address travelers' questions about travel and safety in Mexico.

"The survey respondents confirmed Funjet's position that Mexico continues to be an amazing, safe and fun vacation destination. The results should give other travelers confidence to plan a Mexico vacation," stated Mike Going, President of Funjet Vacations. "We encourage consumers to get the facts about the Mexico Travel Alert from their travel agent or Funjet.com/pressroom. The concentration of drug cartel violence that caused the U.S. Department of State to update the alert is hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of miles away from Cancun, Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta and other main tourist areas."

There was no incentive or giveaway associated with the survey and travel agents were encouraged to send it to any of their clients who recently returned from Mexico and traveled with Funjet Vacations or another tour operator.

This article first appeared at: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS159527+18-Mar-2009+PRN20090318

El Paso, TX is one of the safest cities in the U.S. with a population over 500,000. This is according to the Morgan Quinto Press, which monitors the crime, education, and health rankings of cities and states.

El Paso is across the border from Ciudad Juarez, with all of the drug cartel violence. This indicates that the violence is not directed against U.S. citizens because this would increase the border vigilance of Mexico and of the U.S. Increased vigilance is not what the cartels want.

Canyon Travel has hosted thousands of travelers since 1971 to Chihuahua without a single incident of violence directed against the travelers. In fact, these travelers have not lost any items from their rooms in our private lodges. These statistical facts indicate that travel to Copper Canyon is very safe.

March 27, 2009 BULVERDE, TX: Travel & Tourism industry professionals conducting business in Mexico are up in arms about recent media coverage of alleged escalations of violence along Mexico's border.

(Last month the US State Department issued an advisory stating in part, "Drug-related violence in the country has increased recently and the area of greatest concern is along the U.S. border." The advisory recommends U.S. citizens to "exercise caution in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times.")

Emilio Kifuri, founder and owner of Canyon Travel specializing in eco and sustainable tourism in the Sierra Madre Copper Canyon region says the advisory is little more than a reminder for travelers to use common sense, calling it "good advice for anyone traveling to any destination, domestic or international."

He's frustrated by what he views as an American media focusing on any and every episode of violence throughout Mexico including crimes from the capital region of Mexico City where the population exceeds 22 million people! Kifuri fears his business may suffer despite an impeccable safety record. Canyon Travel has operated in the Sierra Madre for more than forty years, safely guiding tens of thousands of travelers throughout NW Mexico without ever encountering any violence.

Nancy Harrison also believes the advisory has been blown out of proportion. Founder & Partner of Adventure Travel Media Source, recognized as the nation's premier provider of media relations for the active travel industry, she recently issued this statement: "Our clients have hosted hundreds of thousands of tourists on wilderness trips and tours around the world for decades in relative safety. Traveling with an operator who lives and works in the area provides travelers with safety and protection - I feel totally comfortable in inviting those who wish to travel to this beautiful area of the world to book their trip and put their minds at ease."

Travel Weekly magazine hosted an emergency webcast earlier this month to address concerns of travel agents and consumers in light of what they call "negative media coverage of escalated drug-related violence south of the border." Editor of the leading publication for the travel agency industry, Arnie Weissmann moderated a panel of industry experts discussing the situation. In a press release issued following the panel, Travel Weekly stated, "The broad consensus among panelists was that mass media coverage of violent clashes between drug cartels and police on the Mexico frontier has been unfair, alarmist and distorted."

In addition, Harrison and Kifuri, familiar with the history of drug related crime near the US Mexico border, are certain violence directed at visitors is highly unlikely. They say if foreign visitors were victimized, the Mexican police would immediately step up their presence around the borders even more; precisely what those involved with drug smuggling do not want to happen.

Your Safety in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

I cannot guarantee your safety in Juarez, Mexico, any more than I could guarantee your safety in Dallas, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, or Tokyo, Japan. They are all big cities that undisputedly possess a criminal element. They are also all great cities full of good people and wonderful things to see and do. Use the same precautions you would use in any large metropolitan area.

All we seem to read regarding Ciudad Juárez in the American press, however, centers around crime. While these realities are tragic, especially that of young girls stricken down before their lives have even really begun, it should also be pointed out that this picture of Juárez lacks balance, which should be the first priority of any journalist. There is no shortage of serial killers and criminal behavior in any country, but coverage of other cities is more balanced. We get human interest stories, restauant and nightclub reviews, stories about civic events, and interviews with the city's leadership.

Plaza in front of the Catedral in El Centro.
Click to Click for larger image.

The Time and Newsweek reporters who come here, however, visit Juarez once or twice a year and publish stories which focus exclusively on crime. They stay in 5-star hotels, aparently talk only to the police and newspaper editors about the crime here, and never seem to notice honest Mexican families enjoying lunch or dinner together. Yet the honest families these reporters choose to ignore are the true reality in this city. They are people such as those who live in my neighborhood. It's a very tranquil neighborhood where people actually know each other and bother to say hello. We don't know any drugs lords, and we don't dodge bullets when we walk to the store for a loaf of bread.

Yet the American press has stigmatized Ciudad Juárez as "The City of Death". Its sensational, unbalanced reporting has crippled tourism in the city, costing the local businesses millions of dollars each year. To smear an entire city in this manner, in my humble opinion, borders on being a crime against humanity. If Time or Newsweek were to publish nothing but stories about crime and murder in a U.S. city, they would surely face lawsuits to the tune of millions of dollars, simply because, once again, although factually true, such coverage lacks balance. So why is it okay, at the highest levels of journalism in the United States, to trash a great Mexican city like Ciudad Juárez? We should all be asking ourselves this question.

Unless you have come to corner a piece of the cocaine traffic, you have very little to worry about when visiting Juárez. Having been here on the ground for three years, ridden the buses, walked the streets, fallen in love, and even buried my dead here, I believe I know much, much more about Ciudad Juarez than the reporters from Time and Newsweek ever will, and I would not be urging you to visit if I thought you would be in danger.

The people in Ciudad Juarez are friendly, honest, and helpful to visitors. 99.9% of the people here are far too busy working 50-60 hours a week to feed their families to worry about who you are, where you are going, or what you are doing. You might find it a little off putting to have someone offering to sell you candy or roses on every corner, or a parquero wanting a quarter to help you back your car out of a deserted parking spot, but you have to remember that these people are out on the street 14 hours a day trying to make an honest living. You should probably salute them. Life is hard here for many people, and perhaps the real miracle is that, even in such difficult economic circumstances, more people do not turn to crime. The more you know about the people here, the more you realize that almost everything you have ever been told about the city, and Mexico in general, is simply not true. This web site was developed to bring you the truth.

There are a few things you should consider, however, when visiting Ciudad Juárez or any place in Mexico.

Don't enter the country with so much as a spent shotgun shell or empty bullet casing rattling around in the trunk of your car or on your person. It is against the law to have anything relating to firearms in your possession, and this law is strictly enforced.
Don't drive here without Mexican auto insurance. See the page about driving in Juárez, where I lay out the facts about bringing your car across the border as relates to insurance. If your insurance agent has told you that you are "covered", you'd best understand that being "covered" and being legal are two different things.
Don't park anywhere questionable without asking if it's okay to park there. If you park in a restricted area, you may come back and find your license plates have been confiscated until you come into the station and pay a fine. You may very well be stopped on the way to the station because you do not have any license plates.
You can get a ticket for no seat belts.
If you get a ticket, the officer will take your license and take it to the station. It will stay there until you come to pay the fine.
These policies are not as unreasonable as it may seem at first. Without them, most visitors would skip the country and never come back to own up to their responsibilities. The minute you cross the border you agree to abide by Mexican law, just as people agree to abide by U.S. law when they enter the United States. Respect the law, and you will have no problems. Generally, what is against the law in the United States is also illegal in Mexico.
Do not have anything to do with drugs. Avoid anyone who uses drugs, offers to get drugs for you, or even mentions them. Mexican law is absolutely draconian regarding drugs, and it will be your burden to prove your innocence in the Mexican criminal justice system, not the state's burden to prove your guilt. If the offense is related to drugs, you will be lucky if the American Consulate brings you a little toothbrush and a Sunday paper before wishing you the best of luck. It cannot do much to help you. You are in a foreign country.
Avoid the area in el centro west of Avenida Juarez towards the south end of Avenida Juarez as you approach Ave. 16 de Septiembre. You will be accosted by drug addicts, street walkers, and cross-dressers. Don't confuse these people with the great people of Juarez, Mexico. Peg them as denizens of an impoverished, drug infested area similar to those found in L.A. or New York, and you've got the picture perfectly. I would not be surprised to see a vampire walking sideways up a wall in any of these places. Avoid this area of Juarez at all costs, especially at night.
Stay on the beaten path until you get to know the city. All of the places in the Juarez Travel Guide are safe to visit.
Don't get drunk in public. If you want to tie one on, get a hotel room and do it there. Modern Juárez is not a place to get in the mood to ride in hooting and hollering and shooting up the town. The days of Billy the Kid are long gone, and Juarez Police Department is around 24 hours a day to issue reminders of that fact.

The things you should really be worried about in Ciudad Juárez have very little do with being a victim of crime. That can happen anywhere. The things which worry you should have a lot more to do with your own behavior and reasons for coming to Mexico in the first place. If you are coming to spend an afternoon shopping, to have dinner, or spend your vacation enjoying the attractions here I cannot imagine you having any problems.

Come in a good way, and you will leave in a good way. That much I believe I can guarantee you.