From a Beheading to a Fiesta: Two Takes on Mexico Travel
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 08.05.06 | 1:39 PM ET
The other day, we linked to an AP story about tourists canceling trips to Mexico over fear of violent crime and concerns over political protests. The story was picked up in newspapers across the United States. I thought it was an important story to point out, but I have to say, it’s been bothering me a bit.
The AP story began on a decidedly alarmist note: “A human head washes up on an Acapulco beach.”
I know violent crime is a problem in Mexico. I spent a couple of months traveling solo through the country last year and well-meaning locals often warned me to be careful. But the fact remains that legions of travelers visit Mexico, as I did, and experience no big problems. In fact, they have a grand time. (To the writer’s credit, the AP story did note further down that no tourists had been harmed recently in the three cities that were the focus of the story: Mexico City, Acapulco and Oaxaca.)
In the interest of balance, I’d like to point out another Mexico-related story, this one from today’s Los Angeles Times. Sure, traffic in parts of Mexico City right now is surely horrific thanks to the protests stemming from last month’s presidential election, but the headline says it all: Mexico City Sit-in Has the Air of a Fiesta.
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
