As a measure to combat drug dealing, The Hotel Council of the Mexican Caribbean has joined forces to keep tourists safe. The council, which includes associations of municipalities in the hotel industry, will provide tourists with a document so that they are informed of the legal risks of drug purchasing and consumption.
Due to the serious nature posed by the sale of drugs in tourist destinations in the State, the council joined forces to inform their guests of the risks when buying and consuming drugs in Mexican territory.
The Tulum Hotel Association was the first to adopt this measure as they gave each guest a document to sign explaining the risks.
Toni Chaves, President of the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council, stated these measures came to action to not only keep tourists safe but to educate tourists about the laws of the country and the trouble they could face for drug purchasing and consumption. The Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council worked together with the state government, security and tourism authorities to enact these measures.
The recommendation is that hotels are to present a document to travelers upon check-in so they are aware of the risks, as most tourists are ignorant to what may occur. Whilst the hotels are not obliged to follow, it is a recommendation that the council is hoping that all hotels will follow.
Along with notifying tourists, other joint activities between the private sector and security authorities have banded together to combat drug dealing. There has been a larger presence of surveillance of police and federal forces on the beaches along with checkpoints throughout the state.
According to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, authorities received the report of 441 cases for the crime of drug dealing during January and February of this year. This is a big drop from the 2,202 cases reported during the same year in 2023.