Mexico militarises its beaches and main tourist resorts for Easter Week in the face of a new wave of murders

07-04-23

Some 8,000 troops are deployed to guard holidaymakers. There were six murders on the beaches of Cancun and Acapulco this week.

The government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador deployed some 8,000 military personnel to guard highways and the country's main tourist areas for Easter Week, amid a wave of violence that caused six deaths on beaches in Cancún and Acapulco, two of Mexico's most important resorts.

A total of 4,724 members of the armed forces will guard the tourist resorts and another 3,800 will guard the main access routes to the areas with the greatest influx of travellers.

"The National Guard will be covering the Easter holiday period in the tourist areas, supporting a series of actions that will guarantee the population's enjoyment of these periods," said the head of the army, Luis Cresencio Sandoval.

What the security operation in Mexico's main tourist spots will be like

The operation will be carried out by the National Guard and will last until 16 April.

In addition to the 8,000 military personnel who will patrol the streets and access roads to key tourist spots, six helicopters, 755 patrol cars, 377 Cheyenne vans, 10 speedboats and 45 ATVs will be deployed.

The main tourist destinations in the security plan are Cancun and Tulum in Quintana Roo, in the south of the country, and the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Veracruz and Acapulco.

"These will be the main areas that will be attended to (the plan) without detriment to others in the country. All of them will be manned by Guardia personnel with vehicles and will have the support of a helicopter," Sandoval said.

Heavy security operation in Mexico's tourist resorts aims to stem a wave of violence

The special Easter Week operation was announced by the authorities to stem a wave of violence in the country's main resorts. In Cancun alone, four people killed as many drug dealers on a beach in front of a hotel there.

Meanwhile, in Acapulco, another of the country's busiest beaches, two people were shot dead in Caleta, the most traditional area of this tourist destination.

Mexico is one of the 10 most visited countries in the world. It expects to have revenues of more than 8.88 billion dollars during Easter Week, the highest forecast in three years. The number of homicides in Mexico rose by 4.23 % annually in the first two months of 2023, to 4882 murders, with an average of 83 a day.